"Escape and Departure in 1989" at the Brandenburg Gate

A conversation with Anne Hahn, Mario Röllig, and Maik Hupe, moderated by Nine-Christine Müller

What did the construction of the Wall mean for those who experienced it firsthand? How did they perceive August 13, 1961? And what specific consequences did the Berlin Wall have for them? At the Brandenburg Gate, eyewitnesses share insights into their personal memories—from the first days of the Wall’s construction to the opening of the border in November 1989. Their accounts offer different perspectives on the division of Germany: from a child’s perspective and journalistic observations to experiences of repression in the GDR and stories of escape. These memories make it clear that while the Berlin Wall served a clear political function, it held different meanings for people and shaped their lives in many ways.

Over 160,000 people fled to the West in 1989. Many attempted to escape via other countries. Others applied for exit permits and were thus able to leave the country. Some were arrested for their activities in opposition circles and deported to Western countries. In these interviews, the eyewitnesses recount their experiences from the late 1980s.

Anne Hahn, born in 1966, grew up in Magdeburg. During her apprenticeship, she organized concerts and was active in the punk scene. The Ministry for State Security monitored her and put pressure on her. Anne Hahn was told to distance herself from her friends, but she refused. As a result, she lost her job and the college spot she had hoped for. In May 1989, she traveled to the Soviet Union and attempted to flee across the border of present-day Azerbaijan into Iran and then on to West Germany. She was arrested in the process and brought back to the GDR. After three months of pretrial detention in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, she was transferred to the Hohenleuben prison in Thuringia, where she was forced to perform hard labor and remained incarcerated until a general amnesty was declared on November 17, 1989. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Anne Hahn studied art history, history, and German language and literature.

Maik Hupe, born in 1970, came from a Catholic family, which put his family at a disadvantage in the GDR. Since there were no good prospects for the future for him and his brother, the two decided to flee. Through contacts with the Order of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth in Poland, they were eventually able to obtain a visa. In Warsaw, with the help of a young couple, they finally climbed over the fence onto the grounds of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. Along with other refugees, they were initially housed in a Solidarność vacation camp before being transported by train through the GDR to West Germany with other embassy refugees. The brothers eventually settled in the Münsterland region. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, they visited their parents in the GDR.

Mario Röllig, born in 1967, grew up in East Berlin and completed an apprenticeship as a restaurant specialist. After coming out as gay, he became friends with a man from West Berlin. Agents of the Ministry for State Security (MfS) subsequently attempted to recruit him as an unofficial collaborator. Because he refused, he was subjected to intense pressure. In June 1987, Mario Röllig attempted to flee via Hungary to what was then Yugoslavia. He was arrested by the Hungarian border police and, beginning in early July, was held for three months in the MfS’s central detention center in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen. After his release, the personal and professional reprisals did not stop. As early as the fall of 1987, Mario Röllig submitted an application to leave the country, but it was unsuccessful. Beginning in early 1988, he participated in opposition events; due to his activities, he was eventually stripped of his GDR citizenship and moved to West Berlin in 1989.

This event is part of the special program marking the 65th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall.
Funded by the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the LOTTO Foundation Berlin

More information: mauerbau65.berlinTranslated with DeepL

Meeting point: Platz des 18. März at the Brandenburg Gate, 10117 Berlin

Next date:

• Date Friday, 14/August/2026 19:30 bis 20:00
• Venue Podest am Brandenburger Tor
• Address Platz des 18. März am Brandenburger Tor, 10117 Berlin