Gedenktafel In der Zimmerstrasse

The young bricklayer Peter Fencer had tried on 17 August 1962, a year after the construction of the wall, to escape to the western part of the city. Together with a friend and work colleague, he undertook the escape attempt on the Zimmerstraße, the border between Kreuzberg and Mitte, near Checkpoint Charlie.
The 18-year-old fencer was shot. Almost 50 minutes he remained helpless in the border strip and bleeding to death. His friend managed to escape.
The photo of how the dying man was finally carried away by GDR border guards caused indignation worldwide. A memorial stele on the Zimmerstraße reminds of the place where fencers were shot. He was buried in the cemetery of the Resurrection Church in Weissensee.