Anyone who has ever come across information about the city of Berlin may have asked himself a question about the location of West Berlin. West Berlin in the context of the Cold War had an interesting and rather ambiguous story and is impossible not to realize the exact layout of the city. Come with us and discover the place and meaning of West Berlin in this virtual guided tour.
1. The Division of Berlin
In the aftermath of World War II, Berlin was divided into four occupation zones, each controlled by the victorious Allied forces: American, Russian, Anglo-French and French throughout the world during the cold war. The Soviet sector is East Berlin while the other three sectors together formed what is known as West Berlin.
2. An island, situated on a great distance from the mainland, in the East Germany.
At the same time, West Berlin as a part of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was completely enclosed by the territory of the GDR. This social isolation meant that West Berlin became an anomaly, an ‘island’, surrounded by the Soviet dominated Eastern Bloc.
2.1 The Berlin Wall
Though in its political sense this division was not so long it gave birth to one of the most famous walls in the world – the Berlin Wall which was constructed by the GDR in August 1961. This concrete wall was surrounding West Berlin, and it was about over 155 kilometers (96 miles) long. It was therefore an attempt to bar the East Berliners from succession to the western Democratic system hence the representation of communism from capitalism.
3. Access and Transportation
As you would expect given that West Berlin was geographically surrounded by East Germany, it had its problems of accessibility and communication. Since all the ways through which West Berlin was connected to the rest of West Germany were roadways, the GDR came up with unusual means of transport.
3.1 Air Access
Most of the outside world interaction.listeners required air travel as the way of staying connected. Tempelhof, Gatow and Tegel are the three major airport of West Berlin, which are mainly used by West German airline and important for their communication.
3.2 Rail and Road Access
Years later, some deal was reached between GDR and West Germany to allow railway and road corridor to West Berlin. The so-called Transitstrecken were established to guarantee the movement from West Germany to West Berlin via the East Germany. These transit routes where well protected and policed so as to facilitate the movement of people.
4. The Four-Power Status
Even though located geographically in the middle of East Germany, West Berlin remained a special administrative district governed by the four powers. The station was manned by American, British, French and Soviet forces, which gave it the special status that set it apart from East or West Germany.
5. The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The symbolic division of Berlin reached its culmination on November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall was dismantled. The event further culminated into the actual reunion of Germany in 1990 though that meant the end of a western city called West Berlin.
Conclusion
West Berlin which was physically enclosed by East Germany during the period of the Cold War was used to represent the battle ground between communism and democracy. Its geographical position posed some special features, but it is associated with freedom and perseverance. A brief contextualisation of the West Berlin therefore becomes imperative when reconstructing the story of the divided city.
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