Top 5 Depressing Stories From the Berlin Wall | Top5's

Top 5 Depressing Stories From the Berlin Wall

Posted on Feb 06, 2013

5. The Diligent Student

Bernd L?nser was a twenty-two-year-old student from one of Berlin?s universities. When the wall went up, he was left stranded and unable to reach his place of study. Eager to continue on his academic path, Bernd planned to scale a rooftop and then use a clothes line to descend into West Germany.

But his plan was foiled by a group of guards. Bernd, struggling with the men, called for West Germans to aid him in some way; his compatriots quickly responded by creating a makeshift net for Bernd to leap into. Tragically, the struggle caused Bernd to miss his jump by a few feet, and he was killed instantly.

4. The Lonely Funerals

The Berlin Wall split many families in two, which is part of the reason why escape attempts were so common: people simply wanted to go home.

Strict border regulations meant that if your family member died trying to escape across the wall, you weren?t even allowed to attend their funeral. The dead would often be buried anonymously?as was the case with Klaus Brueske, whose mother and seven siblings were prevented from visiting him, even in death.

3. The Soldiers Who Tried To Be Friendly

Though painted as inhuman monsters by the other side, the border guards were essentially regular people doing their (admittedly rather evil) job. They were for the most part members of the community, and part of the fabric of everyday life.

When a group of children asked some border guards to show them the weapons they carried, the guards eventually relented and explained the functions of the guns. But in a freak accident, one of the weapons discharged and struck a nearby thirteen-year-old schoolboy, Wolfgang Gl?de. The fate of Private K (the guard responsible) isn?t known.

2. The Unknown Victim

Almost every person who died anywhere near the Berlin Wall has had their lives very thoroughly researched and put on display, so that people today might appreciate what they went through. To date, only one person has never been identified.

All we know about this man is that he drowned in the full view of onlookers, and that no one ever came to claim his body from either East or West Germany. Despite decades of scholarly work and research, nothing else has ever been discovered about this man. If dying is one of the worst things that can happen to a person, then dying completely anonymously?with no one around to care?must take bad luck to a whole new level.

1. The Mother Who Accidentally Smothered Her Child

It?s unknown exactly what prompted Ingrid and Klause H. to escape East Berlin, but the reason was presumably a very good one.

While hiding in the back of a truck, Ingrid?s young child Holger began to stir. Terrified that a guard would hear, Ingrid muffled the baby?s cries with her hand. But Ingrid was completely unaware that little Holger was suffering from bronchitis, and was therefore unable to breathe through his nose.

When the truck arrived in West Germany, Ingrid and Klause had gained their freedom, but had lost their son.

Source: http://top5s.net/index.php/2013/02/top-5-depressing-stories-from-the-berlin-wall/

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