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Der ehemalige Führungsturm am Kieler Ufer, 2018
Foto: Stiftung Berliner Mauer
Der ehemalige Führungsturm am Kieler Ufer, 2018. Foto: Stiftung Berliner Mauer
Der ehemalige Führungsturm am Kieler Ufer, 2018
Foto: Stiftung Berliner Mauer
Der ehemalige Führungsturm am Kieler Ufer, 2018. Foto: Stiftung Berliner Mauer
Gedenkstein für Günter Litfin
Foto: Stiftung Berliner Mauer
Gedenkstein für Günter Litfin. Foto: Stiftung Berliner Mauer
Jürgen Litfin (r.) bei der Übergabe der Gedenkstätte an die Stiftung Berliner Mauer, 2017
Foto: Stiftung Berliner Mauer
Jürgen Litfin (r.) bei der Übergabe der Gedenkstätte an die Stiftung Berliner Mauer, 2017. Foto: Stiftung Berliner Mauer

The memorial at Kieler Eck is a former command post of the GDR border troops at the Berlin-Spandau Schifffahrtskanal (located in today‘s district Berlin Mitte). After the Wall fell, it was established as a memorial to one of the first victims of the Wall: Günter Litfin. It is both a document of the border regime and a testament to its victims.

In the end, there were 280 watchtowers occupied by border soldiers along the Berlin Wall. Thirty-two towers served as command posts where officers or sergeants commanded the soldiers stationed on watchtowers and patrolling the border section. The commander was responsible for ensuring that no successful escapes occurred in his section. He stayed in direct contact with his supervisors, watchtower crews and the East German police. All information was directed to the command post, where an emergency unit was maintained that could be employed against fugitives. In August 24, 1961, Günter Litfin tried to escape to West Berlin not far from the command post at Kieler Ufer and was shot dead.

After the Wall fell, Günter’s brother, Jürgen Litfin, lobbied to have the former command station preserved. Thanks to his civic commitment, the watchtower was left standing amidst new housing construction. On August 24, 2003, he opened a memorial site dedicated to the Berlin Wall and its first fatally shot victim. He founded an association that maintained the site until 2017 when it was entrusted to the Berlin Wall Foundation.

Opening hours,

  • Monday-Wednesday closed
  • Thursday-Friday 13:00 - 17:00
  • Saturday-Sunday 11:00 - 17:00

The tower is not barrier-free.
Sturdy shoes are absolutely necessary. Visitors should not suffer from vertigo (steep stairs!).

Location,

Kieler Straße 2, 10115 Berlin

Telephone,

+49 (30) 213085 123

Website,

www.stiftung-berliner-ma…

Email,

[javascript protected email address]

Prices,

Free entrance

Exhibitions

Events

Digital

Tickets

Free entrance

Services

Service Telephone

+49 (30) 213085 123

Accessibility

The tower is not barrier-free.

Audioguides

Nearby

Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin, Invalidenstraße 50, Berlin-Mitte
© Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / David von Becker
Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin, Invalidenstraße 50, Berlin-Mitte © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / David von Becker

Art Museum

Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Außenansicht
Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

Natural Science Museum

Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

300 Jahre Medizingeschichte
Thomas Bruns

Natural Science Museum

Charité Museum of Medical History Berlin

© David von Becker
View of Futurium from the Spree side

Exhibition house

Futurium

Brechts großes Arbeitszimmer
© Brecht-Weigel-Gedenkstätte. Foto: P. Lutz

Literature Museum

Brecht-Weigel-Museum

Archive of the Academy of Arts

Foto: Stefan Josef Müller, Berlin
Tieranatomisches Theater, Außenansicht.

Exhibition house

Tieranatomisches Theater

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