August 13, 1961 In the wrong place at the wrong time

Manfred Migdal is 19 years old in 1961 and has grown up in the Eastern district of Friedrichshain. His greatest passions are rock n' roll, big band music and girls. Months before the Wall goes up he flees to the West and goes into hiding. But his new West Berlin ID card cannot help him on 13 August 1961 when he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. In 2011, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Wall going up, the rbb interviewed Berliners to find out what the division of the city meant to them. The Wall had a profound impact on the way each person went about their daily lives - no matter what side they found themselves on. Overnight people were cut off from their friends and relatives, from their offices, factories and schools, and from places where they enjoyed spending their leisure time. The division of the city tore families apart, ruptured biographies and claimed many lives.

Border, Escaping, Contemporary Witnesses, West, East 04:01