The Victims at the Berlin Wall, 1961-1989: A Biographical Handbook. Hans-Hermann Hertle, Maria Nooke

Who were the victims of the Berlin wall, and what were their stories? Although many deaths at the Berlin Wall have been publicised over the years in the media, the number, identity and fate of the victims still remain largely unknown. This biographical handbook helps to close this knowledge gap by answering the following questions: how many people actually died at the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1989? Who were these people? How did they die? How were their relatives and the friends treated after their deaths? What public and political reactions were triggered in the East and the West by these fatalities? What consequences did the East German border guards and military and political leaders have to pay after 1990 as a consequence of the East German border regime, and how have the victims been commemorated since their deaths? By documenting the lives and circumstances under which these men and women died at the Wall, theses deaths are placed in a contemporary historical context. The authors, in addition to systematically researching the relevant archives and examining all the legal proceedings and Stasi documents, also conducted interviews with family members and contemporary witnesses.