Berlin Wall Escape Tunnels

Ordinary East Berlin residents dug hand-carved tunnels dozens of feet underground, sometimes for months, to smuggle friends and strangers to freedom — and West German students and even NBC News helped fund and film some of the most daring ones.

Following the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, numerous real, documented tunnels were dug beneath the border by East Berliners and sympathetic West Berliners attempting to help friends, family, and strangers escape to the West. Several of the most famous tunnels, including Tunnel 57, successfully facilitated dozens of real escapes, some of which were secretly filmed and later broadcast on West German and American television.

✓documented

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Quick facts

→Following the Berlin Wall's construction in August 1961, dozens of real escape tunnels were dug beneath the border over the following years, primarily by young West Berliners, including students, working to help East Berliners escape.
→"Tunnel 57," completed in 1964, successfully facilitated the escape of 57 East Berliners in a single night before being discovered by East German border guards.
→Some tunnel construction efforts received financial support from West German and American organizations, and NBC News famously funded and secretly filmed one tunnel's construction and use in exchange for broadcast rights.
→Tunnel digging was extremely dangerous, with several diggers and escapees killed over the years by collapses, flooding, or discovery by East German border guards.

Entities on file

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Tunnel 57 (location)

Berlin Wall escape tunnel completed in 1964 that successfully facilitated 57 East Berliners' escape to the West in a single night.

→ was dug beneath → Berlin Wall✓documented

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Berlin Wall (location)

Cold War barrier dividing East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, beneath which numerous documented escape tunnels were dug.

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