East Germany’s biggest Border crossing Helmstedt-Marienborn
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- Helmstedt-Marienborn was the biggest East-German border crossing where millions of vehicles passed each year. This video will give an overview of the site and reveal some of its secrets.
Used and recommended books:
In German but with lots of interesting pictures:
• "Transit Westberlin" - Friedrich Delius & Peter Lapp [amzn.to/3yC7lMM]
• "Die Grenze - Ein deutsches Bauwerk" - Jürgen Ritter & Peter Lapp [amzn.to/3JakCkO]
Only in German, with some pictures:
• "Mit den Autos kommt die Ideologie" - Various [Restricted availability; amzn.to/3FiWR94]
Link to the website of the museum:
gedenkstaette-...
Picture:
• Checkpoint alpha picture: Günter Mach, Helmstedt, CC BY-SA 2.5 (creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons)
Many times I traveled between Allied Checkpoints Alpha and Bravo and only dealt with the Soviets at each. Longest I ever waited there was 25 minutes, and I was always relieved that I didn’t have to wait for countless hours like the West Germans and other nationalities did at the DDR-controlled part of GÜSt Marienborn, where they received the inspection equivalent of an anoscopy from the Stasi, as my German friends have described it. Great video!
Thanks for adding your experience from those times!
@BiggaNigga69He's probably ex-British military.
@@oldmanc2Not probably. The Soviets are the giveaway.
@@cehaem2exactly. There’s even a very interesting rip here on TH-cam of an instructional video from the British Army that states exactly that.
@@Mainyehc link please
My old UK Passport is full of DDR stamps as I was a truck driver,saw some interesting stuff on the transit routes
I've been there. A very eerie and still menacing place, at least for those who were alive at the time. One can almost see the stern faced border guards, shuffling through your papers, eyeing you suspiciously, or your parents at least, but you would get your share of suspicion as well, no matter how little you were. You can actually drive your car through the empty gates today, and imagine how things used to be. It's still somewhat relieving to get out on the other side and drive away. Kids of today have no idea how it felt when the Iron Curtain came down. Well, they have their own things to stress about, I guess...
Sums it up well. I've been through this HUGE checkpoint four times in the 80's. Loooooong waits.
Will understand one day, Iron Curtain 2.0 is back
@@hyy3657 If only!
Nagyon érdekes hogy manapság a komcsik mennyire ellenzik a határfalakat...
I went as a student at the college for teacher training on a mandatory excursion to the DDR in 1988. I remember this border post very well as it immediately set the tone for the rest of the stay in the country. It was intimidating, impressive, lugubrious and especially a new experience for a 20 year old. It immediately made it clear to us what our freedom meant. In 2016 I went to Berlin for work (never been there again before) and the first thing I did was visit the border post as I drove past it. And what a good job as a museum now: it gave me the same feelings I had in 1988.
I studied in Braunschweig between 1984 and 1991, while my girlfriend and later wife lived and worked in West Berlin, and lost count of how many times I had to go through this hated border checkpoint. For me - and probably for everyone else - it was a huge relief to see these terrible Eastgerman installations closed down and the horrible people who ran them kicked out of their miserable jobs. They were anyway only there for no other reason but to harass innocent travellers along the transit routes.
I still often pass by this particular former checkpoint when I'm on my way to Hannover and last year decided to stop and have a look at it. I was surprised at the good condition of the buildings after 33 years, they look as good as I remember them so long ago.
Thank you. For some time I’ve been searching for ANYTHING related to the DDR that is presented in English. Your channel is great. Keep it up. Thank you.
I was stationed their from 1979-1981, It was really amazing duty.....
Thank you for putting the time in to record such videos. I lived in Germany in the 70's for 6 years and loved every moment. I've always been fascinated with the DDR, Stasi and how people lived on the other side of the wall also the history. Thank you again.
You're welcome!
Hi I lived in Osterode am Harz in 1985. I traveled to Berlin using this and it brings back memories. Osterode is semi close
To the border and we would drive and all of a sudden have to go left or right because the fence was there sometimes East German border guards were around. I have been back to Germany twice since then but didn’t go East at all.
In the mid to late 1960’s I crossed over the border at this crossing three times on family road trips from England to Poland. As small children, my brother and I were so excited by all the security we encountered at the checkpoints, especially as we knew our parents were smuggling gifts for our Polish family, all hidden in the car! 🥴😎
More people are finally watching your quality videos, so relieved that your work is finally being recognized.
I just found them but agreed
Thank you for this video. For Germans this is just a museum of past times. I live in the "museum" all my life without any hope for future.
I’m sorry if you don’t have hope for your future, I hope that changes for you
@@JesseJoyce-cj2xg Thank you :-)
Travelled through the transit corridor several times whilst living in Berlin and also in the late 1970s while living in West Germany. Having to salute the Russian soldiers was really strange.
the 5DM transit fee was not lifted for non german travellers, I had to pay it many times when I travelled by train from West Germany to West Berlin, also via Helmsted Marienborn stations. And there was also a minimal compulsory change of money if you wanted to do a daily trip from West to East Berlin, (via the famous Checkpoint Charlie opened to non German citizens! ). Anyway your page and videos remind me of my youth, thanks for this! it was forbidden to bring back the rest of DDR Marks at the end of the day... So I often bought absolutely useless things and had many beers instead of giving them back, because at that time you were a rich man with 10 Mark der DDR in your pocket!
Umm as a non german I paid more than once the Transit Visum...
I went to Germany a few times before the Euro came in, and still remember a packet of cigarettes also normally being 5DM. However this was in the early 2000s; A long time after the Iron Curtain fell, and with over a decade of inflation making the DM worth less than it would have been when that transit fee was in place.
Just to give me an idea; Beyond transit through the DDR; What else might 5DM have typically bought at the time? (Say; Late 1970s) 😇
An excellent summary of the Grenzubergangstelle Marienborn. I crossed here several times in the 1980s, both in transit to West Berlin and to enter the DDR. I also used the three other main autobahn crossings, which were smaller versions of this one. On the motorway I counted 13 speed control points; almost all traffic travelled at exactly 62mph, 100kph; you could be with the same vehicles for a long time.
Thank you.
Absolutely fascinating.
One correction: non-residents of Germany still had to pay the 5 DM fee after 1972.
The western allied who occupied western germany didnt recognised GDR as a state so they didnt recognise the border as a border between two country. The western occupiers only recognised soviet occupation forces and thats why they didnt built any big border infrastructure.
According to the American/ French/ British forces, there was no border so no need for border guards.
That is nonsense. GDR was a member of the UNO and the US had an embassy in East Berlin. But both German were still under Allied occupation and since their agreements were sign prior to FRG/GDR being founded and both states were still not 100% souvereign, they were not part of the agreements. That why VoPo and Grenztruppen had no jurisdiction over allied troops on the transit routes and in Berlin.
It was West Germany that did not recognise the border in full.
Western Army officers could enter East Germany, thanks to Allied agreements. Much to the annoyance of the Stasi, who tried to spy and tailgate the officer's cars. When confronted by the Volkspolizei, the officers said: "Take us to a Soviet Officer.", who was always very friendly and cooperative. The Soviets officers could also travel into West Germany, so both sides benifited from this agreement.
You are right that the Americans first did not recognize East Germany, leading to the Berlin crisis of 1961. Where a US diplomat was denied access to East Berlin by the Vopo. Later the Americans recognized East Germany to prevent further incidents.
@@mardiffv.8775 my understanding was that any Allied military regardless of rank could freely enter the East, same for the Soviets in reverse. True or not?
@@daddybeagleaz907 You are almost correct, Western officers could enter the East/ DDR. Due to the Potsdam treaty. Always followed by Stasi agents, who wore the most grotesk disguises. Like sunglasses, which no ordinary DDR citizen could gets his hands on. And fake moustaches. The Stasi was sometimes shaken off by just crossing a railway crossing, moments before the barriers closed.
When stopped by the Volkspolizei, the officers always asked in German to be taken to a Soviet officers. Who was always very friendly and helpful. Much to the frustration of the Volkspolizei.
Soviet officers also drove into West Germany, on reconnaissance. So both East and West benefitted from this system.
this channel is a gem i love it... big sub from me
Ive always wondered about the West Berlin Border on the west of the city, near Potsdam, we rarely see pictures or videos made about that side i think
The land border between the two German states was very different from the Berlin Wall.
Why ?
There were the soldiers, The Pass Kontroll, the searching in cars etc etc
Maybe in Berlin it was faster due to restricted space maybe, say 1 hour in Berlin and between 1 hour and a half and 3 hours at land border driving to Eisenach or Berlin.
You answered your own question. In addition, land mines were mainly at the border between FRG and GDR rather than the death strip along the Belin Wall.@@philwanadoo7435
Fascinating, thank you.
Great video! It left me wanting more!
I live just 15km from there on the western side! Mad to think that this place was once a divide between two worlds! I probably crossed that border within seconds more than hundred times.
nice video
The only land border I've ever crossed personally was USA-Canada and even then I've wondered why border guards with all their supposed professionalism aren't held to a minimum throughput standard like even a 16-year-old grocery cashier with literally one day of training is. In the DDR's case I have to wonder if they had a *maximum* throughput standard.
@@stevej71393DMV is also known as satans ass
So to be clear , you equating buying beer, diapers and Cocoa Puffs with Border Security. Ok thanks
The East German border guards weren't hired to facilitate quick and smooth crossings. They were there to make sure that you didn't manage to smuggle anything in or out. Time was not taken into consideration. Lengthy and elaborate inspections were an integral part of the process. The complexity was probably also meant to discourage travel between East and West Germany in general.
This is a great channel, I hope you keep going!
Fascinating!
I thought there was no border crossings? Wasnt that the point of a wall and separation, etc? So did they have a wall or a fence that ran the whole distance between the 2 Germanys? If not then many could just go through some woods to get to the west right?
Yes, the border was heavily fortified with mines, SM-70 cone guns etc. I visited it in October 1980.
Also known as Checkpoint Alpha.
All that anxiety & effort and now it no longer matters. History cobwebs.
After the next change, we may need this border crossing again!
interesting, are all these buildings still sitting there today ? as it was back then..
yes its a museum now (Gedenkstätte Marienborn)
Half of Marienborn has been preserved as an outside museum. The rest is an auto and truck rest area. The allied Checkpoint Alpha building several hundred metres prior to Marienborn is now a Zollamt. (customs office)
Did much freight go through crossings like these? Or was that all handled via rail?
Primary invasion points of the WARSAW PACT forces , along with the Fulda Gap
Yard switcher
Y HLA191
Are you Dutch or German?
he's both
@@isaacs8783 Interesting. His accent in English is typically Dutch, hence my question. Thanks for the answer.
@@yagi3925 He also pronounces German with a very strong Dutch accent.
@@boink800 You'd probably think that my German is from Mars, it's rather bad 🙂
Was there a giant wall separating the two Germany’s? Or just checkpoints?
It was mainly a fence and a limited number of checkpoints. Walls were mostly built at high populated areas. Feel free to also check the video "The East German Border Installations & Berlin Wall" on this channel.
Google "Iron Curtain". It was much more than just a fence between the Germanies. You think people could walk "around" from East to West Germany?
@@mathisnotforthefaintofheart I don’t know; I haven’t seen any pictures or videos of the borders besides the Berlin Wall. We all know that one, but what about the giant line between east and west?
@@hockeypnc3 The was a (mostly) double fence all the way from the Baltic to Greece (with Bulgaria). The Curtain separated the entire East European countries from the West. So not only East Germany, but also countries like Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria were behind the Curtain. They equally could not cross the border to the Western countries (i.e. Austria, Yugoslavia, Greece). The first breach in the Curtain was not because of the Berlin Wall (November 9 1989) but because Hungary opened up the border with Austria earlier that year. (After mass protests and a delipidating USSR)
There were also massive minefields that had to be cleared out after the ending of the Soviet Union and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall.
Also, was that a "passport conveyor belt" I saw...?
Wow!
Interesting video!
👍👍👍
Fascinating, but why no mention of the railroad border crossing?
I wonder how the former employees/members of the military/former Stasi employees think about how it's all sitting there as a museum. Do any of them miss working there. Do they miss the GDR/DDR? I wonder.
West Germany=California, East Germany=Detroit; needless to say, the border fortifications underlined the fact that Communism sucked.
Traveling from east germany to west germany .is just like watching black and white tv to 8k lcd tv.
🤔
You need a lot of ordnance to keep people out who want to exchange fruits of your hard labour to green paper pieces
Thanks for your work! do you have an email for contact?
You can find my email address in the 'About' tab.
@@eastgermanyinvestigated found it only know, thanks!
For years I have been looking for accounts from people who worked there. Has anybody here seen any?
Really interesting video!
I passed by train in 1972 without any bother except a long delay.
By train you don't have a search of the car...
@@philwanadoo7435 I entered the DDR by car from Czechoslovakia in 1977 and I had no bother.
@@jean6872 from Czechoslovakia
Do I hear a Dutch accent in the narration?
Dutch accent?
The narrator is indeed Dutch.