Visit Point Alpha, a memorial commemorating the division of Germany, and learn about a failed attempt to escape from East Germany during the Cold War
Learn about an unsuccessful escape attempt from East Germany during the Cold War.
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Transcript
NARRATOR: By the end of the Cold War, holes had started to appear in the Iron Curtain. The first of these holes was here, along the Austro-Hungarian border. The people of the Eastern Bloc would no longer accept being imprisoned in their own country. At first, there were only a few dissenting voices, but as time went on these grew and grew. Under pressure, the border of terror that had snaked its way through the whole of Europe finally collapsed.
It's hard to imagine that not so long ago, here in the Rhön Mountains, no one was allowed to cross. Today, the former border post, Point Alpha, is a memorial commemorating the division of Germany. During the Cold War, the Americans established a communications intercept station here to spy on the enemy. They were constantly under surveillance by suspicious GDR border guards. The death strip and convoy road that border guards used to patrol have been well preserved.
Nowadays, schoolchildren visit the area with their classes. Former GDR border guards explain what happened here just 20 years ago. Most of today's visitors were born shortly after the Berlin Wall fell. To them, even Germany's recent history seems more like ancient history. Automatic firing devices, mine strips and barbed wire - all symbols of a divided Germany. What just 20 years ago was an all too vivid and tragic reality seems unbelievable to today's schoolchildren.
STUDENT 1: "It's impossible to imagine that Germany used to be like this, especially when you come from here. My family is from East Germany and it's so hard to believe just how many families were separated by this border."
STUDENT 2: "You think to yourself: What the hell was this? Why was it like this? It's all so absurd. You can try to imagine it, but it's tough to understand why people would imprison citizens in their own country. And then split the country into two! It's crazy!"
NARRATOR: This is hands-on history. The schoolchildren are encouraged to try to clamber over the border fence. But they don't stand a chance. It's close-meshed and far too high. Bernhard Fey also tried to make it over the fence here. It was Christmas Eve 1975. Although that was almost 35 years ago, it was a decisive moment in Bernhard's life and one that he'll certainly never forget. What would have happened if things had turned out differently? What would have happened had they made it? He and a friend approached the border fence. They had already successfully crossed the lethal mine strip, having spent the whole night creeping up to this point. They were within spitting distance of freedom. But they hadn't reckoned on the automatic firing devices. Today, Bernhard Fey is severely disabled, one of his legs paralyzed as a result of his serious gunshot wounds.
BERNHARD FEY: "I positioned myself at the fence like this and my buddy used my back to clamber up. Then, all of a sudden, I seemed to be watching myself from outside of the situation. It was like something out of a film."
NARRATOR: His leg was ripped apart by seven pieces of shrapnel. Fey was admitted to hospital and later taken to prison. He spent two years there. American soldiers observed the escape attempt and heard the shots. They presumed that Fey and his friend were dead. They erected a simple wooden cross, which still stands today in remembrance of all those who attempted to cross the border.
FEY: "It's not constantly on my mind. But when I'm in interview situations like these or when I see TV programs about it, I do reflect on what happened. Freedom tastes that much sweeter because I lived through those times. I didn't just witness them on television."
NARRATOR: The division of Germany has left many scars. It shaped the course of many people's lives. And it all happened right here, in late 20th Century.
It's hard to imagine that not so long ago, here in the Rhön Mountains, no one was allowed to cross. Today, the former border post, Point Alpha, is a memorial commemorating the division of Germany. During the Cold War, the Americans established a communications intercept station here to spy on the enemy. They were constantly under surveillance by suspicious GDR border guards. The death strip and convoy road that border guards used to patrol have been well preserved.
Nowadays, schoolchildren visit the area with their classes. Former GDR border guards explain what happened here just 20 years ago. Most of today's visitors were born shortly after the Berlin Wall fell. To them, even Germany's recent history seems more like ancient history. Automatic firing devices, mine strips and barbed wire - all symbols of a divided Germany. What just 20 years ago was an all too vivid and tragic reality seems unbelievable to today's schoolchildren.
STUDENT 1: "It's impossible to imagine that Germany used to be like this, especially when you come from here. My family is from East Germany and it's so hard to believe just how many families were separated by this border."
STUDENT 2: "You think to yourself: What the hell was this? Why was it like this? It's all so absurd. You can try to imagine it, but it's tough to understand why people would imprison citizens in their own country. And then split the country into two! It's crazy!"
NARRATOR: This is hands-on history. The schoolchildren are encouraged to try to clamber over the border fence. But they don't stand a chance. It's close-meshed and far too high. Bernhard Fey also tried to make it over the fence here. It was Christmas Eve 1975. Although that was almost 35 years ago, it was a decisive moment in Bernhard's life and one that he'll certainly never forget. What would have happened if things had turned out differently? What would have happened had they made it? He and a friend approached the border fence. They had already successfully crossed the lethal mine strip, having spent the whole night creeping up to this point. They were within spitting distance of freedom. But they hadn't reckoned on the automatic firing devices. Today, Bernhard Fey is severely disabled, one of his legs paralyzed as a result of his serious gunshot wounds.
BERNHARD FEY: "I positioned myself at the fence like this and my buddy used my back to clamber up. Then, all of a sudden, I seemed to be watching myself from outside of the situation. It was like something out of a film."
NARRATOR: His leg was ripped apart by seven pieces of shrapnel. Fey was admitted to hospital and later taken to prison. He spent two years there. American soldiers observed the escape attempt and heard the shots. They presumed that Fey and his friend were dead. They erected a simple wooden cross, which still stands today in remembrance of all those who attempted to cross the border.
FEY: "It's not constantly on my mind. But when I'm in interview situations like these or when I see TV programs about it, I do reflect on what happened. Freedom tastes that much sweeter because I lived through those times. I didn't just witness them on television."
NARRATOR: The division of Germany has left many scars. It shaped the course of many people's lives. And it all happened right here, in late 20th Century.