London Banter - View Single Post - Complete (almost) Shutdown of Berlin Train System

Lüko Willms[_2_]

Am 09.01.2012 22:23, schrieb :
Westberlin citizens (this was in the late 1960ies).

But they would use West German passports to travel further afield, would
they not?

they could have three different travel documents:
a) the "makeshift ID card" issued by West Berlin authorities;
b) the FRG passport issued by a representive office of the Bonn minstry
of interior in Westberlin;
c) a FRG passport issued by some municipality in West Germany.

(the passport does not carry the address, but the place of residence,
plus the issuing authority)

Depending on the travel destination and journey, one would select the
travel document to be shown.

I didn't think that crossing policies into East Berlin for West Berlin
residents would have been so difficult by the late 1960s.

I think it was X-mas 1970 or so, when West Berlin citizens could get
a "Passierschein" for visiting Est Berlin for the first time after the
building of the Berlin Wall. But only for Christmas, I believe.

My goodness, so much time has passed since then...

That moment in July 1990, when I drove thru the the former
Helmstedt/Marienborn Autobahn border checkpoint without having to stop
and show my passport -- a deeply moving moment of joy.

Cheers,
L.W.