German Sign language
Former border crossing at Sonnenallee
Memorial plaque for the fall of the Wall in 1989
Memorial for Chris Gueffroy at the Britzer Zweigkanal
“Übergang – Nähe und Distanz” (Crossing: Proximity and Distance), Heike Ponwitz
Berlin Wall History Mile Bridge across Britzer ZweigkanalCompared to other checkpoints, the border crossing at Sonnenallee attracted little attention during the years of division. Lines at this checkpoint were rare, except around the time of the permit agreements concluded in 1963/1964 and at Easter in 1972, which permitted West Berliners to travel to East Berlin before the Quadripartite Agreement on Berlin went into force. Before the film “Sonnenallee,” made after the fall of the Wall in November 1989, this border crossing was unknown outside Berlin.
Following Heidekampgraben south will take you across Forsthausallee to Britzer Allee and to the bridge across the Britzer Zweigkanal. Chris Gueffroy, the last fugitive to be shot by GDR border guards in Berlin, died on the southern bank of this canal in February 1989. On the bank of the canal, a monument by the artist Karl Biedermann recalls his death.
