Checkpoint Bravo

Checkpoint Bravo was the American name for the U.S. part of the control point three Linden Drewitz. It was located since 1969 in the district Nikolasee on the outskirts of Berlin to the GDR on the extension of the AVUS ( now part of the A115 ) just south of the Zehlendorfer clover and thus on the transit route between Berlin (West) and the Federal Republic of Germany.

Three control points

Checkpoint Bravo was one of three used by the Americans Allied control points in a divided Germany and divided Berlin. He was named after the second letter of today ICAO alphabet. Checkpoint Alpha was the Western Allied side of the border crossing Helmstedt -Marie Born and Checkpoint Charlie the Allied checkpoint within Berlin.

The nomenclature checkpoint checkpoint results in contrast to the DDR designation border crossing point ( border crossing ) from the fact that was not recognized by the western side of the international legal legitimacy as a state border. In this regard, came under the de facto recognition of the GDR as a state in 1972 for the inner German border a change, but do not for the sector of Berlin.

The plant, terminal buildings, service station, gas station and Bridge House ( customs office ) was designed by the architect Rainer Rümmler and Hans Joachim Schröder and was built in 1968-1972 by the Building Authority Northern Regional Taxes Berlin. The buildings are preserved as historical monuments.

Prior to 1969

Prior to 1969 there was the Checkpoint Bravo on a motorway bridge over the Teltow Canal in the local situation Albrechts Teerofen ( part of the suburb Wannsee in the southwestern district of Steglitz -Zehlendorf in Berlin ). Today's A115 motorway had called at that time south of the Zehlendorfer cloverleaf a different course. Immediately outside the city limits led them west of the present line more than three kilometers back on GDR territory, ( Albrechts Teerofen ) began before the bridge over the Teltow Canal again about 150 m wide strip of West Berlin territory, on which both the Allied Checkpoint and the Zoll-/Polizeiabfertigungsstelle of Berlin ( West) were located. Since the GDR wanted to avoid an uncontrolled passage through its territory between West Berlin and Checkpoint, they built a new section of motorway bypassing Albrechts Teerofen and lay quietly this section. The old highway bridge over the Teltow Canal with some markings of the checkpoint is still present, the road of the old highway has been preserved for decades and was still occasionally used after the fall of the Wall for filming.