Staaken
Encyclopedia
Staaken is a locality at the western rim of Berlin
within the borough of Spandau
. In the west it shares border with the Brandenburg
municipalities of Falkensee
and Dallgow-Döberitz
in the Havelland
district. Buildings range from small detached houses in the west to larger 1960s and 1970s housing estate
s in the east. The locality of Staaken also includes the neighborhood of Albrechtshof.
First mentioned in a 1273 deed as Stakene the former village became a part of Berlin by the Greater Berlin Act
of 1920. The development of the area started with the construction of the Staaken garden city
by architect
Paul Schmitthenner
in 1914.
At the beginning of World War I
the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
company acquired large estates in Staaken, where from 1915 on it manufactured zeppelin
airships and R.VI biplane
strategic bombers. In 1919 the regulations of the Treaty of Versailles
finished the production and the area was transformed into an airfield. There had been regular Zeppelin flights to Friedrichshafen
and even to London
from 1919 on, though in the following years most of the aviation
moved to Tempelhof Airport. The former zeppelin manufacturing halls were locations for various film productions, e.g. parts of Fritz Lang
's Metropolis
. In 1929 the estate was sold to the City of Berlin, while parts of the airport were still used by the Deutsche Luft Hansa
for flight training
and maintenance purposes. In Albrechtshof the Demag
(Deutsche Maschinenfabrik AG) built Panther tank
s during World War II
using forced labour of over 2,500 prisoners held in the nearby Falkenhagen
labour camp
, a subcamp of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp
.
United Kingdom
and Soviet Union
of August 30, 1945. The borders of the British occupational sector of Berlin was reshapen that way, that by incorporating the so called Seeburger Zipfel
it would include the entire former Luftwaffe
airfield at Berlin-Gatow
in the southwestern corner of this sector. In return the socalled Dorf Staaken (village Staaken) and Albrechtshof, nowadays called West-Staaken (at the most western end of the British Sector] was de jure assigned to the Soviets. The geographically eastern Staaken remained with the political West. However, the de facto administration remained with the Borough of Spandau
in the British sector. So all inhabitants of Staaken could vote for West-Berlin's city state elections in 1948 and 1950.
On 1 February 1951 East German Volkspolizei
took over control of West-Staaken including the airfield and adjacent Neu-Jerusalem located there, and ended the administration by the Spandau Borough, instead West-Staaken became an exclave of East Berlin's then Borough of Mitte
. This caused the confusing fact, that the geographically western Staaken was part of the politically Eastern East Berlin
at the geographically western outskirts of West-Berlin, while the geographically eastern Staaken remained with the political Western British sector, thus West-Berlin. East Germany then moved up its border checkpoint towards West-Berlin from Dallgow
more eastwards to West-Staaken.
On June 1, 1952 West-Staaken's de facto administration was conveyed to neighbouring East German Falkensee
, which incorporated West-Staaken on January 1, 1961. From August 13 the same year until its opening and removal after November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall
cut through the two parts of Staaken, with one East German border crossing
on Heerstraße. Since January 1, 1971 western Staaken, officially simply named Staaken, formed a municipality of its own, with a population amounting to 4,146 at that time. On October 3, 1990, the day of unification
of East Germany, East and West Berlin with the West German Federal Republic of Germany
both Staakens reunited and form a locality of the Spandau Borough since.
Staaken is served by RegionalExpress
and RegionalBahn
trains of the Deutsche Bahn AG at the stations Staaken and Albrechtshof. A S-Bahn
connection to Albrechtshof is planned. This station had also been the site of a railroad border crossing
, it was closed in 1961 after East German railroad engineer
Harry Deterling fled from the GDR
by breaking through the barriers
towards the Gartenstadt Staaken in West Berlin
with a whole train. The event was dramatized in the 1963 West German
film
Durchbruch Lok 234 (The Breakthrough). The route to Albrechtshof was only reconnected in 1995 after German reunification
.
In 1976 the GDR opened a separate rail road border crossing station Staaken for rail transit to western Germany further away from the border to West Berlin.
Up to 1980 the eastern part of Staaken inside West Berlin
was served by S-Bahn
. This service was abandoned by the East German Reichsbahn Headquarters after the big strike of the West Berlin Reichsbahn workers. A reconnection today is highly unlikely.
federal highway runs through the locality along the Heerstraße. The car traffic, travelling along F 5
, between West Berlin and the East German Democratic Republic
, or the West German Federal Republic of Germany
, e.g. to Hamburg
, was subject to the Interzonal traffic
regulations, that between West Germany and West Berlin followed the special regulations of the Transit Agreement (1972)
.
On 1 January 1988 the transit traffic to West Berlin was redirected to the new East German Stolpe checkpoint (a part of today's Hohen Neuendorf
)/West Berlin-Heiligensee
. From 1988 to November 9, 1989 the Heerstraße border crossing
was open for the highly restricted traffic between West Berlin and East Germany. Highly restricted in this case meant citizens of West Berlin having to apply for visiting permit to visit relatives; while only GDR citizens above the age of 65 could apply to visit relatives in West Berlin. Eastern controls were slowly eased into spot checks and finally abolished on June 30, 1990, the day East and West introduced the union concerning currency, economy and social safety .
Katarina Witt
was born in the GDR municipality of Staaken on December 3, 1965.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
within the borough of Spandau
Spandau
Spandau is the fifth of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is the fourth largest and westernmost borough, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and along the western bank of the Havel, but the least populated.-Overview:...
. In the west it shares border with the Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
municipalities of Falkensee
Falkensee
Falkensee is a town in the Havelland district, Brandenburg, Germany. It is the most populated municipality of its district and it is situated at the western border of Berlin.-History:...
and Dallgow-Döberitz
Dallgow-Döberitz
Dallgow-Döberitz is a municipality in the Havelland district, in Brandenburg, Germany.-Geography:It consists of the villages Dallgow-Döberitz, Rohrbeck and Seeburg. To the east it shares border with the Spandau borough of Berlin. Neighbouring Brandenburg municipalities are Falkensee in the north...
in the Havelland
Havelland
Havelland is a geograhical region and district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Ostprignitz-Ruppin and Oberhavel, the city-state of Berlin, the district of Potsdam-Mittelmark, the city of Brandenburg and the state of Saxony-Anhalt .-History:-Geography:Geographically...
district. Buildings range from small detached houses in the west to larger 1960s and 1970s housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
s in the east. The locality of Staaken also includes the neighborhood of Albrechtshof.
History
Greater Berlin Act
The Greater Berlin Act , in full the Law Regarding the Reconstruction of the New Local Authority of Berlin , was a law passed by the Prussian government in 1920 that greatly expanded the size of the German capital of Berlin.-History:...
of 1920. The development of the area started with the construction of the Staaken garden city
Garden city movement
The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...
by architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Paul Schmitthenner
Paul Schmitthenner
Paul Schmitthenner was a German architect and city planner from Lauterbourg, Alsace-Lorraine, one of Adolf Hitler's architects. He graduated from the University of Stuttgart and later became a Professor there, where he formed together with Paul Bonatz the architectural style of the Stuttgart School...
in 1914.
At the beginning of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German company which, during the early 20th century, was a leader in the design and manufacture of rigid airships, specifically of the Zeppelin type. The company was founded by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin...
company acquired large estates in Staaken, where from 1915 on it manufactured zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
airships and R.VI biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
strategic bombers. In 1919 the regulations of the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
finished the production and the area was transformed into an airfield. There had been regular Zeppelin flights to Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen
This article is about a German town. For the Danish town, see Frederikshavn, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Friedrichshafen is a university city on the northern side of Lake Constance in Southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.It is the district capital of the...
and even to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from 1919 on, though in the following years most of the aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
moved to Tempelhof Airport. The former zeppelin manufacturing halls were locations for various film productions, e.g. parts of Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
's Metropolis
Metropolis (film)
Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film in the science-fiction genre directed by Fritz Lang. Produced in Germany during a stable period of the Weimar Republic, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and...
. In 1929 the estate was sold to the City of Berlin, while parts of the airport were still used by the Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. was a German airline, serving as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and throughout the Third Reich.-1920s:Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded on 6 January 1926 in Berlin...
for flight training
Flight training
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills....
and maintenance purposes. In Albrechtshof the Demag
Demag
Demag or Demag Cranes AG is a German heavy equipment manufacturer now controlled by US based Terex. The roots of Demag date back prior to its formation, but became Märkische Maschinenbau-Anstalt, Ludwig A.-G in 1906 as the biggest crane building company in Germany employing 250-300 people...
(Deutsche Maschinenfabrik AG) built Panther tank
Panther tank
Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as...
s during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
using forced labour of over 2,500 prisoners held in the nearby Falkenhagen
Falkensee
Falkensee is a town in the Havelland district, Brandenburg, Germany. It is the most populated municipality of its district and it is situated at the western border of Berlin.-History:...
labour camp
Arbeitslager
Arbeitslager is a German language word which means labor camp.The German government under Nazism used forced labor extensively, starting in the 1930s but most especially during World War II....
, a subcamp of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
.
During the Cold War
After World War II Staaken was divided by an territorial exchange contract between the AlliesAllies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
of August 30, 1945. The borders of the British occupational sector of Berlin was reshapen that way, that by incorporating the so called Seeburger Zipfel
Seeburger Zipfel
The Seeburger Zipfel , comprising Weinmeisterhöhe and part of Groß Glienicke, was part of an exchange of territory between Britain and the Soviet Union regarding West-Berlin...
it would include the entire former Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
airfield at Berlin-Gatow
RAF Gatow
Known for most of its operational life as Royal Air Force Station Gatow, or more commonly RAF Gatow, this former British Royal Air Force military airbase is in the district of Gatow in south-western Berlin, west of the Havel river, in the borough of Spandau...
in the southwestern corner of this sector. In return the socalled Dorf Staaken (village Staaken) and Albrechtshof, nowadays called West-Staaken (at the most western end of the British Sector] was de jure assigned to the Soviets. The geographically eastern Staaken remained with the political West. However, the de facto administration remained with the Borough of Spandau
Spandau
Spandau is the fifth of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is the fourth largest and westernmost borough, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and along the western bank of the Havel, but the least populated.-Overview:...
in the British sector. So all inhabitants of Staaken could vote for West-Berlin's city state elections in 1948 and 1950.
On 1 February 1951 East German Volkspolizei
Volkspolizei
The Volkspolizei , or VP, were the national police of the German Democratic Republic . The Volkspolizei were responsible for most law enforcement in East Germany, but its organisation and structure were such that it could be considered a paramilitary force as well...
took over control of West-Staaken including the airfield and adjacent Neu-Jerusalem located there, and ended the administration by the Spandau Borough, instead West-Staaken became an exclave of East Berlin's then Borough of Mitte
Mitte (locality)
Mitte is a central locality of Berlin in the homonymous district of Mitte. Until 2001 it was itself an autonomous district....
. This caused the confusing fact, that the geographically western Staaken was part of the politically Eastern East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
at the geographically western outskirts of West-Berlin, while the geographically eastern Staaken remained with the political Western British sector, thus West-Berlin. East Germany then moved up its border checkpoint towards West-Berlin from Dallgow
Dallgow-Döberitz
Dallgow-Döberitz is a municipality in the Havelland district, in Brandenburg, Germany.-Geography:It consists of the villages Dallgow-Döberitz, Rohrbeck and Seeburg. To the east it shares border with the Spandau borough of Berlin. Neighbouring Brandenburg municipalities are Falkensee in the north...
more eastwards to West-Staaken.
On June 1, 1952 West-Staaken's de facto administration was conveyed to neighbouring East German Falkensee
Falkensee
Falkensee is a town in the Havelland district, Brandenburg, Germany. It is the most populated municipality of its district and it is situated at the western border of Berlin.-History:...
, which incorporated West-Staaken on January 1, 1961. From August 13 the same year until its opening and removal after November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
cut through the two parts of Staaken, with one East German border crossing
Berlin border crossings
The Berlin border crossings were created as a result of the postwar division of Germany. Prior to the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, travel between the Eastern and Western sectors of Berlin was totally uncontrolled, although restrictions were increasingly introduced by the Soviet and East...
on Heerstraße. Since January 1, 1971 western Staaken, officially simply named Staaken, formed a municipality of its own, with a population amounting to 4,146 at that time. On October 3, 1990, the day of unification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
of East Germany, East and West Berlin with the West German Federal Republic of Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
both Staakens reunited and form a locality of the Spandau Borough since.
Transportation
RegionalExpress
The term Regional-Express denotes a type of regional train in Germany and Austria .It is best compared to a semi-fast train, as it calls at fewer stations than Regionalbahn or S-Bahn trains, but stops more often than InterCity services...
and RegionalBahn
RegionalBahn
The Regionalbahn is a type of local passenger train in Germany.-Service:Regionalbahn trains usually call at all stations on a given line, with the exception of RB trains within S-Bahn networks, these may only call at selected stations...
trains of the Deutsche Bahn AG at the stations Staaken and Albrechtshof. A S-Bahn
Berlin S-Bahn
The Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system in and around Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
connection to Albrechtshof is planned. This station had also been the site of a railroad border crossing
Berlin border crossings
The Berlin border crossings were created as a result of the postwar division of Germany. Prior to the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, travel between the Eastern and Western sectors of Berlin was totally uncontrolled, although restrictions were increasingly introduced by the Soviet and East...
, it was closed in 1961 after East German railroad engineer
Railroad engineer
A railroad engineer, locomotive engineer, train operator, train driver or engine driver is a person who drives a train on a railroad...
Harry Deterling fled from the GDR
Republikflucht
"Republikflucht" and "Republikflüchtling" were the terms used by authorities in the German Democratic Republic to describe the process of and the person leaving the GDR for a life in West Germany or any other Western country .The term...
by breaking through the barriers
Separation barrier
A separation barrier is a wall or fence constructed to limit the movement of people across a certain line or border, or to separate two populations. These structures vary in placement with regard to international borders and topography...
towards the Gartenstadt Staaken in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
with a whole train. The event was dramatized in the 1963 West German
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Durchbruch Lok 234 (The Breakthrough). The route to Albrechtshof was only reconnected in 1995 after German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
.
In 1976 the GDR opened a separate rail road border crossing station Staaken for rail transit to western Germany further away from the border to West Berlin.
Up to 1980 the eastern part of Staaken inside West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
was served by S-Bahn
Berlin S-Bahn
The Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system in and around Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
. This service was abandoned by the East German Reichsbahn Headquarters after the big strike of the West Berlin Reichsbahn workers. A reconnection today is highly unlikely.
Border crossing
The Bundesstraße 5Bundesstraße 5
The Bundesstraße 5 or B5 is a German federal highway running in a northwesterly to southeasterly direction from the Danish border near Niebüll to Frankfurt . It provides a direct route for motorists traveling between Berlin and Hamburg. In Berlin B5 forms among others the following squares and...
federal highway runs through the locality along the Heerstraße. The car traffic, travelling along F 5
Bundesstraße 5
The Bundesstraße 5 or B5 is a German federal highway running in a northwesterly to southeasterly direction from the Danish border near Niebüll to Frankfurt . It provides a direct route for motorists traveling between Berlin and Hamburg. In Berlin B5 forms among others the following squares and...
, between West Berlin and the East German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
, or the West German Federal Republic of Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, e.g. to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, was subject to the Interzonal traffic
Interzonal traffic
The term inter-zonal traffic was used to describe the cross-border traffic between the four designated garrison zones in Germany between 1945 and 1973 that were created in 1945 by the victors of the Second World War.- History :...
regulations, that between West Germany and West Berlin followed the special regulations of the Transit Agreement (1972)
Transit Agreement (1972)
The Transit Agreement of 26 May 1972 arranged access to and from West Berlin from West Germany and secured the right of West Berliners to visit East Berlin and East Germany also secured the rights of GDR citizens to visit the FRG, but only in cases of family emergency.-References:*...
.
On 1 January 1988 the transit traffic to West Berlin was redirected to the new East German Stolpe checkpoint (a part of today's Hohen Neuendorf
Hohen Neuendorf
Hohen Neuendorf is a town in the Oberhavel district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is located north west of Berlin.-Geography:Hohen Neuendorf is situated upon the Havel river and is bordered by the Berlin area Frohnau to the south, Muehlenbeck to the east, Birkenwerder and Oranienburg to the north,...
)/West Berlin-Heiligensee
Heiligensee
Heiligensee is a locality within Reinickendorf, a borough of the German capital, Berlin. It has 17,780 inhabitants and an area of .-Overview:...
. From 1988 to November 9, 1989 the Heerstraße border crossing
Berlin border crossings
The Berlin border crossings were created as a result of the postwar division of Germany. Prior to the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, travel between the Eastern and Western sectors of Berlin was totally uncontrolled, although restrictions were increasingly introduced by the Soviet and East...
was open for the highly restricted traffic between West Berlin and East Germany. Highly restricted in this case meant citizens of West Berlin having to apply for visiting permit to visit relatives; while only GDR citizens above the age of 65 could apply to visit relatives in West Berlin. Eastern controls were slowly eased into spot checks and finally abolished on June 30, 1990, the day East and West introduced the union concerning currency, economy and social safety .
Notable people
Figure skaterFigure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
Katarina Witt
Katarina Witt
Katarina Witt is a German figure skater and model. In Germany she was commonly called "Kati" in the past, but today her full name is used more often....
was born in the GDR municipality of Staaken on December 3, 1965.
See also
- Challenge 1930Challenge 1930The International Touring Competition in 1930 was the second FAI international touring aircraft contest, that took place between July 18 and August 8, 1930 in Berlin, Germany. Four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviation events in pre-war Europe....
- Challenge 1932Challenge 1932The Challenge 1932 was the third FAI International Tourist Plane Contest , that took place between 12 and August 28, 1932 in Berlin, Germany. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviation events in pre-war Europe.-Overview:...
- Berlin-Staaken railway station
- Berlin Albrechtshof railway station