Stasi prison and Baltic Sea escape

Surveillance, denunciations, slander and interrogations led to Dietrich Kessler's imprisonment by the Ministry for State Security in 1983. In September 1984, he was ransomed from Cottbus prison by the Federal Republic of Germany. In his autobiographical book “Stasi-Knast” (Leipzig, new edition 2024), he describes the oppressive experiences of this time. In 1975, Eberhard Klunker made a spectacular escape in a rubber dinghy across the Baltic Sea.

During the evening, the two musicians will take up the guitar and flute or saxophone to provide an insight into their musical work.
The evening will be hosted by Hartmut Rüffert.

Dietrich Kessler was the leader of the well-known rock band “Klosterbrüder”, which had to change its name to “Gruppe Magdeburg” in 1975. In 1981 - uniquely in the GDR - the band submitted a joint application to leave the country. The consequences were a professional ban and imprisonment. After 20 months in prison, Dietrich Kessler was ransomed by the Federal Republic of Germany. He is still a successful publisher and musician today.

Eberhard Klunker began his professional career as a guitarist with the “Modern Soul Band”. Until his escape across the Baltic Sea with his musician colleague Olaf Wegener in 1975, he worked with many well-known artists in the GDR such as Klaus Lenz, Uschi Brüning, Veronika Fischer and Hansi Biebl. Klunker is still a renowned guitar soloist today.

Registration Stasiknast and Baltic Sea escape:

• Tuesday, 27.05.2025, 18:30
  

Location: Berlin Wall Memorial
Visitor Center
Bernauer Straße 119
13355 Berlin

Organizers: Berlin Wall Memorial, Center for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), Friends of the Berlin Wall Memorial, Robert Havemann Society.

(Event in German Language)