It is estimated that around 5,000 people attempted to cross the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1989, with around 1,000 people succeeding. This means that around 80% of those who tried to cross the wall were captured by East German border guards. However, it is believed that a significant number of people did manage to successfully escape East Germany through other means, such as by hiding in cars or trains headed for West Germany, or by swimming across the River Spree which ran through the middle of Berlin. In any case, it is clear that crossing the Berlin Wall was a very risky proposition, and it is amazing that anyone survived at all.