Peter Leibing
Peter Leibing (1941 – November 2, 2008) was a German photographer known for his 1961 photographs of escaping East German border guard, Conrad Schumann jumping a barbed wire fence during construction of the Berlin Wall. Leibing was born in Hamburg in 1941. On 15 August 1961 Leibing, working for the Hamburg picture agency Contiepress, had been tipped by police that an East German border guard might escape the Berlin Wall, then in its third day of construction.
Peter Leibing
The Central Intelligence Agency · East German Guard · Public domain
- Name
- Peter Leibing
- Born
- 1941
- Birthplace
- Hamburg, Nazi Germany
- Died
- November 2, 2008
- Known for
- Photograph of Conrad Schumann jumping over the Berlin Wall
- Occupation
- Photographer
- Nationality
- Germany
- Languages
- German
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Peter Leibing (1941 – November 2, 2008) was a German photographer known for his 1961 photographs of escaping East German border guard, Conrad Schumann jumping a barbed wire fence during construction of the Berlin Wall. Leibing was born in Hamburg in 1941. On 15 August 1961 Leibing, working for the Hamburg picture agency Contiepress, had been tipped by police that an East German border guard might escape the Berlin Wall, then in its third day of construction.
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wikidata · Q5944708 · wikipedia · Peter Leibing
In this article
Biography
Biography
At that stage of construction, the Berlin Wall was only a low barbed-wire fence. ("come over"), Leibing captured a photograph of Schumann jumping a barbed wire fence and making his escape. The photo became a well-known image of the Cold War and won the Overseas Press Club Best Photograph award for 1961. Leibing continued to work as a photographer, later as photo editor until retirement, both as a police photographer and reporter for the Hamburger Echo, the Hamburger Morgenpost, and Hamburger Abendblatt. Leibing died on November 2, 2008. The rights to his famous photograph of the escaping East German border guard currently belong to Conibeta GmbH.
Skulptur auf dem Mauerstreifen an der Bernauer Straße (Nähe Ruppiner Straße) in Berlin-Mitte; sie erinnert an den NVA-Soldaten Conrad Schumann, der am 15. August 1961 (zwei Tage nach der Grenzabriegelung) aus der südlichen Ruppiner Straße über einen Stacheldrahtverhau in die Bernauer Straße sprang (vom sowjetischen Sektor in den französischen); die Häuser im Hintergrund zieren die Titelseite des
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Peter Leibing • Birth Name — Peter Leibing • Born — 1941 • Birthplace — Hamburg, Nazi Germany • Died — November 2, 2008 • Known for — Photograph of Conrad Schumann jumping over the Berlin Wall • Occupation — Photographer
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Hamburg.
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Oerel.
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reference work
- “Peter Leibing”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q5944708: Peter Leibing
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
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- 1.Schwarz, Moritz. Der Fotograf Peter Leibing über die spektakuläre Flucht des DDR-Grenzers Conrad Schumann und das Foto seines Lebens. Junge Freiheit. 2001-08-10.
- 2.Perkes, Dan. Moments in Time: 50 Years of Associated Press News Photos. The Associated Press. 56. 1984. 0-917360-07-9.
- 3.Overseas Press Club. OPC Awards, 1961 Award Winners. 1961.
- 4.Mauerspringer. Sprung in die Freiheit.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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