Berlin border crossings

The Berlin border crossings were created as a result of the postwar division of Germany. After the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, border stations between East Berlin, regarded as its capital by the German Democratic Republic but (unrecognized) by the Western Allies, and the sectors controlled by those three Western Allies were added. Although there were few crossings at first, more sites were built to an increasing extent over the wall's lifespan.

Border control procedures

Between West Berlin and German Democratic Republic territory, the border stations were developed very effectively on the GDR's side. (The official designation for controlled border traffic was "Grenzübergangsstelle, GÜSt": border crossing site.) Border officials and customs agents would monitor incoming and outgoing traffic according to established procedures, at times with the utmost scrutiny. A strict division of labor among the various organizations was the rule. The security of the outward-facing border and of the border crossings was maintained by special security divisions of the GDR border guard troops (German abbreviation "SiK", short for "Sicherungskompanien").

The actual inspections of vehicle and pedestrian traffic were carried out by the passport control units (German abbreviation "PKE", short for "Passkontrolleinheiten"). The PKE units were not under the command of the GDR border guard troops and thereby the Ministry of Defense, but the Ministry for State Security (Division VI / Department 6, Passport Control). While on duty at the border stations, however, the PKE would wear the same uniforms as the border guard troops. For personal inspections, highly qualified and specially trained forces were used exclusively. The passports, identification cards, etc., could be transmitted from the inspection sites to a processing center using closed-circuit television and ultraviolet light, where they were recorded. From there, commands were issued using a numeric display to the passport control unit, for example "flip page", "request additional documentation", "delay processing", ask predefined questions, etc.

On the West Berlin side, police and customs agents were stationed. No personal inspections usually took place there.
*At the "transit crossings" (sites for traffic passing into the GDR en route to another country), statistical demographic data about travelers would be recorded (travel destination, etc.), and travelers would occasionally be inspected, when appropriate, for the purpose of criminal investigations (police "dragnets").
*Freight traffic bound for other countries was subject to customs processing. Shipping to the Federal Republic of Germany was only subject to statistical record-keeping and, under certain circumstances, sealing of the cargo.
*At Checkpoint Bravo "(Dreilinden)" and Checkpoint Charlie "(Friedrichstraße)", the Allied occupation forces had established checkpoints, but they were not relevant to regular personal and business traffic. They served as processing stations for military units as well as a display of military presence. Their designated authority to perform further inspections was utilized only in extremely rare cases.
*Signs directed travelers passing through the GDR to report any suspicious events that might have occurred during their transit; by these means, information was to be gathered regarding, for example, the arrest of West German citizens.

Border crossings up to 1990

West Berlin - East Berlin

There were several border crossings between East and West Berlin:
*Bornholmer Straße, over the Bösebrücke between Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg and Berlin-Wedding (opened 1961).
** For West Berliners, citizens of the Federal Republic, GDR citizens, and diplomats (by road)
* Chausseestraße/Reinickendorfer Straße between Berlin-Wedding and Berlin-Mitte
** For West Berliners and GDR citizens (by road)
*Invalidenstraße/Sandkrugbrücke between Tiergarten and Berlin-Mitte
** For West Berliners and GDR citizens (by road)
*Checkpoint Charlie/Friedrichstraße between Berlin-Mitte and Berlin-Kreuzberg (opened 1961)
**For foreigners, diplomats, Allied military personnel and GDR citizens (by road)
*Heinrich-Heine-Straße/Prinzenstraße between Berlin-Mitte and Berlin-Kreuzberg
** For citizens of the Federal Republic, GDR citizens and diplomats (by road)
** This was sometimes referred to as Checkpoint Delta
*Oberbaumbrücke between Friedrichshain and Berlin-Kreuzberg (opened 1963)
** For West Berliners and GDR citizens (pedestrians)
*Sonnenallee between Neukölln and Treptow
** For West Berliners and GDR citizens (by road)In addition, entirely located in East Berlin (reached by streetcar, underground, or railroad):
*Friedrichstraße station (opened 1961)
** For West Berliners, citizens of the Federal Republic, foreigners, diplomats, transit travelers and GDR citizens (rail/pedestrian)

West Berlin - GDR

*Glienicke Bridge over the Havel from Berlin-Wannsee to Potsdam
**Open to general traffic until 1952.
**From 1952 on, open only for access by the western Allied Military Liaison Missions. Civilians with special permission were later allowed to cross the bridge on foot.
** From 1953-07-03 on, the bridge was closed as one of the last routes connecting Berlin with the surrounding area for civilian traffic.
**It became well known in particular because three exchanges of captured agents took place there between the American and Soviet superpowers.
* Lichtenrade/Mahlow (Federal Road 96), only for garbage trucks of the Berlin sanitation department and automobiles on service trips from West Berlin to the dump in Schöneiche.
* Waltersdorf Chaussee/Rudow Chaussee, besides its function for transit to and from the Berlin-Schönefeld airport, was also opened for passage of West Berliners into the GDR. The crossing was little known, as only its transit function was mentioned in guidebooks.
* In Kohlhasenbrück, for access to the Steinstücken exclave, and only for the use of its residents. This crossing was abolished after the 1971 territorial exchange, when Steinstücken was annexed to West Berlin as unrestricted territory.
* Bürgerablage Beach, for access to the exclaves Erlengrund and Fichtewiese, only for use by campers there. The crossing was abolished after the 1988 territorial exchange, when both exclaves were annexed to West Berlin as unrestricted territory.

Crossings for transit traffic

Road crossings

These crossings could be used for passage on the prescribed transit highways and for travel within the SOZ/'GDR':

* Autobahn Crossing Checkpoint Dreilinden (Allied Checkpoint Bravo) / Border Crossing Station (GÜSt) Drewitz for travel and freight traffic. Even after this portion of the autobahn was rebuilt and the crossing station was relocated on 1969-10-15, the names were retained. "Zehlendorf/Kleinmachnow" would have been more correct.
**to the Federal Republic, in the following directions:
***Marienborn / Helmstedt (Lower Saxony, Hannover; Allied Checkpoint Alpha)
***Hirschberg / Rudolphstein (Bavaria, Hof, Nürnberg, München)
***Wartha / Herleshausen (toward Hesse, Frankfurt am Main)
**into Czechoslovakia:
***Zinnwald / Cinovec
**to Poland:
***Pomellen / Kołbaskowo (Kolbitzow) (in the direction of Szczecin, Gdańsk)
***Frankfurt (Oder) / Slubice (toward central Poland, Warsaw)
***Forst (toward southern Poland, (in the direction of Wrocław, Katowice, Kraków)
**toward Scandinavia:
***Sassnitz by Baltic sea passage to Sweden (Trelleborg), Denmark (Rønne)
*** Rostock / Warnemünde by Baltic sea passage to Denmark (Gedser), passengers and crews of passenger ships.
**In addition the only trans-border bus line of the BVG, bus line 99, passed through this crossing from the Wannsee streetcar station to Potsdam-Babelsberg (autobahn exit) and back. Until 1989-11-09 only buses without an upper deck or advertising were allowed; afterwards, conventional double-decker buses with advertising would pass as well, due to increased traffic and the freedom of passage after the Berlin Wall fell.
*Heerstraße in Berlin-Staaken / Staaken-West (1951 - 1982, previously in Dallgow)
**Horst / Lauenburg (B 5 / F 5: to northern Germany, Hamburg)
***This crossing offered the only option for driving to the Federal Republic with vehicles not permitted on the autobahn (e.g., bicycles, mopeds, tractors, and other specialized vehicles), on condition that one make the trip without interruption (overnight stays, lengthy breaks).
***This crossing was later closed and replaced by an autobahn connection through Tegel. With this change, the possibility of going through the GDR with other vehicles ended.
*Autobahn Crossing Checkpoint Berlin-Heiligensee / Stolpe
**to the Federal Republic, in the direction of:
***Zarrentin / Gudow (northern Germany, Hamburg]
**to Poland
***Pomellen / Kołbaskowo (Kolbitzow) (toward Szczecin, Gdańsk)
**to Scandinavia
***Sassnitz by Baltic sea passage to Sweden (Trelleborg), Denmark (Rønne)
*** Rostock / Warnemünde by Baltic sea passage to Denmark (Gedser), passengers and crews of passenger ships.
*"Lichtenrade / Großbeeren, planned but never realised. Intended to be developed as an autobahn border control station for transit travelers."

Rail crossings

* Berlin-Wannsee/Griebnitzsee (passenger traffic) and Steinstücken/Drewitz Station (freight traffic)
**Marienborn/Helmstedt (Hannover, western Germany)
**Schwanheide/Büchen (Hamburg, northern Germany, 1961 - 1976)
**Gerstungen/Bebra (western Germany, Hesse, Frankfurt am Main)
**Probstzella/Ludwigsstadt (southern Germany, Hof, Nürnberg, München)
*Berlin-Spandau/Staaken (SOZ / 'GDR') (restricted to freight only from 1961 to 1976; during those years, passenger traffic was diverted via Berlin-Wannsee/Griebnitzsee)
**Schwanheide/Büchen (Hamburg, northern Germany)
*Zoologischer Garten Station/Friedrichstraße Station
**ČSSR, Poland, Scandinavia
***Furthermore, many train connections ended at the Ostbahnhof (east station). Very few passenger coaches passed through (e.g. Paris - Moscow), and in general one had to change trains at the Ostbahnhof (then the Berlin main station) or in the Berlin-Lichtenberg station.

Waterways

The numerous border crossings on waterways (e.g.,
Spree, Havel, Teltow Canal) were only open to commercial freight traffic. Recreational boats had to be loaded onto ships or towed overland.

* Tiefer See / Glienicke Lake (1954 - 1961) "This crossing was not relevant for traffic to and from West Berlin."
* Dreilinden / Kleinmachnow, Teltow Canal (from 1981 on)
* Teufelssee Canal / Hennigsdorf (only traffic to and from GDR destinations and transit traffic (Poland), not to the Federal Republic)
* Potsdam-Nedlitz / Jungfernsee
* Crossings within the Berlin city limits

Air travel

To and from Berlin-Schönefeld Airport for air travel:

*Waltersdorfer Chaussee/Rudower Chaussee (transfer bus to and from West Berlin) also, within East Berlin territory (access via streetcar, U-bahn or rail):
*Friedrichstraße Station (starting in 1961)

At the Berlin-Tempelhof and Berlin-Tegel airports there were border crossings manned by West Berlin police and customs. These were not located in territory controlled by the GDR. In addition to processing for international air travel, the personal documents of travelers between West Berlin and the Federal Republic were inspected.

Miscellaneous crossings

The various illegal or unofficial border crossings are not reliably documented:

* those constructed between the East and West by refugees and those who assisted them, mostly underground. Many of these were discovered and destroyed.
* those constructed by, e.g., the Ministry for State Security and other clandestine organizations, in order to transfer people unobserved between East and West.

Changes in 1989 and 1990

Additions

In the time between the fall of the Berlin Wall on 1989-11-09 and the abolition of all border controls on 1990-07-01 numerous additional border crossings were built for interim use. Because of their symbolic value, the most famous of these were Glienicke Bridge, Bernauer Straße, Potsdamer Platz, and the Brandenburg Gate. The opening of the latter was merely a public-relations formality, which took place on 1989-12-22, per request of then-Chancellor Helmut Kohl; hundreds of television crews from all over the world had anticipated this historic event for weeks.

A chronological list of the crossings opened during this time follows, with locations as of 1990:

*1989-11-10 08:00 h Kirchhainer Damm (Mahlow/Berlin-Lichtenrade) (already in use for sanitation trucks, was opened to private citizens) (F 96/B 96)
*1989-11-10 18:00 h Glienicke Bridge (Potsdam/Berlin-Wannsee) (already in use for Allied personnel, was opened to private citizens)
*1989-11-11 08:00 h Eberswalder Straße (Prenzlauer Berg)/Bernauer Straße (Berlin-Wedding)
*1989-11-11 08:00 h Jannowitzbrücke subway station (Berlin-Mitte/Subway line U8) (previously a ghost station)
*1989-11-11 13:00 h Puschkinallee (Treptow)/Schlesische Straße (Berlin-Kreuzberg)
*1989-11-12 08:00 h Potsdamer Platz (Berlin-Mitte/Tiergarten)
*1989-11-13 08:00 h Wollankstraße (Pankow/Berlin-Wedding)
*1989-11-13 18:00 h Falkenseer Chaussee (Falkensee/Berlin-Spandau)
*1989-11-14 08:00 h Philipp-Müller-Allee (Teltow)/Ostpreußendamm (Berlin-Lichterfelde)
*1989-11-14 08:00 h Stubenrauchstraße - Massantebrücke (Berlin-Johannisthal/Berlin-Rudow)
*1989-12-11 Karl-Marx-Straße (Kleinmachnow)/Benschallee (Berlin-Nikolassee-Düppel)
*21989-12-22 Rosenthaler Platz subway station (Berlin-Mitte/Subway line U8) (previously a ghost station)
*1989-12-22 Brandenburger Tor (Berlin-Mitte/Tiergarten)
*1990-01-03 Karl-Marx-Straße (Groß Ziethen)/Buckower Damm (Berlin-Buckow)
*1990-01-13 Ruppiner Chaussee (Hennigsdorf-Stolpe Süd/Berlin-Heiligensee-Schulzendorf)
*1990-01-22 Griebnitzsee station (was already in use as a transit crossing, then was opened for the newly inaugurated commuter train Potsdam - Wannsee)
*1990-01-30 Potsdamer Chaussee (Groß-Glienicke/Berlin-Kladow-Groß Glienicke)
*1990-02-17 Berliner Straße (Hohen-Neuendorf)/Oranienburger Chaussee (Frohnau) (F 96/B 96)
*1990-03-03 Oranienburger Chaussee (Glienicke-Nordbahn)/Berliner Straße (Hermsdorf (Berlin)) (through "Entenschnabel" F 96/B 96)
*1990-03-17 Rudolf-Breitscheid-Straße (Potsdam-Babelsberg)/Neue Kreisstraße (Berlin-Wannsee-Kohlhasenbrück)
*1990-03-17 Böttcherberg (Potsdam-Klein-Glienicke/Berlin-Wannsee)
*1990-03-23 Lindenstraße (Berlin-Mitte/Berlin-Kreuzberg)
*1990-03-31 Zehlendorfer Damm (Kleinmachnow)/Machnower Straße (Berlin-Zehlendorf)
*1990-04-06 Lichtenrader Straße (Groß Ziethen)/Groß Ziethener Straße (Berlin-Lichtenrade)
*1990-04-06 Arcostraße (Mahlow)/Beethovenstraße (Berlin-Lichtenrade)
*1990-04-07 Brunnenstraße (Berlin-Mitte/Berlin-Wedding)
*1990-04-07 Kopenhagener Straße (Berlin-Niederschönhausen-Wilhelmsruh/Berlin-Reinickendorf)
*1990-04-12 Schilling Bridge (Berlin-Mitte)/Köpenicker Straße (Berlin-Kreuzberg)
*1990-04-12 Elsenstraße (Treptow/Berlin-Neukölln)
*1990-04-12 Bernauer Straße subway station (Berlin-Mitte/Berlin-Wedding) (previously a ghost station, it was opened without border controls, with direct access to West Berlin)
*1990-04-12 Rudower Chaussee (Groß Ziethen)/Groß-Ziethener Chaussee (Berlin-Rudow)
*1990-05-27 Torweg (Staaken-West/Berlin-Staaken)
*1990-06-08 Dammweg (Berlin-Baumschulenweg/Berlin-Neukölln)
*1990-06-11 Behmstraßen Bridge (Prenzlauer Berg/Berlin-Wedding)
*1990-06-17 Wilhelmsruher Damm (Berlin-Rosenthal/Berlin-Wittenau-Märkisches Viertel)
*1990-06-23 Berliner Allee (Schönwalde)/Schönwalder Allee (Berlin-Spandau)
*1990-06-23 Knesebeck Bridge (Teltow/Berlin-Zehlendorf-Schönow)
*1990-06-30 F100 Großbeeren-Heinersdorf/Marienfelder Allee (Berlin-Marienfelde) (F 100/B 101)

Removal

With the reunification on 1990-10-03, all border crossings were abolished. The controls had already been abandoned on 1990-07-01, the day of the currency union. In the months after the fall of the Wall they had become more and more irrelevant. A few portions of the structures have been retained as a memorial.

Remaining border controls

Today the only remaining border crossings in Berlin are located at the Tempelhof, Tegel, and Schönefeld airports (Schönefeld located outside Berlin city limits) and all Cold War-specific border control procedures have disappeared altogether. They are staffed by German Federal Police and Customs for normal international traffic screening purposes.

Bibliography

Hans-Dieter Behrendt: Im Schatten der "Agentenbrücke" "(In the shadow of the "Agents' Bridge")", 260 pages, GNN Verlag, ISBN 3-89819-140-0 de icon

External links

* [http://www.passkontrolle-ddr.de/ Comprehensive documentation by the former passport control staff officer Hans-Dieter Behrendt]
* [http://www.checkpoint-bravo.de/ Checkpoint Bravo] preservation association
* [http://www.grahnert.de/grenzstempel/uebergang/ueberg1.htm Border crossing stamps]