Travel Tips

Like a scar across the countryside, the 1400km long East German patrol road still runs all the way along the old border, from the border of the Czech Republic to the Baltic sea. Gone now is most of the fence, the mines, and the guard towers. Several parts of the border are now a nature preserve, endangered plants and animals finding refuge in the former no-mans-land. At one time there were 185 towers to watch over this border. Now, after the fun of tower-toppling has worn off, 36 remain, most are protected as historical monuments. This page is a collection of the remains of the former border that I have seen during my travels throughout the "grenzgebiet." My future plan (hopefully) is to one day hike the entire length of the patrol road.

Point Alpha is one of the more well-known museums. Sitting on the border between the towns of Rasdorf and Geisa, the museum has displays on the U.S. Army's 11 ACR and the the East German Grenzer Regiment, Geisa. For more information on Point Alpha, see my Geisa page.

The highway B19 runs from the Alps north to the Thüringen city of Eisenach. Where the highway crosses into Thüringen, are the remains of the border crossing Henneberg/Eussenhausen. The place is now in ruins. The site is abandoned, the guard tower watching the highway looking worse every year, as vandals take their toll on the place. This is the only border installation that I have seen that is not under protection as a historical site.

Lying in the valley just below the B19 tower, is Dachsberg mountain, which stands over the town of Hermannsfeld. A large cross, "The Cross of Freedom" has been erected next to it, and the site is now called the "No more wars" monument.

This one is located on the road connecting the towns of Sondheim i. Grabfeld and Berkach. About 500 meters to the right of this tower is the new A71 autobahn connecting Schweinfurt with Erfurt. Now the tower watches the traffic flowing freely over the former border.

This tower, located near Behrungen, is the site of a small museum run by a non-profit group. Even though the museum is small, it's an impressive display of how formidible the border defenses were. For more information, see my Behrungen page.

Driving between villages located in Bavaria and Thüringen along quiet country roads, it's easy to forget the recent history of the border area. The road between Bad Königshofen in Grabfeld and Gompertshausen takes a turn to go around a tower preserved as a museum. With the anti-vehicle obstacles and fence in front, it's a chilling reminder of how the area looked just a few years ago. This tower, with a command bunker located nearby, is open for tours on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month.

This tower has really found a good use for the future. It is located near the site of village of Billmuthausen. This town was evacuated and leveled in the late 1970's to provide a clear view of the border area. The tower, which stands by the memorial for the village, has been taken over by a nature group. The tower has been remodeled so that it is now a sanctuary for an endangered species of bat. The viewports in the sides have been made into nests for small birds and insects like the bumblebee. The tower is now an officially recognized nature preserve.