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 German authorities at major crossings between the sectors. This free access, especially after the closure of the Inner German border, allowed the Eastern Bloc emigration and defection to occur which resulted in the erection of the Berlin Wall.

After the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, border stations between East Berlin, regarded as its capital by the German Democratic Republic but unrecognized by the Western Allies, and the sectors controlled by those three Western Allies were created. Although there were few crossings at first, more sites were built to an increasing extent over the wall's lifespan. Many crossed the wall illegally, climbing over it, sailing around it, or digging under it, while many others died while attempting to cross.