Did the steel itself cry out? Here at the Gedenkstein für Maueropfer Plaque, it’s easy to imagine the cold, dark metal weeping for the lives lost. This two-part monument, framed by ivy, stands as a stark reminder of Berlin’s divided past. The Gedenkstein für Maueropfer isn’t just a plaque. It’s a searing testament to the human cost of the Berlin Wall.
The Gedenkstein für Maueropfer sits along the path of the former wall. One part represents a segment of the wall itself, dark gray and imposing. A plaque is embedded in its base. The second part stands separately, shaped to evoke the “death strip”. A child’s silhouette is cut out of this steel, the empty space a poignant reminder of young lives tragically extinguished. Bullet holes pepper the area around the silhouette, a chilling echo of the violence that once reigned here.
From Treptow, after the wall’s construction in 1961, many tried to escape to West Berlin. Fifteen known victims attempted to flee from Treptow, including two children. Ten-year-old Jörg Hartmann and 13-year-old Lothar Schleusener were shot on March 14, 1966, while trying to cross near the Heidkampgraben allotment gardens. The GDR authorities claimed one drowned and the other died from electrocution. Only in 1997, during a trial against the border guards, did the families learn the truth. One guard claimed he fired “intentionally off target” under “extreme command pressure” – an impossible feat during sustained fire. This trial spurred the Treptow district assembly to dedicate this memorial, the Gedenkstein für Maueropfer, to the victims.
Lothar Schleusener’s family was told he died from electrocution in Leipzig. His mother never believed it, but fear silenced her questions. He was buried in Friedrichshain. After reunification, the guards were found. One had died; the other received a 20-month suspended sentence for manslaughter. Jörg Hartmann’s teacher and grandmother heard on RIAS (Radio in the American Sector) that two children had been shot at the border. The official story was that he drowned in Köpenick. His grandmother never believed it. He had been cremated before his family was notified and buried anonymously in Baumschulenweg. His grandmother later had his urn moved and a gravestone placed. His former teacher, who had fled to the West, initiated the Gedenkstein für Maueropfer in 1999 to honor him and other victims.
The Gedenkstein für Maueropfer’s creation followed a competition won by Rüdiger Roehl and Jan Skuin, both of whom had been imprisoned in the GDR for attempted “republic flight”. They understood the desperation that drove people to the wall. The inscription, “IN TREPTOW FIFTEEN / PEOPLE DIED AT THE BERLIN WALL. / AMONG THE DEAD WERE 2 CHILDREN. / JÖRG HARTMANN, 10 YEARS OLD AND / LOTHAR SCHLEUSENER, 13 YEARS OLD, / SHOT ON 14.3.1966,” is etched into the metal. A smaller plaque reads, “J. SKUIN / R. ROEHL / 1999.”
The Gedenkstein für Maueropfer is more than just steel, concrete, and inscriptions. It is a place of memory, a place of mourning, and a place of hope. It reminds us of the tragic consequences of division, the resilience of the human spirit, and the enduring power of truth.