Gedenkstätte Günter Litfin

At Kieler Eck, on the Berlin-Spandauer Schifffahrtskanal in Berlin, a former East German watchtower holds the Gedenkstätte Günter Litfin. It was one of 280 towers that once stood along the Berlin Wall, part of the DDR's border control system. As a command post, it organised patrols and managed the staffing of the other watchtowers.

The memorial commemorates Günter Litfin, who was among the first to die trying to escape East Berlin after the Wall went up. On 24 August 1961, just days after construction began, he tried to reach West Berlin and was shot dead. The Wall stretched over 155 kilometres, with watchtowers, guard dogs and a death strip along its course. Built to keep East Germans in, it divided Berlin until 1989, when its fall brought reunification and the Cold War's end.

Guided tours give you the full picture, from the border system to the escape itself. The tower that once commanded the border keeps the memory of Günter and of the many who risked their lives for freedom. Behind that stands Jürgen Litfin, Günter's brother, whose efforts preserved the site as a memorial.