Tabor Church - The Cemetery of Tabor Congregation in Formerly East German Ahrensfelde

The Cemetery of Tabor Congregation in Formerly East German Ahrensfelde

Tabor Congregation, located in what used to be West Berlin, has its own graveyard section in the denominational Eastern Churchyard (German: Ostkirchhof Ahrensfelde) in formerly East Berlin's eastern suburb of Ahrensfelde. Between May 27, 1952 and 3 October 1972 West Berliners were banned from free access to the East German German Democratic Republic proper - as distinguished from East Berlin. In this time all West Berliners, wishing to visit the grave of a late relative or friend in the cemeteries in East Germany, were excluded, as well as late widows and widowers, who wanted to be buried side by side with their earlier deceased spouses buried there. Between 1972 and December 22, 1989 West Berliners had restricted access, because they had to apply for East German visas and to pay for a compulsory exchange (officially in German: Mindestumtausch, i.e. minimum exchange).

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