Memorial stele for drowned boy in Kreuzberg disappeared without a trace!

Memorial stele for drowned boy in Kreuzberg disappeared without a trace!

August 13, 2025 marks the anniversary of a tragic event: 50 years ago, five-year-old Çetin Mert drowned in the Spree in the restricted area within Germany. Until recently, a memorial stele was erected at this point to commemorate the children who died in Berlin during the division of Germany. But the stele, which was on the May-Ayim-Ufer in Kreuzberg, has disappeared. Axel Klausmeier, director of the Berlin Wall Foundation, was stunned by the loss and confirmed that the foundation had not been informed by the district about the whereabouts of the stele. It remains unclear whether it was relocated or destroyed.

A memorial service for Çetin Mert took place at the stele in May this year. The plaque featured a photo of the little girl who drowned on May 11, 1975, her fifth birthday. West Berlin firefighters arrived too late at the time because they were unable to establish contact with the GDR border guards. On the 64th anniversary of the building of the Wall, the Berlin Wall Foundation remembered the five West Berlin children who drowned in the Spree in 1975. Since May, a green area on the corner of Skalitzer Strasse and Mariannenstrasse has also been named after Çetin Mert.

The sad result of the victims of the Wall

The history of the Berlin Wall is marked by tragedy and loss. Between 1961 and 1989, at least 1,400 people died trying to cross the wall, according to the Berlin Wall Memorial. The first border fortifications consisted of brick walls with barbed wire, before expansion with L-shaped concrete segments began in 1975. The first known death at the Wall was Ida Siekmann, who died on August 17, 1961, followed by Günter Litfin and Roland Hoff. Many victims were young men, but also at least 13 children and young people, as the case of Çetin Mert shows.

In the first five years after the sector border was sealed, around half of all victims of the Wall died. In total, at least 251 people died of natural causes during border controls in Berlin. The circumstances of the deaths were often concealed by the Ministry for State Security (MfS). Official statements from the GDR described the border troops as protectors, while the dead were differentiated and sometimes vilified.

The importance of memory

The removal of the memorial stele for Çetin Mert raises questions. Berlin's history is rich in painful memories that must not be forgotten. In a district characterized by its multicultural history, the loss of such symbols is particularly painful. The Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district has not yet been able to provide any information about the whereabouts of the stele, which increases concerns about the work of remembrance.

The debate over memorial sites is reinforced by the fact that until 1988 only a very limited number of border crossings took place. The number of escapes fell from the end of the 1970s and there were tragic fates on both sides of the wall. Coming to terms with this history remains of great importance so that the victims are not forgotten. The loss of the Çetin Mert stele is another sign that these memories must continue to be kept alive.

The Berlin Wall Foundation and various initiatives work to preserve the memory of the victims of the Wall and tell their story. It remains to be hoped that the memorial stele for Çetin Mert will soon be back in its place as a reminder of the human tragedies and injustices of the partition.

For further information about the number of deaths at the Berlin Wall, you can visit Statista and learn more about the tragic history of the Wall. In addition, Wikipedia offers comprehensive information on the deaths during the division of Berlin. Current reports on this topic can also be found at rbb24.