The forbidden lovers who plotted a daring escape
Karl-Heinz and Hedi were separated by the Iron Curtain. Could they defy the East German secret police to be together? Their future depended on a disco outfit and a fake identity.
When Karl-Heinz and Hedi fell in love they faced one major obstacle: the Iron Curtain. They met as teenagers at the height of the Cold War and were separated by a border – he was in West Germany and she was forbidden from leaving the East. They hatched a secret plan to be together, but it was elaborate and at times even farcical. Their mission seemed impossible – especially when the East German secret police, the notorious Stasi, were on their tail. But maybe, just maybe, they’d get lucky. Karl-Heinz and Hedi Stützel’s story is featured in the documentary Sorry Genosse. This interview was first broadcast on 3rd August 2022.
Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Maryam Maruf
Translation: Sandra Dobrozemsky and Felix Kronabetter
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
(Photo: Hedi and Karl-Heinz StΓΌtzel. Credit: NORDPOLARIS)
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