The wall through my heart

Viac o knihe

Sigrid Paul, born in 1934 in Dommitzsch, faced a tumultuous life after her town became part of communist East Germany following World War II. With her father dying in a Soviet prison camp and their family pottery business seized by the state, Sigrid's mother struggled to provide for her three children. In 1957, they moved to East Berlin, where Sigrid's son Torsten was born in 1961, facing severe health issues that required urgent medical attention in West Berlin. However, the construction of the Berlin Wall complicated matters, as bureaucratic restrictions on exit visas hindered her ability to visit him. This led to Sigrid's arrest by the Stasi secret police, marking the beginning of her harrowing ordeal. Even after her release, she continued to face challenges, as millions of East German citizens were suddenly imprisoned, with their last hopes for escape extinguished. This poignant narrative reveals the dramatic impact of the Wall's construction on Sigrid and her son, offering a glimpse into a significant chapter of German history from the end of the war to the present. With insights from Simon Burnett and Karl-Wilhelm Fricke, the account highlights the struggles against the oppressive regime and the personal toll of living under such circumstances.