Border, Escaping, Contemporary Witnesses, East

Gleim Tunnel sealed off overnight

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In 1961 Jutta Witt lives next to the S-bahn line in Prenzlauer Berg. When she wakes up on 13 August, everything seems just a little too quiet. She soon realises that the S-bahn station Schönhauser Allee has been closed overnight and turns on the radio to discover that East Berlin has been sealed off. Jutta quickly heads to the nearby Gleim Tunnel, her usual route over to the West to visit her relatives. There will be many a dramatic scene on both sides of the tunnel over the months to come…

In 2011, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Wall going up, the rbb interviewed Berliners to find out what the division of the city meant to them. The Wall had a profound impact on the way each person went about their daily lives - no matter what side they found themselves on. Overnight people were cut off from their friends and relatives, from their offices, factories and schools, and from places where they enjoyed spending their leisure time. The division of the city tore families apart, ruptured biographies and claimed many lives.

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  • Berlin, Gleimtunnel
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    60
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    52.5465203
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    13.4003503
  • Berlin, Schönhauser Allee
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    15
    latitude
    52.5416139
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    13.4120199