An international research project
Through scholarly studies on deaths at the inner-German border, the Berlin Wall, in the Baltic Sea, and during escape attempts through Eastern Bloc countries, a total of 915 individuals have so far been identified who lost their lives at the Iron Curtain between 1948 and 1989.
This number does not include hundreds of additional deaths classified by the research group as “cases of suspicion,” such as 161 suicides by East German border guards or 41 unexplained deaths at the borders of former Eastern Bloc states.
The total figure includes not only German citizens but also Soviet deserters and other foreign nationals. The findings concerning the deaths of East German citizens at the borders of other Eastern Bloc countries are based on an international collaboration of the research team.
But it wasn’t only escapees who fell victim to the Iron Curtain — West German citizens were also shot or killed by electric fences at the border. The research team examined archival records from across Central and Eastern Europe, including documents from intelligence agencies, foreign ministries, and border troops relating to deadly border incidents. This made it possible, for the first time, to investigate many previously unresolved cases in a cross-border, comprehensive analysis.
PARTICIPANTS
- Enrico Seewald, political scientist
- Dr. Jan Kostka, historian
MODERATION
- Prof. Dr. Helmut Müller-Enbergs, political scientist
(IN GERMAN)
Additional information
Dates
December 2025
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