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.