I was in West Germany immediately prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the people’s enthusiasm for change and their hopes for the future were palpable. It was an exciting time to be first in Frankfurt, which is indisputably the largest financial hub in continental Europe. It’s home to the European Central Bank, Deutsche Bundesbank, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and several other large commercial financial institutions. The most interesting segment of that trip, however, was visiting Berlin, the former capital of the country. To set the scene by looking back, the victorious Allies had split Germany in half after the close of World War II with a border running north to south all the way from the Baltic to Czechoslovakia. On one side of the border lay West Germany (formed from the British, French and American sectors) and on the other side was East Germany (created from the Soviet Union’s sector). The historical capital of the nation, Berlin, was right in the middle of East Germany. And that’s where I was headed.
Between 1948 and 1989, Tegel Airport provided the city with a critical lifeline to the West. During this time, the West Berlin air corridors, also known as the Berlin Corridors and Control Zone, were three regulated airways for the Western Allies’ civil and military air traffic to use when traveling between West Germany and West Berlin while passing over East German territory. The three corridors were each 20 miles wide and aircraft were instructed not to stray. Lufthansa German Airlines was not permitted to fly to West Berlin and travelers could only choose an airline from the three western powers. The most common carriers included Pan American, Air France and British Airways. All flights had to be reported at least two hours in advance to the Berlin Air Safety Center, or “BASC” for short. The application had to be approved by representatives from all four powers, if one of them did not agree, a note was added to the flight safety card; “Safety of flight not guaranteed,” which was mostly done by the East German side.
My Pan Am flight was aboard a Boeing 737-200 aircraft, which carried 116 passengers in an all-coach configuration. Even though all seats were the same, the 21 in rows 1 through 4 were designated as Clipper Class and passengers were offered a variety of snacks as well as drinks for this relatively short one-hour flight. I do fondly remember the gentleman seated at the window in my row asking if we were about to land as our jet began to slow down just 15 minutes after takeoff. I knew enough to explain that flights on the air corridors between the west and Berlin could fly no higher than 10,000 feet. Consequently, our time in the air was a bit more turbulent than normal, but otherwise uneventful. There were no customs formalities to undergo on arrival since we were still in West Germany although technically well within the Eastern Zone. Tegel was less than seven miles from the city center but it took my taxi about 20 minutes to make the trip thanks to the afternoon rush-hour traffic.
I stayed at the Hotel Palace Berlin, a privately-owned property in the vibrant heart of the capital center which is today a member of the Leading Hotels of the World. The 238 guest rooms and 40 suites provided the utmost comfort and conveniences associated with top-notch hotels of the day. My large King Business Room with marble bath included daily breakfast in the hotel restaurant and a picturesque view of the nearby Berlin Zoo. Of course, there were no flat screen TVs or Wi-fi or charging stations to speak of in those days, but quality hotel rooms were a quiet refuge from the outside world and I recall that the Hotel Palace fit the bill just fine. This was particularly true after long days of business capped by evening dinners at several of the city’s finest restaurants.
During those late afternoons, however, I had an opportunity to wander about to visit some of the city’s best known locales. The first was the infamous Berlin Wall itself. Despite the post World War II division of Berlin into four sectors (Soviet, US, British, and French), movement across the sectors was at first relatively easy. But, as crossing to West Berlin became the primary way for East Germans to reach the West, movement from the Soviet-controlled sector was increasingly curtailed. It came to an abrupt end on August 13, 1961 when the border between East and West Berlin was closed. Initially the division comprised a barricade of barbed wire and roadblocks, but it was later consolidated into a high concrete wall which became known worldwide known as the Berlin Wall. The wall divided the city, cutting across streets and squares. In urban districts such as Kreuzberg, the wall would run directly on the streets or along rows of houses. The wall also stood directly behind the Reichstag and then went in an arc around the Brandenburg Gate, which was marooned in the middle of no-man’s land. Waterways such as the River Spree were off limits because they also belonged to the territory of the German Democratic Republic. Although to me, the wall was a stark reminder of the differences in political philosophies, I realized the majority of West Berliners had no choice but to learn to live with the wall, painting it on their side with colorful graffiti and accepting it as simply a part of everyday life in the divided city.
To facilitate some movement between east and west, checkpoints were set up along the wall. The Allies called the one in Friederichstadt “C,” from which it soon took the better-known name Checkpoint Charlie. It was a crossing point for accredited military personnel, journalists, diplomats, and other dignitaries and consequently became well known, even acquiring a certain glamor when it was featured in Cold War spy novels and films. On the eastern side, the checkpoint comprised a barrier pole and zigzag concrete barriers, a watchtower, and a large area where vehicles and their occupants were searched. On the western side stood a simple wooden booth. Checkpoint Charlie was one of the most highly rated and world-famous landmarks in the world and was on my must-see list. At the height of the Berlin Crisis in 1961, American and Soviet tanks faced each other here at this former border crossing.
I made sure to visit the western side of the Brandenburg Gate before departing the city for home. A symbol of German division during the Cold War, the Brandenburg Gate is an Eighteenth Century neoclassical monument and the city’s most famous landmark. Berlin was heavily bombarded in the final days of World War II and the Brandenburg Gate, the city's symbol of victory, national pride, and the Nazi party, was a frequent target. Although it was heavily damaged, the Gate survived the war and became witness to a new era of history when it was used to mark the border between Communist East Berlin and the Federal Republic of West Berlin. Shortly after my visit and after decades of separation, the Berlin Wall was opened on November 9, 1989. That night, the Brandenburg Gate was restored to its image of peace and unity, becoming the playground for East and Wester Berliners who were finally reunited.
It was a heady time to be in West Berlin and almost being a part of history. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to visit when I did.
Until next time, safe travels.
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