
The Berlin border crossings were
border crossings created as a result of the post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
division of Germany. Prior to the construction of the
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...
in 1961, travel between the Eastern and Western sectors of Berlin was completely uncontrolled, although restrictions were increasingly introduced by the Soviet and East German authorities at major crossings between the sectors. This free access, especially after the closure of the
Inner German border, allowed the
Eastern Bloc emigration and defection to occur. East German officials, humiliated by this mass defection, subsequently chose to erect the Berlin Wall in order to prevent residents from leaving East Germany.
After the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, border stations between
East Berlin
East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...
(regarded as East Germany's capital by the
German Democratic Republic
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
but
unrecognized by the
Western Allies) and the sectors controlled by those three Western Allies were created. Although there were few crossings at first, more sites were built over the wall's lifespan. Many East Germans crossed the wall illegally by climbing over it, sailing around it, or digging under it, while many others
died while attempting to cross.
Border control procedures
Between
West Berlin
West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...
and German Democratic Republic (GDR) territory, the border stations were developed very effectively on the GDR 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
West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...
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.
Who could cross

West Germans and citizens of other Western countries could in general visit East Germany. Usually this involved application of a visa at an East German embassy several weeks in advance. Visas for day trips restricted to East Berlin were issued without previous application in a simplified procedure at the border crossing. However, East German authorities could refuse entry permits without stating a reason. In the 1980s, visitors from the western part of the city who wanted to visit the eastern part had to exchange at least DM 25 into East German currency at the poor exchange rate of 1:1. It was forbidden to export East German currency out of the East, but money not spent could be left at the border for possible future visits. Tourists crossing from the west had to also pay for a visa, which cost DM 5; West Berliners did not have to pay this.
West Berliners initially could not visit East Berlin or East Germany at all. All crossing points were closed to them between 26 August 1961 and 17 December 1963. In 1963, negotiations between East and West resulted in a limited possibility for visits during the Christmas season that year ('). Similar very limited arrangements were made in 1964, 1965 and 1966. In 1971, with the
Four Power Agreement on Berlin, agreements were reached that allowed West Berliners to apply for visas to enter East Berlin and East Germany regularly, comparable to the regulations already in force for West Germans. However, East German authorities could still refuse entry permits.
East Berliners and East Germans could at first not travel to West Berlin or West Germany at all. This regulation remained in force essentially until the fall of the wall, but over the years several exceptions to these rules were introduced, the most significant being:
* Old age pensioners could travel to the West starting in 1964
* Visits of relatives for important family matters
* People who had to travel to the West for professional reasons (e.g. artists, truck drivers etc.)
However, each visit had to be applied for individually and approval was never guaranteed. In addition, even if travel was approved, GDR travelers could exchange only a very small amount of
East German Mark
The East German mark ( ), commonly called the eastern mark ( ) in West Germany and after German reunification, reunification, was the currency of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Its ISO 4217, ISO 4217 currency code w ...
s into
Deutsche Mark
The Deutsche Mark (; "German mark (currency), mark"), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later of unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it ...
s (DM), thus limiting the financial resources available for them to travel to the West. This led to the West German practice of granting a small amount of DM annually (''
Begrüßungsgeld
(English: "Welcome money") was, from 1970 until 29 December 1989, a gift from the government of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) to visitors from the German Democratic Republic (GDR - East Germany). This situation originated with t ...
'', or welcome money) to GDR citizens visiting West Germany and West Berlin, to help alleviate this situation.
Citizens of other East European countries except
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
were in general subject to the same prohibition on visiting Western countries as East Germans, though the applicable exception (if any) varied from country to country. Citizens of
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
could freely cross into West Berlin from 1 January 1988.
Border crossings until 1990

On 13 August 1961, the crossings were at Kopenhagener Straße, Wollankstraße, Bornholmer Straße, Brunnenstraße, Chausseestraße, Brandenburger Tor, Friedrichstraße, Heinrich-Heine-Straße, Oberbaumbrücke, Puschkinallee, Elsenstraße, Sonnenallee, Rudower Straße. The Kopenhagener Straße, Wollankstraße, Brunnenstraße, Puschkinallee, Elsenstraße and Rudower Straße were closed on 23 August 1961, and in return, Invalidenstraße checkpoint was opened.
West Berlin – East Berlin
There were several
border crossings between East and West Berlin:
*
Bornholmer Straße border crossing, on Bornholmer Straße over the Bösebrücke between Berlin-
Prenzlauer Berg and
Berlin-Wedding (opened 1961).
** For West Berliners, citizens of the
Federal Republic
A federal republic is a federation of Federated state, states with a republican form of government. At its core, the literal meaning of the word republic when used to reference a form of government means a country that is governed by elected re ...
, GDR citizens, and diplomats (by road)
*
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate ( ) is an 18th-century Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical monument in Berlin. One of the best-known landmarks of Germany, it was erected on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin t ...
between
Berlin-Tiergarten and
Berlin-Mitte, opened on 13 August 1961. On 14 August West Berliners gathered on the western side of the gate to demonstrate against the Berlin Wall. Under the pretext that Western demonstrations required it, the East closed the checkpoint the same day, 'until further notice', a situation that was to last until 22 December 1989.
* 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
Friedrichshain () is a quarter (''Ortsteil'') of the borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany. From its creation in 1920 until 2001, it was a freestanding Boroughs of Berlin, city borough. Formerly part of East Berlin, it is adjace ...
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 – Federal Republic of Germany
*
Glienicke Bridge over the
Havel
The Havel () is a river in northeastern Germany, flowing through the States of Germany, states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. The long Havel is a right tributary of the Elbe. However, the direct distance from ...
from
Berlin-Wannsee to
Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
**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 3 July 1953, 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
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the 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
Steinstücken (; ), with approximately 300 residents, is a small outlying neighborhood of the Wannsee district in the Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf. From the division of Germany in 1949 until a connecting corridor was created in 1971&nda ...
exclave
An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
, and only for the use of its residents. This crossing was abolished after the 1971 territorial exchange, when East Germany ceded the interjacent tract of land to West Berlin.
* Bürgerablage Beach, for access to the exclaves
Erlengrund and
Fichtewiese, two
allotment clubs, only for use by allotmenteers there. The crossing was abolished after the 1988 territorial exchange, when East Germany ceded two tracts of interjacent land to West Berlin.
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:
*
Dreilinden (
Allied Checkpoint Bravo)/
Drewitz: The Autobahn Crossing Checkpoint
Dreilinden and Border Crossing Station (GÜSt)
Drewitz was for travel and freight traffic. Even after this portion of the autobahn was rebuilt and the crossing station was relocated on 15 October 1969, the names were retained.
Berlin-Zehlendorf/
Kleinmachnow would have been more correct.
**to the Federal Republic, in the following directions:
***
Marienborn /
Helmstedt (
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
,
Hannover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
; Allied
Checkpoint Alpha)
***
Hirschberg /
Rudolphstein (
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
,
Hof,
Nürnberg,
München)
***
Wartha /
Herleshausen (toward
Hesse
Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
,
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
)
**into
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
:
***
Zinnwald /
Cinovec
**to Poland:
***
Pomellen /
Kołbaskowo (Kolbitzow) (in the direction of
Szczecin
Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...
,
Gdańsk
Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
)
***
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With around 58,000 inh ...
/
Slubice (toward central Poland,
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
)
***
Forst (toward southern Poland, (in the direction of
Wrocław
Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
,
Katowice
Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...
,
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
)
**toward Scandinavia:
***
Sassnitz by Baltic sea passage to Sweden (
Trelleborg
Trelleborg () is a town in Skåne County, Sweden, with 43,359 inhabitants as of 31 December 2015. It is the southernmost town in Sweden located some west from the Smygehuk, southernmost point of Sweden and the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is one ...
), Denmark (
Rønne
Rønne () is the largest town on the Denmark, Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,675 (1 January 2025). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a Bornholm County, county (D ...
)
***
Rostock
Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...
/
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 9 November 1989 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
Northern Germany (, ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hambur ...
,
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
)
***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.
*
Berlin-Heiligensee/
Stolpe: Autobahn Crossing Checkpoint
Berlin-Heiligensee and
Stolpe in
Hohen Neuendorf
**to the Federal Republic, in the direction of:
***
Zarrentin /
Gudow (
northern Germany
Northern Germany (, ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hambur ...
,
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
)
**to Poland
***
Pomellen /
Kołbaskowo (Kolbitzow) (toward
Szczecin
Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...
,
Gdańsk
Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
)
**to Scandinavia
***
Sassnitz by Baltic sea passage to Sweden (
Trelleborg
Trelleborg () is a town in Skåne County, Sweden, with 43,359 inhabitants as of 31 December 2015. It is the southernmost town in Sweden located some west from the Smygehuk, southernmost point of Sweden and the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is one ...
), Denmark (
Rønne
Rønne () is the largest town on the Denmark, Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,675 (1 January 2025). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a Bornholm County, county (D ...
)
***
Rostock
Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...
/
Warnemünde by Baltic sea passage to Denmark (
Gedser), passengers and crews of passenger ships.
*
Lichtenrade /
Großbeeren: This crossing planned but never realised. Intended to be developed as an autobahn border control station for transit travelers.
=Rail crossings
=

*
Berlin-Wannsee/
Griebnitzsee (for passenger traffic) and
Steinstücken
Steinstücken (; ), with approximately 300 residents, is a small outlying neighborhood of the Wannsee district in the Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf. From the division of Germany in 1949 until a connecting corridor was created in 1971&nda ...
/
Drewitz Station (for freight traffic)
**
Marienborn/
Helmstedt (
Hannover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
,
western Germany)
**
Schwanheide/
Büchen (
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
,
northern Germany
Northern Germany (, ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hambur ...
, 1961 – 1976)
**
Gerstungen/
Bebra (
western Germany,
Hesse
Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
,
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
)
**
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
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
,
northern Germany
Northern Germany (, ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hambur ...
)
*
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
Berlin-Lichtenberg is a railway station in Berlin, Germany. It is located on the Prussian Eastern Railway, Eastern Railway, Wriezen Railway and Berlin Frankfurter Allee–Berlin-Rummelsburg railway lines in the Lichtenberg (locality), Lichtenbe ...
.
=Waterways
=
The numerous border crossings on
waterways (e.g.,
Spree,
Havel
The Havel () is a river in northeastern Germany, flowing through the States of Germany, states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. The long Havel is a right tributary of the Elbe. However, the direct distance from ...
,
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
West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...
.''
*
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
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...
,
U-bahn or rail):
*
Friedrichstraße Station (starting in 1961)
At the
Berlin-Tempelhof and
Berlin-Tegel airports there were border crossings staffed 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
In the time between the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 and the abolition of all border controls on 1 July 1990, 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 Brandenburg Gate ( ) is an 18th-century Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical monument in Berlin. One of the best-known landmarks of Germany, it was erected on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin t ...
.
The opening of the Brandenburg Gate was merely a public relations formality which took place on 22 December 1989 at the request of then-
Chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (; 3 April 1930 – 16 June 2017) was a German politician who served as chancellor of Germany and governed the ''Federal Republic'' from 1982 to 1998. He was leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to ...
. Hundreds of television crews from all over the world had anticipated this historic event for weeks.
West Germans and West Berliners were allowed visa-free travel to East Berlin and East Germany starting 23 December 1989. Until then, they could only visit under restrictive conditions that involved application for a visa several days or weeks in advance and obligatory exchange of at least 25 DM per day of their planned stay. Thus, in the weeks between 9 November 1989 and 23 December 1989, East Germans could travel more freely than Westerners as they were able to cross into West Berlin with just passport checks.
There are also roads that are reopened between 12 June 1990 and 21 June 1990 with or without border controls.
The controls were abandoned on 1 July 1990, the day of the currency union and before the actual
reunification of Germany on 3 October 1990. In the months after the fall of the Wall, border crossings between the East and the West had become more and more irrelevant.
Today, a few portions of the structures have been retained as a memorial.
Remaining border controls
Since the closure of
Tegel there remain no border checkpoints in Berlin citylimits. International travel is now routed via
Schönefeld airport which is situated south of the city in Brandenburg and all
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
-specific border control procedures have disappeared altogether. Modern day checkpoints are staffed by
German Federal Police and Customs for normal international traffic screening purposes.
Bibliography
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Hans-Dieter Behrendt: Im Schatten der "Agentenbrücke" ''(In the shadow of the "Agents' Bridge")'', 260 pages, GNN Verlag,
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See also
*
Inner German border
External links
Comprehensive documentation by the former passport control staff officer Hans-Dieter BehrendtCheckpoint Bravopreservation association
Gallery
Berlin border crossings
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L0331-0005, Potsdam, Grenzübergang Drewitz-Dreilinden.jpg, East German guards at the Drewitz-Dreilinden crossing.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L0330-0033, Potsdam, Grenzübergang Drewitz-Dreilinden, Kontrolle in Bus.jpg, Passport control on the bus at the Drewitz-Dreilinden crossing.
File:Checkpoint Bravo Brückenhaus.jpg, What is left of Checkpoint Bravo today.
File:Checkpoint Charlie 1977.jpg, Checkpoint Charlie in 1977.
File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F079005-0022, Berlin, Grenzübergang Checkpoint Charlie.jpg, Crossing Checkpoint Charlie in 1988.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-C0104-0010-001, Berlin, Grenzübergang Sonnenallee, West-Berliner Besucher.jpg, Sonnenallee crossing.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-C0105-0002-001, Berlin, Grenzübergang Chausseestraße, West-Berliner Besucher.jpg, Chausseestraße crossing in 1964.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-C1031-0044-007, Berlin, Grenzübergang Invalidenstraße.jpg, Invalidenstraße crossing in 1964.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L0402-0015, Berlin, Grenzübergang Oberbaumbrücke.jpg, Passport checks at the Oberbaumbrücke crossing in 1972.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-C1031-0044-009, Berlin, Grenzübergang Bahnhof Friedrichstraße.jpg, Checkpoint booths outside the Friedrichstraße railway station, which, although located completely in East Berlin, was a major crossing as it was served by trains from West Berlin.
File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F003101-0005, Berlin, Zonengrenze, Grenzübergang.jpg, Border crossing Heerstraße in 1955.
Crossings after the fall of the Berlin Wall
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-1118-017, Berlin, Grenzübergang Bornholmer Straße.jpg, Crowds of East Germans stream towards the Bornholmer Straße crossing on 10 November 1989, a day after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-1118-028, Berlin, Grenzübergang Bornholmer Straße.jpg, Walking across the Böse-Brücke at the Bornholmer Straße crossing.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1990-0212-021, Berlin, Bornholmer Brücke, Straßenbahn.jpg, Queues of cars at the Bornholmer Straße crossing.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-1110-025, Berlin, Grenzübergang Chausseestraße.jpg, Crowds at the Chausseestraße crossing on 10 November 1989.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-1110-041, Berlin, Grenzübergang Invalidenstraße.jpg, At the Invalidenstraße crossing on 10 November 1989.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-1110-018, Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie, Nacht des Mauerfalls.jpg, At Checkpoint Charlie on 10 November 1989.
File:Checkpoint Charlie Nov. 1989, Ostberliner überqueren zum ersten Mal die Grenze nach Westberlin ohne Grenzkontrolle. DF-ST-91-01392.jpg, East Germans drive their vehicles through Checkpoint Charlie as they take advantage of relaxed travel restrictions to visit West Germany. The car is Lada 2102.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1990-0403-016, Berlin, Bahnhof Friedrichstraße, Grenzübergang.jpg, Queues at the Friedrichstraße railway station after the fall of the Wall.
Newly opened crossings after the fall of the Wall
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-1223-004, Berlin, Grenzübergang Brandenburger Tor.jpg, Border control at the newly opened Brandenberger Tor crossing on 23 December 1989.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-1223-005, Berlin, Grenzübergang Brandenburger Tor.jpg, Crowds heading to the Brandenberger Tor crossing.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-1222-034, Berlin, Grenzöffnung Brandenburger Tor.jpg, West German Chancellor Dr. Helmut Kohl, West Berlin mayor Walter Momper, West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and East German Prime Minister Dr. Hans Modrow at the opening of the Brandenburger Tor crossing on 22 December 1989.
File:BrandeburgGateOpening.jpg, Handout announcing the opening of the Brandenburg Gate crossing.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-1111-005, Berlin, Grenzübergang Eberswalder Straße.jpg, The Eberswalder Straße being created on the night of 10 November 1989, a day after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The crossing was opened the following day.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-1121-017, Berlin, Grenzübergang Rudower Chaussee.jpg, East German guards doing the job at the Rudower Chaussee crossing on 21 November 1989.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-1114-021, Berlin, Grenzübergang Stubenrauchstraße.jpg, Scene at the Stubenrauchstraße crossing on 14 November 1989.
File:Opening Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz, DF-ST-91-01388.jpg, An East German policeman monitors traffic returning to East Berlin through the newly created opening in the Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz on 14 November 1989.
File:891121a berlin potsdamer platz.jpg, Newly created crossing between East and West Berlin at Potsdamer Platz in November 1989.
File:891121c berlin potsdamer platz.jpg, Newly created crossing between East and West Berlin at Potsdamer Platz in November 1989.
File:891118d berlin u bahnhof jannowitzbruecke.jpg, East German border guards at walkway linking the S-Bahn and U-Bahn platforms, which is under West Berlin jurisdiction, at the Jannowitzbrücke subway station in November 1989.
File:Eröffnung U-Bahnhof Jannowitzbrücke 1989.jpg, Long queues to cross the border at the Jannowitzbrücke subway station in November 1989.
Border crossings stamps
File:DDR Checkpoint Charlie Passport Stamp.jpg, East German stamp from "Checkpoint Charlie" 1964
File:Visa Brandenburger Tor.jpg, Brandenburg Gate pedestrian crossing passport stamp, 1990.
File:Stempel Grenzabfertigung Berlin Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse im westdeutschen Reisepass.jpg, Friedrichstraße railway station crossing.
File:East Germany Griebnitzsee.jpg, Griebnitzsee railway crossing.
File:Visa Potsdamer Platz.jpg, Potsdamer Platz road crossing, 1990.
File:Visa Bornholmer Straße.jpg, Bornholmer Straße road crossing, 1990.
File:Passportstempel DDR Drewitz.jpg, Drewitz crossing autobahn crossing.
File:Passportstempel DDR Staaken.jpg, Staaken road crossing.
File:Dpa02a.jpg, Bornholmer Straße and the newly opened Eberswalder Straße border crossings.
File:Grenzkontrollstempel_Berlin_1989.jpg, Stamps from the Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamer Platz crossings, as well as the Friedrichstraße railway station crossing and Friedrichstraße crossing, which is better known as Checkpoint Charlie.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berlin Border Crossings
Border crossings in divided regions
Berlin Wall
Inner German border
Lists of international border crossings
Divided cities
Transport in Berlin