2019 marked 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of divided Germany
Often forgotten is the much longer wall which stretched 1300km from the Baltic Coast to the Czech Border, dividing Germany in two
The Iron Curtain border between East and West Germany was 1300km long and heavily fortified. Not only was there a wall, but mines, watchtowers and regular patrols kept the populations apart. The border meanders through woods, along rivers, across fields and occasionally through the middle of villages. It is now called the Grüne Band - the Green Ribbon. We cycled this route in two stages, four years apart.
From 1952 no-one was allowed to enter the 10km wide "control strip" along the border
830 watchtowers were built to guard the 5km wide 'Sperrzone' prohibited zone
Patrol roads along the border enabled DDR guards to rapidly reach an attempted crossing
There were many escape attempts using a variety of methods including swimming across the Baltic to Denmark and a home-made hot air balloon which took eight people from two families to the west
In 1952 8000 people were removed from their homes in the Sperrzone to cities like Leipzig
From 1966 onward the wall became ever more brutal. 1 million land mines were laid
60,000 self-shooting shrapnel mines were attached to the fences
3000km of expanded wire fencing, barbed wire, lighting , vehicle traps, optical and acoustic sensors all contributed to make it a deadly barrier
What was the Death Strip has become the Grüne Band - the Green Ribbon. Years without human activity encouraged wildlife and now it is a protected nature zone
Because for decades the border area was largely unpopulated and for decades there had been no incentive for the west to develop roads and businesses near the border, it remains undeveloped and empty. Shops, cafés and accommodation were few and far between.
Our diary entries as we cycled the Grüne Band illustrate the experience of following this historic route
Very cold...had to wear all the clothes we had with us
Didn’t find a place to eat until nearly 2pm.
Many villages and communities were cut in two by the border wall
Control towers dominated the broad open strip giving guards a clear line of sight.
Schießbefehl: guards were under orders to fire on anyone crossing the prohibited zone.
The Wall was some way behind the actual border which was marked by these posts
Identical barracks buildings lie deserted along the old border
There were five road routes and six train lines from the West across the DDR to West Berlin . The autobahn from Hannover to Berlin crossed the border at Marienborn where the extensive customs post has been retained as a museum.
Cars were strip-searched going into and out of the east
Generators big enough for a town produced enough light to ensure nothing slipped through under darkness
Details of likely hiding places in each make of vehicle were on hand
Cars were often partly dismantled and drivers had to reassemble door panels and similar parts themselves.
Once allowed through, drivers were not allowed to stop for any reason before they reached West Berlin 200km away
After 500km, over awful trails, in cold and wet, we decided to complete the rest of the route in better weather
Not much had changed when we returned four years later though some roads had improved...
Bought some food at Aldi, just as well as the rest of the day was a culinary desert
On the day the border opened, the line of Trabants waiting to drive into the west stretched into the distance
It's obvious when we are in the east, grim-looking buildings, cobbles and lots of renovation going on
"Point Alpha" is located on the Fulda Gap where it was suspected that the Warsaw Pact troops would attack
The border at Heinersdorf was a 3,3m high wall, a 6m control strip , the patrol route, a watchtower and 3m high barbed wire. Beyond that there was a 5km wide prohibited zone
I asked a man what he had done on the day the border opened. He said he was so surprised he was "lahmgelegt", paralysed with shock and couldn't do anything. Not a soul had turned up for work that day.
Probstzella was an important border post where the railway from Munich to West Berlin crossed the border. Rail passengers had to alight and they and their luggage were thoroughly examined before they were allowed to continue their journey
We knew we were heading into the sticks but didn't think it would be so difficult to find a room
Mödlareuth was divided down the middle by the wall. Families on either side had to shout to each other over the concrete barrier
Between August 1961 and November 1989, 371 people were killed while crossing the inner German border and a further 255 died attempting to cross the wall in Berlin. 189 people died swimming the Baltic Sea and in total 27 border guards and six soviet troops died when trying to cross to the west.
Some escapees were shot by border guards, while others were killed by mines and booby traps. Many drowned.
The border wall and our bike ride, ended at the point where East and West Germany met the Czech border, 1300 km from the Baltic coast
Credits:
Laurence Warren