Franciszek Piesik
Franciszek Piesik (born November 23, 1942 - † October 17, 1967 in Berlin ) was a Polish victim at the Berlin Wall . He drowned while trying to escape to West Berlin in the Niederneuendorfer See .
Life
Captain Franciszek Piesik worked as a barge . Because of his job, he knew the local conditions in northwest Berlin. Here the route led through the GDR border area close to West Berlin.
His escape began on the evening of October 15, 1967, when he crossed the border between the GDR and Poland in a rowboat across the Oder . Despite an established manhunt for him, he reached Berlin. On October 17th, he stole a motorboat belonging to the “Betriebssportgemeinschaft Baumechanik” near Hennigsdorf and wanted to use it to cross over to West Berlin. On the way there he had to drive around a headland to get out of the channel to the lake. This is where he was probably discovered. Franciszek Piesik moored the boat on the headland and crossed the area on foot until he reached the lake. There he left his jacket and briefcase. The border between the GDR and West Berlin ran in the middle of the lake. By swimming, he tried to overcome the distance of 200 to 300 meters to the limit in the water that was around 10 degrees cold.
Eleven days later, his body was found by West Berlin authorities. There were no external injuries. The West Berlin police had no reports of the use of firearms during the period in question. About ten weeks after his death, the Polish military mission sent a personal description and fingerprints that could identify Franciszek Piesik. His body was buried another three months later in the Berlin-Heiligensee cemetery.
literature
- Hans-Hermann Hertle , Maria Nooke : The victims of the Berlin Wall 1961 - 1989. A biographical handbook. Edited by the Center for Contemporary History Potsdam and the Berlin Wall Foundation. Links, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-86153-517-1 .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Piesik, Franciszek |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Polish bargee, casualties at the Berlin Wall |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 23, 1942 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 17th October 1967 |
| Place of death | Berlin |