Under the Berlin Wall

Hear the stories of the people who tunnelled to freedom

The construction of the Berlin Wall on August 13th 1961 split the city in two overnight. The population of East Berlin found themselves – suddenly and unexpectedly – seperated from their workplaces, universities, and schools in the West. Countless families, spouses, partners, and friends were torn apart with no warning. In the coming months, thousands of Berliners, desperate to get back all they had lost, would try to escape from the East and years. Among the hundreds of attempted escape methods, tunnel digging sticks in Berlin’s collective memory like no other. 

The first underground escape tunnel was dug in October of 1961. The final tunnel attempt failed in 1982. In total, 75 escape tunnels are known to have been dug. While only 19 tunnels successfully transported refugees into the West, up to 450 citizens of the GDR, crawling deep under the deadly barriers of the Berlin Wall, found their freedom.

The tour takes place in the most important ‘hotspot’ for tunnel construction in the city: Bernauer Straße. Within a 350 metres stretch of this border, seven tunnel projects were undertaken. It is on this street, deep in the historic vaults of the former Oswald Berliner Brewery, that we will tell the stories of brave souls willing to dig for months at a time – passing under border fortifications, patrolling soldiers, and attentive members of the Ministery for State Security, the famous Stasi – just to reunite people with their loved ones. 

Aided by original photos, exhibits, and full-sized replicas of tunnels, the tour recounts the spectacular successes, bitter betrayals, and heartbreaking failures of tunnel diggers across the city. Visitors will learn about the nail-biting ‘cat-and-mouse game’ played between tunnel diggers and the GDR authorities. We will also explore the details of two of the most successful projects: ‘Tunnel 29’ and ‘Tunnel 57’.

As a final highlight to the tour, visitors will be able to witness – thanks to an access point built by Berliner Unterwelten e.V. – the only original escape tunnel still visible under the Wall.

Duration: 90 min.

Admission: €18 (reduced €13)

Please note:

• Sturdy footwear is obligatory (no high heels, sandals, flip-flops, ballet pumps, etc.).
• We recommend bringing warm clothing as the indoor temperature on part of the tour is only around 10°C all year round.
• Our tours and exhibitions are not appropriate for children under 7 years of age. We regret that we must therefore refuse entry to children in this age group. The delivery and content of our tours is aimed at adults, and can only be recommended for children aged 14 years or older.
• Due to limitations imposed by the structure of the buildings, our tours are not handicapped accessible. During the tour, you will be walking or standing for most of the time. Seating is scarce or non-existent. You will be climbing numerous flights of stairs, some of which are steep.
• There are no visitor toilets on site.

Dates:
7 to 14 November 2026. You can find the times for guided tours in various languages in our online shop.

Venue:
Berliner Unterwelten e.V.
Meeting point with ticket: Brunnenstraße 141, 10115 Berlin
Die Anlagen sind aufgrund der baulichen Gegebenheiten nicht barrierefrei.

Languages: 
German, English, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch

Due to limitations imposed by the structure of the buildings, our tours are not handicapped accessible. During the tour, you will be walking or standing for most of the time. Seating is scarce or non-existent. You will be climbing numerous flights of stairs, some of which are steep. There are no visitor toilets on site.