Berlin Wall Facts

When you are looking for Berlin Wall Facts you will notice that figures vary somewhat from source to source. Due to the highly politically charged nature of the period, contemporary accounts are prone to inaccuracies as each side attempted to promote their own agenda. What we have presented here is list of the most important facts and figures which have been researched and largely agreed upon by current historians.

For ease of navigation we have divided the page into a few sections:

The Berlin Wall in numbers – here you will find answers to questions like “How long was the Berlin Wall? or How high was the Berlin Wall?

Berlin Wall Dates - A timeline of the most important dates concerning the Berlin Wall answering questions such as “When was the Berlin Wall built?”

The Human Cost of the Berlin Wall - In this section we have included facts about escape attempts, deaths, and guards of the Berlin Wall

For more information on the Berlin Wall please visit the following pages:

Berlin Wall Map

Berlin Wall History

Top 10 Berlin Wall Locations

The Berlin Wall in Numbers

155	Total Length of the Berlin Wall (km)
43	Length running between East and West Berlin (km)
112	Length running beween West Berlin and Brandenburg
8	Border Crossings between East and West Berlin
6	Border Crossings between West Berlin and Brandenburg
302	Guard Towers
20	Bunkers
259	Dog Runs
105.5	Km of anti vehicle trenches
127.5	Km of signal fences
45,000	Amount of seperate pre-fabricated segments which made up the final version of the Berlin Wall
1.2	Width of each of the concrete segments (in metres)
3.6	Height of each of the concrete segments (in metres)
16,155,000	Cost of the Berlin Wall (in DDM, East German Marks)
70	Number of escape tunnels dug

Berlin Wall Dates

13th August 1961	The Border is sealed off with Barbed Wire
17th August 1961	First brick and concrete elements built
22nd August 1961	Ida Siekmann becomes first victim of the wall after jumping to her death from her 3rd floor apartment.
24th August 1961	Günter Litfin is the first victim to be shot and killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall
26th June 1963	Kennedy makes his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech
12th June 1987	Reagan makes his "tear down this wall" speech
19th July 1988	Bruce Springsteen plays a concert in East Berlin
6th February 1989	Chris Gueffroy is the last person to be shot and killed on the Berlin Wall
9th November 1989	The Borders are opened, the Berlin Wall falls
13th June 1990	Official deconstruction of the Berlin Wall begins

The Human Cost of the Berlin Wall

3.5 Million	Number of East Germans who defected to the West before consctuction of the Berlin Wall (20% of the population)
10,000	Attempts to escape from East to West Berlin after construction of the Berlin Wall
5000	Successful escape attempts from East to West Berlin after construction of the Berlin Wall
11,500	Number of border guards employed to guard the Berlin Wall
136	Confirmed Deaths at the Berlin Wall
98	People shot and killed crossing the Berlin Wall
30	People who died in accidents at the Berlin Wall but were not trying to flee
8	GDR Border Guards killed while on duty
600	Border guards who escaped to West Berlin

When collecting these facts we consulted a number of different sources in an effort to be as accurate as possible including the official Berlin Wall Memorial website, and the official Berlin city portal as well as the book "Die Grenze" (The Border) written by Lapp/Ritter 1997. We have made every effort to present an accurate list but if you spot something amiss, please get in touch either by facebook, twitter, or email.