|
The
Wall: |
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Eastern dignitaries on the other side, congratulating themselves on what a fine Wall it is! |
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A
Wall-building
at the
corner of
Bernauer
and
Swinemünder
Strasse.
Note the
barbed wire
on the roof.
An apartment
on the top
floor, to
the right
appears to
be
inhabited.
But if you
jumped,
you’d still
land on the
East side of
the Wall. See the missing bricks in some of the "windows?" They have been seen in other locations, as well. Could they be peep holes? |
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A lovely
church
stands
defiant
behind the
infamous
Wall. It is
difficult to
see (see
close-up of
the clock
below,) but
the clock on
the front of
the steeple
shows 15
minutes
later than
the one on
the side (or
23 hour, 45
minutes
earlier.)
Funds were
not easy to
come by for
churches in
the East. The sign on the wall proclaims “In Tyranny.” It looks like an existing property wall, but… |
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Close-up of the ambiguous tower clock in the picture above. |
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…but the existing property wall is attached to the closed buildings on Bernauer, where Hussitenstrasse ends. That’s the same ‘intyrannos’ seen before. |
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The view of the store fronts was downright depressing in those days. Does a "trusted" citizen live in the room with the new windows on the third floor up, or is it just another peephole in disguise? |
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What’s the deal with the hand? |
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Ah, now it's clear enough! |
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Note the couple climbing the observation steps and the sign above them, which is meant for those in the East. The Wall printing is “Trotz Mauer – Ein Volk!” – Despite the Wall – One People! The sign in the East, facing west states, for our benefit, "he who wants a return to the borders of 1939 wants war! But there is another (?solution?)”. |
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Suppose that is your apartment up one floor um die Ecke (on the corner), and you have this beautiful view over the Wall. Alas, not a dream most would have -- more like a nightmare. The dark shape in the foreground on the left appears to be another sign aimed at the East. Are the lads near the Wall taking pictures? |
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Let’s see. You have your dead zone, and your Wall, and even a high view-blocking fence. What’s that all about? |
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It’s
clear a
higher
observation
tower is
needed to
see over the
extra
view-blocker. The Berliners on the viewing stand are dressed in their finery. And when they were out and about, they usually were. |
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This scene shows trolleys on the East side. From the observation tower one can see a sign pointed our way. It reads “Why are you so uncomfortable? You'll see more, you'll experience the truth, you can judge objectively - when you visit East Berlin yourself!” |
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At the end of the French Sector. Brrrr. |
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Toil and trouble. |
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Not the best place to have a Verlag (publishing house). Note the guard tower midway down the street. |
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Die Fraulein ist frei. The unfortunates living to her left are not… |
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Another spot in the French Sector. The young man’s light-colored suit has the European ‘cut’ of the times, and stands in stark contrast to the austere visage across die Mauer. The brightly colored red and blue sign was a rarity. A sign of our own faces the East sector. |
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The magnificent building to the right appears to be a steel plant. Another ubiquitous guard shack is halfway down the street. |
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Looking
east,
directly
across the
Wall, the
sign reads
"If the
German
people are
to be spared
a third
world war,
there must
be
accommodation
between the
SED (East
German
Communist
Party) and
the SPD
(Socialist
Party
Germany-
West). Oh, no! Not another guard shack! |
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A telescopic view from East to West. |
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Trolleys are often upgraded in a stronger economic system. |
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A couple of Vopos on the job. |
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A couple more Vopos, and another guard shack. Lots of both around die Mauer. |
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This is a Vopo (Volks Polizei – People’s Police). It is NOT a proud flasher. |
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Looks like two more Vopos on top of the Brandenburg Gate. See the first picture on this page for a view of the Gate’s block layout near the top. |
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Potsdamer
Platz
was really
busy before
the War and
it's really
busy now. Cold war times were not good for Potsdamer Platz. |
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This shot is
believed to
have been
taken in the
Potsdamer
Platz
area. Nice tank traps, comrades! |
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Also believed to have been in the Potsdamer Platz area. |
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Checkpoint Charlie; known around the world. |
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Take a road out of town and you will be ‘at the end’. The sign in the distance is not readable. Could it say, “Welcome to the Worker’s Paradise?” |
