The Berlin Wall

Today marks the 48th anniversary of the building of the Berlin Wall, and the almost-20th-anniversary of its opening during the GDR's autumn revolution. Marking the anniversary, the Links Verlag has produced a book about the victims who were killed trying to get over, under, or through the wall. As the book points out, some of the victims became known through the media. But even today the number, the identity and the fate of the victims is largely unknown. How many people actually lost their lives at the wall? How did they die? Where did they come from? How were their families or friends dealt with? This is a handbook setting out biographical details about the lives and deaths of the victims at the wall. The authors have systematically drawn up upon the relevant files and the Stasi archives and have also conducted interviews with family members and contemporary witnesses.