Internal border of Germany. From Germany to France on foot: the city of Strasbourg

Internal border of Germany

The distance between the border line and the passport checkpoint is about 5000m.
1.Border line with boundary stones

2.Warning sign

3.Border pillar (height about 1.8m)

4. Control strip width 100m.
5.metal mesh fence 3.2m high
used to be double between rows anti-personnel mines or single (with crossbows SM-70)

6.Gate
7. Concrete barrier against the passage of cars
8. Plowed control strip 2-6m wide

9. Patrol road made of concrete slabs
10.Lighting poles
11. Columns for telephone communication
12.Concrete observation tower type(BT11)

13.Concrete observation tower(2x2m)

14. Concrete observation tower (4x4m) with command post

15.Observation bunker

16.Dogs on a leash
17.barrier signal fence 3.2m high
18. Signal device

19.Dog pens
20. Barriers and obstacles, gates

21. Concrete wall and metal barriers

22.passport checkpoint

The GDR had common borders with Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the Federal Republic of Germany.
Along the Oder and Neisse with Poland (border length - 460 km).
In the north, its border was formed by the Baltic Sea (the length of the border is 200 km).
In the west and southwest, the GDR bordered on the Federal Republic of Germany (1378 km), in the south - on Czechoslovakia (454 km).
The total length of the land borders of the GDR was 2292 km.
The border with West Berlin (including the Berlin Wall) was about 155 kilometers long
Berlin Wall read
Maintenance of a 1 km section of the border with Germany cost about 1 million GDR marks per year.

Signpost 1987 at the Helmstedt border.
Checkpoint Marienborn-Helmstedt
Stamps of various GDR checkpoints

Miracle invention of the times of democratic socialism crossbow (SM-70)

Plastic anti-personnel mines and many more “pleasant” surprises for border defectors.

Germany on the map and in life is surrounded by neighboring states. This country shares common borders with many federal neighbors. What countries does Germany border with?

German land borders

The German states share common borders with the following states:

• Austria;
• Czech Republic;
• the Netherlands;
• Denmark;
• Luxembourg;
• Switzerland;
• Poland;
• France;
• Belgium.

The longest border is between Germany and Austria. It covers 817 kilometers. The border with the Czech Republic is almost the same. Germany's smallest border lies next to Denmark. The remaining neighboring countries have approximately equal border lines.

The total length of the German borders is 3,786 kilometers. Some of the above countries have mixed borders with Germany, since they pass both by land and by sea.

German maritime borders

Part of Germany's water borders makes the country a neighbor of Denmark. Poland is also connected to German territories by sea borders. There are also maritime borders with Germany near remote Sweden.

Germany holds the record for the number of neighbors among Western European countries. On land this country is adjacent to 9 states, and at sea it is completely adjacent to only one.

The Alps and seas form natural obstacles on the German frontiers. There are many border towns in Germany equipped with customs offices.

For citizens of the European Union, of which Germany is a member, crossing the borders of neighboring countries is not at all difficult. It is enough to have a passport of a citizen of an “European Union” country. Foreigners with a Schengen visa can also visit EU countries without an additional entry permit if they travel from Germany.

Since Germany is a country with a developed economy and a fairly high standard of living, becoming a citizen is not easy. The strict immigration policy in this state is associated with big amount wanting to move there.

To cross German borders legally, you need to become a citizen of one of the EU countries, or obtain German citizenship through marriage, work or investment.

German borders are among the longest in Europe, as the country's area is 357 square kilometers. In terms of area, this country ranks 62nd in the world. The Germans are very proud of their central position V Western Europe, and enjoy spending weekends in neighboring countries.

Who does Germany border on the map?

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The idea of ​​where to go for the weekend from a small town located near Frankfurt am Main did not come to us right away. A friend came to visit us from , and we had to come up with something interesting.

The proximity of Strasbourg was unusually attractive, however, I didn’t want to buy a direct train ticket for a simple reason: in Germany there are excellent tickets for weekends - Schönes Wochenende - at a cost of forty-two euros, with which you can travel with five people throughout Germany, however, only by slow trains. It turns out to be eight euros per brother, which suited us quite well.

We knew that the bridge of Europe divides us, and that the distances there should be childish, not Russia, with its generous expanses. After briefly studying the map, we calculated that from the German border town of Kehl to the center of Strasbourg is only about five, well, maybe six, kilometers, so it was decided - let's go!

German trains rarely go directly from point A to point B; usually between them there are also points C, D and G. And now we were traveling through Karlsruhe and a certain Appenweier.

So the last one especially pleased us with the fact that on railway station there are three platforms, which in principle wouldn’t be so strange if they weren’t numbered 1, 2 and for some reason 9. The guys are a little at odds with counting.

Still, we successfully change trains and set off for Kehl. In general, it can be called a city with very great difficulty. More like a village. Although it should be noted that she is pretty. There is a small central square with a church and a couple of pleasant parks.

The destination of our trip, of course, is far from Kehl, but since we decided to get to Strasbourg through it, we decided to see what interesting things there were here. They say that many residents of Kehl work in France and travel through state border. But what are the borders in Europe?

Walking through the center of Kehl, we find a peculiar structure. As it turns out, this is a spider slide. German children are so harsh that they prefer to ride on a spider, or from a spider, to put it more correctly.

Summer in southern Germany is like in resorts Black Sea coast. Very hot! German children escape from such heat very easily, almost like brave people Airborne troops second of August. It’s a pity, we can’t afford to do that, it’s somehow not comme il faut to walk around all day in damp clothes.

Very close to the Bridge of Europe, three flags hang on a government building: Germany, France and the European Union. There is also a megachair. It doesn’t seem to be that big, but try to climb on it. I personally didn't succeed.

So, let's begin the ceremonial transition. We really hope to see a sign in the middle of the bridge, telling us that here, yes, this is where the territory of Germany ends and the territory of France begins, but that was not the case.

There is no such sign. Only standard road signs notify us that we have arrived in the territory of another country and another city.

It's still a long way from the center of Strasbourg, of course. On the French side we are greeted by the park Le Jardin des De Rives, that is, the garden of the “Two Banks”, from here we can clearly see the bridge along which we just walked.

Well, we already have some four kilometers left, or maybe less, and we are in the center of Strasbourg, where, in fact, we are heading. The French-German beauty did not immediately appear to us; at first it seemed as if we were walking through a wasteland, somewhat scorched by the scorching sun. However, beautiful architecture is gradually beginning to appear.

We pass through quiet residential areas of the city. The streets are narrow, crowded with cars and bicycles. Although you can feel the French charm.

This is how it seems like a French burger, having drunk a cup of coffee and a croissant in the morning, jumps into a small car, the black one over there, for example, and rushes to the European quarter to the human rights court.

We get a little closer to the center, and along the way we begin to see universities, schools and fancy sculptures. In my opinion, what is below in the photo symbolizes love. Still modern Art kind of thing.

To take a little break, we go to the Citadel Park, a small green oasis among the stone pavements. We fall onto the bench and lakes and admire the swans swimming past.

Residential areas are slightly diluted with the wonderful Art Nouveau style (from the French art nouveau), which the Germans call Jugendstil (that is, “young style”). By the way, we will meet him more than once in Strasbourg.

And in the courtyard of a neighboring house, a crocodile hidden in the bushes is waiting for us. Yes, not quite similar. So what if it's straw? How he got there and, most importantly, why, remains a mystery to us.

Finally, the houses are becoming more and more gingerbread, and Stasburg Cathedral can already be seen in the distance. Although, of course, it’s not at all far away. About fifteen minutes and we are in the main square of the city.

And here are the famous half-timbered houses on the Ill River. No, these are not those that are closer to us, but a little further away. Do you see the pipe still sticking out of it?

Greenery, summer, river. Everything seems to be as it should be. But it's still insanely hot. In Strasbourg, by the way, like in many other European cities, there is salvation for such cases.

Fountains with clean water are scattered throughout the city center drinking water, all we have to do is arm ourselves with a bottle, and we definitely won’t suffer from thirst.

The closer Piazza Catedral is to us, the more half-timbered houses there become. They looked like they had just escaped from a fairy tale, with toy shutters in delicious colors.

The streets are still as narrow, although it should be noted that more and more souvenir shops are appearing where you can buy postcards, and also find out that the most important symbol of Alsace, the region of France in which Strasbourg is located, is none other than the stork. True, we can’t do without pretzels here either; after all, we are still not far from Germany.

So here it is! The majestic Gothic Strasbourg Cathedral looms grimly over the city. We go inside to admire the stained glass windows, but decide not to go up to the tower. This is not a cheap business.

But as soon as you turn your head in a different direction, not a trace remains of the gloom of the cathedral. We are greeted by eternal holiday with carousels on Piazza Catedral.

Meanwhile, a feeling of great fatigue and a desire to have lunch appeared. It turned out funny. We wandered around the center for a long, long time, choosing the most comfortable place, and eventually found this one. We ordered a bottle of wine and asked the waiter for advice on some special dish. Alas, our French was very questionable, so little on the menu was clear.

As it turned out, the waiter offered us a typical American burger with fries. Of course, it paired perfectly with rose wine. Conclusion: you need to learn to understand French plus clarify your queries. If we had said that we wanted something French, there probably wouldn’t have been any problems.

After lunch, we move towards the European quarter. But there is not much time left for the last return train, only three hours, and we still have time to see so little. Here in front of us is a man with a terribly creaky bicycle who clearly refuses to go. We overtake him, and then we hear behind us: “Guys, are you Russian?”

It turned out that one of our guys had a St. George’s ribbon on his backpack, by which our fellow countryman recognized us. We found out that he is from St. Petersburg, but has been living in Strasbourg for many years, studied here, and now works as a translator. Our new friend volunteered to take a walk with us and at the same time tell us something interesting. We parked his sad bike, let's move on.

Almost opposite the human rights court we see a tent. There was a small strike, I don’t remember at all about what. I wonder how effective it is?

Our guide pours different stories, and also offers to take a tour inside the European Parliament, because, as it turned out, they are easily allowed inside.

By the way, here we come to it.

Alas, it’s already about six in the evening and there’s no way to enter the building. But you can go into the courtyard. Our new friend easily negotiates in French with the security guard and voila. Such a scenario would never even have occurred to me. What a successful meeting, however!

A couple of days ago Croatia was admitted to the European Union, so the courtyard is full of congratulations. Welcome Croatia!

And time flies by high speed, and now we only have an hour and a half left before departure. We decide to go after all from Strasbourg, and not walk back to Kehl. A little risky, because our ticket is only valid in Germany. However, we hope that during the fifteen minutes that we will travel to Kehl, the controller will not appear in the carriage.

On the way to the station we look into the Orangerie park, which surprises us with a huge number of stork nests. The symbol of Alsace is respectfully cared for. We even manage to see one of the many birds in person.

It turned out to be a long walk to the station, so our friend the conductor suggested jumping on a tram. And here, he says, there are two ways: either we, like decent citizens, buy tickets and don’t worry about anything, or we ride like a hare. The second option is more interesting, plus there is a proven way to avoid getting caught.

You must sit at the very beginning of the cabin, because when the tram approaches the stop, the controller is always visible - he has a remarkable white uniform. And the controller always sits at the end of the cabin and starts checking the availability of tickets from there. This way, we will have time to jump out and wait for the next tram, or in extreme cases, a bus.

Fortunately, we did not meet the controller either on the tram or on the train. We made it everywhere in time and left safely back to Germany. Thanks to the city of Strasbourg and pleasant unexpected acquaintances!

The capital of Germany, Berlin, arose in the first half of the 13th century. Since 1486, the city has been the capital of Brandenburg (then Prussia), since 1871 - of Germany. From May 1943 to May 1945, Berlin suffered one of the most destructive bombings in world history. At the final stage of the Great Patriotic War(1941-1945) in Europe Soviet troops On May 2, 1945, the city was completely captured. After the defeat fascist Germany The territory of Berlin was divided into occupation zones: the eastern one - the USSR and the three western ones - the USA, Great Britain and France. On June 24, 1948, Soviet troops began the blockade of West Berlin.

In 1948, the Western powers authorized the heads of state governments in their zones of occupation to convene a parliamentary council to draft a constitution and prepare for the creation of a West German state. Its first meeting took place in Bonn on September 1, 1948. The constitution was adopted by the council on May 8, 1949, and on May 23 the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was proclaimed. In response, in the eastern part controlled by the USSR, the German Empire was proclaimed on October 7, 1949. Democratic Republic(GDR) and Berlin is declared its capital.

East Berlin covered an area of ​​403 square kilometers and was the largest city in East Germany by population.
West Berlin covered an area of ​​480 square kilometers.

At first, the border between western and eastern part Berlin was open. The dividing line was 44.8 kilometers long (the total length of the border between West Berlin and the GDR was 164 kilometers) ran right through the streets and houses, the Spree River, and canals. Officially, there were 81 street checkpoints, 13 crossings in the metro and on the city railway.

In 1957, the West German government led by Konrad Adenauer enacted the Hallstein Doctrine, which provided for the automatic severance of diplomatic relations with any country that recognized the GDR.

In November 1958, the head of the Soviet government, Nikita Khrushchev, accused the Western powers of violating the Potsdam Agreements of 1945 and announced the abolition Soviet Union international status Berlin. The Soviet government proposed turning West Berlin into a “demilitarized free city” and demanded that the United States, Great Britain and France negotiate on this topic within six months (“Khrushchev’s Ultimatum”). The Western powers rejected the ultimatum.

In August 1960, the GDR government introduced restrictions on visits by German citizens to East Berlin. In response, West Germany refused a trade agreement between both parts of the country, which the GDR regarded as an “economic war.”
After lengthy and difficult negotiations, the agreement was put into effect on January 1, 1961.

The situation worsened in the summer of 1961. The economic policy of the GDR, aimed at “catching up and overtaking the Federal Republic of Germany,” and the corresponding increase in production standards, economic difficulties, forced collectivization of 1957-1960, more high level wages in West Berlin encouraged thousands of GDR citizens to leave for the West.

Between 1949 and 1961, almost 2.7 million people left the GDR and East Berlin. Almost half of the refugee flow consisted of young people under the age of 25. Every day, about half a million people crossed the borders of the Berlin sectors in both directions, who could compare living conditions here and there. In 1960 alone, about 200 thousand people moved to the West.

At the meeting general secretaries Communist parties of the socialist countries On August 5, 1961, the GDR received the necessary consent from the Eastern European countries, and on August 7, at a meeting of the Politburo of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED - East German Communist Party), it was decided to close the border of the GDR with West Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany. On August 12, a corresponding resolution was adopted by the Council of Ministers of the GDR.

In the early morning of August 13, 1961, temporary barriers were erected on the border with West Berlin, and cobblestones were dug up on the streets connecting East Berlin with West Berlin. The forces of the people's and transport police units, as well as combat workers' squads, interrupted everything transport connection at the boundaries between sectors. Under strict guard by East Berlin border guards, East Berlin construction workers began replacing barbed wire border fences with concrete slabs and hollow bricks. The border fortification complex also included residential buildings on Bernauer Strasse, where the sidewalks now belonged to the West Berlin district of Wedding, and the houses on the south side of the street to the East Berlin district of Mitte. Then the GDR government ordered the doors of the houses and the windows of the lower floors to be walled up - residents could only get into their apartments through the entrance from the courtyard, which belonged to East Berlin. A wave of forced evictions of people from apartments began not only on Bernauer Strasse, but also in other border zones.

From 1961 to 1989, the Berlin Wall was rebuilt several times along many sections of the border. At first it was built of stone, and then was replaced by reinforced concrete. In 1975, the last reconstruction of the wall began. The wall was built from 45 thousand concrete blocks measuring 3.6 by 1.5 meters, which were rounded at the top to make it difficult to escape. Outside the city it is front barrier also included metal gratings.
By 1989, the total length of the Berlin Wall was 155 kilometers, the intra-city border between East and West Berlin was 43 kilometers, the border between West Berlin and the GDR (outer ring) was 112 kilometers. Closest to West Berlin, the front concrete barrier wall reached a height of 3.6 meters. It encircled the entire western sector of Berlin.

The concrete fence stretched for 106 kilometers, the metal fence for 66.5 kilometers, the earthen ditches had a length of 105.5 kilometers, and 127.5 kilometers were under tension. A control strip was made near the wall, like on the border.

Despite strict measures against attempts to “illegally cross the border,” people continued to flee “over the wall,” using sewer pipes, technical means, and constructing tunnels. Over the years of the wall's existence, about 100 people died trying to overcome it.

The democratic changes in the life of the GDR and other countries of the socialist community that began in the late 1980s sealed the fate of the wall. On November 9, 1989, the new government of the GDR announced an unimpeded transition from East Berlin to West Berlin and free return back. About 2 million residents of the GDR visited West Berlin during November 10-12. The spontaneous dismantling of the wall immediately began. Official dismantling took place in January 1990, and part of the wall was left as a historical monument.

On October 3, 1990, after the annexation of the GDR to the Federal Republic of Germany, the status of the federal capital in a united Germany passed from Bonn to Berlin. In 2000, the government moved from Bonn to Berlin.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources