5175_ cover - unhcr

Peter’
s story
by Jessica Dornan, aged 16
It was midnight, the 4th of September 1961, less than
a month after the secret construction of the Berlin
Wall. Peter Lengefeld and his friend trudged through
the dark forest, which lay on the border between East
and West Germany, and also represented the
boundary of the infamous Iron Curtain. Before them
lay freedom – freedom of speech, freedom of opinion,
freedom of choice; behind them lay the German
Democratic Republic, ruled by the oppressive
Communist regime of Russia.
Their trek from their
hometown had begun
the previous day, with a
fifty-kilometre journey
by train, followed by a
fifteen-kilometre walk,
which was covered by
the shroud of darkness
and secrecy.
Seventeen-yearold
Peter and his
companion had only a
vague direction of the
path they should choose
to reach their longdesired
freedom. They
had told no one of their
departure; Peter knew
his family would fear
not only the landmines
surrounding the border,
but also the possibility
that he could be caught
and thrown into jail.
The border was highly
protected, and only
people who lived in the
vicinity held the special
permits necessary to
gain legal access to the
area. This, along with
the Berlin wall, was a
part of the government’s
plan to stop,
according to Peter, the
"bleeding of young
Eastern Europeans in a German refugee camp at the
end of World War II.
Photo: UNHCR, 1953
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