Deaths at the Berlin Wall, 1961-1989

Imogen Todd, Fall 2021

scroll to begin

The Berlin Wall surrounded West Berlin from 1961 to 1989 and seprated it from the rest of West Germany (the FRG) and by extention, East Germany (the GDR). The wall was made of concrete and was protected by guard towers, anti-vehicle trenches, and beds of nails. Its goal was to 'prevent East German citizens from fleeing to the West' [1].

An estimated 139 people died at the Berlin Wall during the years it was standing

at ages ranging from 2 to 80.

But these are more than just statistics.

Each square represents one person who died, color-coded by cause of death. Hover over each square to learn more about the person it represents.

139

Most of them were shot,

93

many drowned,

25

and the rest died in other ways,

Train

5

Suicide

3

Fall

2

Injuries

2

Shot (Accident)

2

Suffocation

2

Accident

1

Balloon Crash

1

Bludgeoned

1

Pneumonia

1

Unknown

1

but they should all be remembered.