Potsdamer Platz

THREE CENTURIES OF NO-MAN'S-LAND

The Iron Curtain runs right across Potsdamer Platz

In 1961, fate hits the square again when it is divided by the Berlin Wall and consequently becomes a border zone. At no other point on the Berlin Wall was there a wider death strip than here on Potsdamer Platz. All buildings within the strip had to disappear. On the western side, the Berlin government now and again purchased plots of unused ruins in order to first remove the remains of the buildings as these formed a danger area. In this way, Potsdamer Platz lived a miserable existence as an urban wasteland. Note for film enthusiasts: in the film Der Himmel über Berlin directed by Wim Wenders a number of scenes are set on the western part of the area.

Potsdamer Platz 1965

Potsdamer Platz 1965

What belongs together, certainly doesn't grow together here: the two systems face each other on the inner German border without any sign of reconciliation.

End of the line: Potsdamer Platz

End of the line: Potsdamer Platz

Have we finally missed the boat for reunification? In 1965, this objective was in the far distant future. This was the end of the line for many Berlin citizens.

Potsdamer Platz 1965

Potsdamer Platz 1965

A good neighbourhood looks quite different. The border zone here is as secure as nowhere else; it is virtually invincible on Potsdamer Platz.

The mid-sixties

The mid-sixties

Showing your papers is everyday routine on Potsdamer Platz. The Cold War is not a good time for people wanting to cross the border – and it makes things very unpleasant for people.

Greater Berlin sector 1959

Greater Berlin sector 1959

Warning, border: today we are still unable to understand what dramatic scenes happened here. Often, only a glance over the other side remained.

Potsdamer Platz 1965

Potsdamer Platz 1965

Owing to developments in world politics an immense potential remains unexploited – Potsdamer Platz as a barricading bolt between East and West.