Günter Litfin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Günter Litfin
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Günter Litfin
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| Born | 19 February 1937 |
| Died | 24 August 1961 (aged 24) Berlin-Spandau Ship Canal, West Berlin, West Germany
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| Cause of death | Shot by a guard whilst attempting to leave East Berlin |
| Body discovered | Spandauer Schifffahrtskanal 52°31′39″N 13°22′25″E / 52.527628°N 13.373685°E |
| Resting place | Saint Hedwig Cemetery |
| Monuments | Sandkrugbrücke, Invalidenstraße, Berlin |
| Known for | First person to be shot whilst attempting to escape across the Berlin Wall |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Union |
Günter Litfin (born January 19, 1937 – died August 24, 1961) was a German tailor. He became the second person known to die at the Berlin Wall. He was the first person killed by East German border guards. He was also the first male victim to die from gunshot wounds while trying to cross the wall.
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Life Before the Wall
Günter Litfin was born in Berlin, Germany, on January 19, 1937. He had a twin brother named Alois. Sadly, Alois died during World War II.
Günter lived in East Berlin, in a part called Weißensee. His father was a butcher. Both Günter and his father were part of a political group called the Christian Democratic Union. This group was not allowed in East Germany.
Günter worked as a tailor in West Berlin, near the Zoological Garden. Many people like him lived in East Berlin but worked in West Berlin. They were called "Grenzgänger," which means "border crossers."
The Berlin Wall Goes Up
On August 13, 1961, everything changed. East Germany suddenly closed the border between East and West Berlin. This meant Günter was stuck in East Berlin.
Just before the border closed, Günter had found a new apartment in West Berlin. It was closer to his job. On August 12, the day before the border closed, he had even gone to his new apartment with his brother Jürgen to get it ready. But the next morning, roads were blocked. The first barbed wire fences of the Berlin Wall were already being built. Günter's plan to move to West Berlin was stopped.
A Tragic Escape Attempt
On August 24, 1961, at about 4 PM, Günter tried to escape. He decided to swim from a small harbor called Humboldthafen. His plan was to swim through a canal that led into West Berlin.
But as he swam under a railway bridge, East German police officers saw him. They were called the "Transportpolizei." They ordered him to swim back. Günter lifted his hands out of the water, trying to get out on the West Berlin side. At that moment, he was shot and killed.
Günter Litfin was buried on August 31, 1961, at St. Hedwig Cemetery in Weißensee. Police from the Stasi (East Germany's secret police) were at the funeral. They made sure no one openly talked about how he really died. Günter's brother, Jürgen, said the funeral felt like a "farce." Most people there knew Günter had been killed for trying to leave East Germany.
Remembering Günter Litfin
In 1992, a memorial was set up to remember Günter Litfin and all others who died at the Berlin Wall. Günter's younger brother, Jürgen Litfin, helped make this happen. The memorial is in a former watchtower near the Berlin-Spandauer Schifffahrtskanal.
On August 24, 2000, a street in Weißensee was renamed Günter-Litfin-Straße. This was done to honor him. Also, one of the white crosses at the White Crosses memorial near the Reichstag building is dedicated to him. This memorial remembers all the victims of the Berlin Wall.
After the Berlin Wall fell and Germany became one country again, the border guard who shot Günter Litfin was found guilty. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but the sentence was suspended. This means he did not have to go to jail.
Gallery
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East German border guards retrieving the body of Günter Litfin from the River Spree
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Memorial stone at Sandkrug Bridge/Invalidenstraße in Berlin
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The leftmost of the White Crosses is devoted to him
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Günter-Litfin-Straße in Weißensee
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Last East Berlin residence of Günter Litfin, Heinersdorfer Straße 32, Weißensee, front view
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Last East Berlin residence of Günter Litfin, Heinersdorfer Straße 32, Weißensee, side view
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Main gate at the St Hedwig's Cemetery, Smetanastraße 36-54, Weißensee, where Günter Litfin was buried in 1961
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Memorial stone to Günter Litfin at the former guard tower, now the Günter Litfin Gedenkstätte, in Berlin
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See also
- List of deaths at the Berlin Wall
- Berlin Crisis of 1961
Literature
- Jürgen Litfin: Tod durch fremde Hand. Das erste Maueropfer in Berlin und die Geschichte einer Familie. Verlag der Nation, Husum 2006, ISBN: 978-3-373-00524-7.
- Mathias Mesenhöller: Die grausame Mauer. In: Geo, 08/2011, S. 73
- Christine Brecht: Günter Litfin, in: Die Todesopfer an der Berliner Mauer 1961–1989. Ein biographisches Handbuch. Links, Berlin 2009, ISBN: 978-3-86153-517-1, p. 37–39.
