Conversation with an Eyewitness
In 1988, the teenager Uwe Mälck attempted to flee to the West across the Bulgarian-Greek border. The attempt failed. The Bulgarian security forces apprehended him and sent him back to Schwerin in the GDR. There, as a political prisoner, he was immediately detained by the Stasi.
Image gallery
Die Cousins am Flugzeug Juli 1988.
It was only after the Federal Republic of Germany paid his ransom that he was able to make a fresh start in freedom.
The State Security Service documented the details and the findings of its investigation in the operational personnel file ‘Cousin’. The file, faithfully reproduced, has recently been added to the collection of sample files at the Stasi Records Archive. Visitors to the permanent exhibition ‘Einblick ins Geheime’ (Insight into the Secret) can read around 50 unabridged and largely unredacted Stasi files there.
On 28 September 2026 at 6.00 pm, Uwe Mälck will speak about the events of that time during the ‘Sample Files Talk’:
What motivated him to flee the GDR? How did he withstand the pressure of the interrogations at such a young age? And how does he look back today on growing up in the GDR and making a fresh start in the West?
Corinna Kalkreuth (Federal Archives) will provide historical context.
Ahead of the event, an express tour of the permanent exhibition, including a glimpse into the archives, will take place at 5.00 pm.
- Registration is requested and can be made at: Einblick-ins-geheime@bundesarchiv.de or by telephone on 030 18 665-6770.
IN GERMAN
Additional information
Dates
September 2026
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