The Story of Peter Barsch

When I met with Berlin Wall refugees for the 1st time – I was not sure what to expect. It was challenging to approach someone who had risked his life for something that we take for granted every single day - FREEDOM.

Before I could ask anything – he approached me and asked a question:  “Do you know how much I am worth? Do you know my price-tag?”

I did not understand the question, I did not know what to say and responded: “What do you mean?”

He told me that he, as an individual, had a price tag in East Germany – every person had a price tag – which was 80,000 German Marks. This was the amount that West Germany paid for getting political prisoners out of East Germany. A human being was a good, that was traded and that had a price tag.

This is how I got to know Peter Barsch, who was born in East Berlin in 1956 and lived nearby as the Berlin Wall was being built piece by piece. He knew he had to get out and as a 16 year-old he tried to escape, got caught and ended up in prison for 23 months!

After another unsuccessful try with a friend, he kept on trying. Staying in the GDR was not an option – failing was not an option. The 3rd time he tried to escape with a pregnant friend. He swam through the Spree river not knowing whether he or his friend would survive – they did and started a new life in the west.

What made him do that? His will to survive, his strive for a better life and his unconditional devotion and dedication. Peter Barsch lived in the US for some time with his wife but has since decided to return to Berlin where he looks back with no regrets. His story brings a different meaning and impact to the travelers visiting the Wall and offers a powerful lesson in overcoming any obstacle life brings!