Tunnel 57 was the Berlin Wall escape tunnel dug beneath Bernauer Straße in 1964.
A group of West Berlin students and helpers excavated the tunnel from a former bakery at Bernauer Straße toward East Berlin. It opened in October 1964 and enabled 57 people to escape from East Berlin, giving the tunnel its name.
The project required careful surveying, manual digging, timber supports, ventilation, and secrecy. Escape tunnels were dangerous because East German security forces searched for underground routes, and collaborators risked arrest or worse. Tunnel 57 became one of the most successful escape operations associated with the Wall.
Its name is sometimes confused with the number of people who escaped through other tunnels. In this case, the number 57 refers specifically to the people who used this tunnel during the operation. The tunnel’s story illustrates how escape attempts relied on civilian networks as well as political planning.