Wolf Biermann in his Apartment on Chausseestraße, East Berlin
(1966) In 1953, at the age of 16, Wolf Biermann – the son of
Communist resistance fighter Dagobert Biermann, who was murdered
by the Nazis at Auschwitz – emigrated from Hamburg to the GDR.
There, he was active as a poet and songwriter and became known
as a critic of the regime. Since his anti-fascist credentials
were untouchable, Biermann was a particular thorn in the side of
the SED government. After Biermann’s volume of poetry “Die
Drahtharfe” was published in West Berlin, he was banned from
performing his songs in the GDR. Nevertheless, they continued to
circulate in cultural circles that were critical of the regime.
In 1976, Biermann was invited to perform in the Federal Republic
and received permission for the trip. Biermann was in the West
when the SED expatriated him on November 17, 1976. Photo by
Bernard Larsson. © Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz /
Kunstbibliothek, SMB / Bernard Larsson