W–055 · 15 August 1961 · Bernauer Strasse, Berlin
Conrad Schumann’s Leap
Conrad Schumann had been sent to guard the barrier dividing Berlin. On the afternoon of 15 August 1961, the 19-year-old East German policeman crossed it himself: he ran, cleared the barbed wire and headed for a West Berlin police vehicle. It was the third day after the border had been sealed. There was no concrete wall yet at the corner of Bernauer Strasse and Ruppiner Strasse.
1. The leap
Provenance and sources for frame 1
File and rights
Public reproduction, 876 × 600; this digital copy has not been traced to its source. The Library of Congress holds a print and warns of possible publication restrictions. Photographer: Peter Leibing. The first two frames show the leap from different viewpoints; their exact exposure order is unknown.
2. Another view of the leap
Provenance and sources for frame 2
File and rights
Web copy, 1600 × 1119. Berlin Police Historical Collection; no free licence is stated on the page.
Schumann had trained as a shepherd before joining the police. His unit moved from Dresden to Berlin in July 1961 and was sent to the border on 12 August. West Berlin police recorded these dates after questioning him at the Wedding station following his escape; their memorandum is dated 16 August.
3. Towards the police vehicle
Provenance and sources for frame 3
File and rights
Web copy, 1600 × 1131. Berlin Police Historical Collection; no free licence is stated on the page.
The memorandum also records how he crossed. Journalists asked Schumann whether he wanted to come over; he replied that he would come at night. The photographers then began taking pictures of another patrol. The other guards turned their backs and walked further into the eastern sector. Schumann stayed at the barrier and jumped when they were far enough away.
Schumann later said an encounter with a girl had influenced his decision to flee. She had visited her grandmother in East Berlin but was not allowed to return to her parents on the western side.
Peter Leibing photographed Schumann in mid-air, and the image travelled around the world. Schumann went on to live and work in Bavaria. In November 1989 he spoke of his joy that East Germans could travel west freely. He visited Bernauer Strasse and, as he recalled, could not hold back his tears. He did not consider himself a hero.
Schumann died by suicide on 20 June 1998. An information marker commemorates his escape at the corner of Bernauer Strasse and Ruppiner Strasse, where the barbed-wire barrier stood in August 1961.