Walled In Berlin

walls you build yourself

April 14th, 2016

You are confined only by the walls you build yourself.

— Anonymous

Berlin Wall, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

Tags: building walls, freedom, relationships, wisdom
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Cold War Checkpoint Charlie – Part 2

April 11th, 2016

For almost 30 years Checkpoint Charlie embodied the Cold War. Only a small shack, erected in the wake of the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, it served as the main demarcation point between Western-occupied West Berlin and Soviet-occupied East Berlin. To read about Checkpoint Charlie’s function and how it came by the name, please visit http://walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/cold-war-checkpoint-charlie-part-1

Checkpoint Charlie and the East/West Showdown

Checkpoint Charlie became the scene of a nail-biting showdown between the United States and the Soviet Union. I remember it well because I lived in West Berlin at the time. According to Allied agreements, German personnel did not have the authority to inspect travel documents of members of the occupying military forces. But when U.S. diplomat Allan Lightner attempted to cross Checkpoint Charlie in October 1961 to attend the opera in East Berlin, East German border guards demanded to see his passport. Mr. Lightner refused, turned around and returned in the company of military jeeps and armed U.S. soldiers. The East German guards let him pass, but on the next occasion they again denied entry to American military personnel. The United States responded by moving ten tanks into position on their side of Checkpoint Charlie. The Soviets responded by moving three-dozen tanks to the eastern border. Then, on 27 October 1961, ten Soviet tanks rolled forward and faced the American tanks. For 16 hours American and Soviet tanks stood within 100 yards, facing each other. Along with the rest of the world I feared the beginning of World War III. But the standoff ended peacefully on 28 October following an American-Soviet agreement to withdraw all tanks.

Checkpoint Charlie and prisoner swaps

Occasionally, Checkpoint Charlie was also used for prisoner swaps. The best-known exchange occurred in 1962 when American U-2 spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers was traded for Soviet agent Rudolf Abel. While Powers and Abel were swapped at Glienicker Bruecke (Glienicke Bridge), Soviet officials released Frederic Pryor, an American student, at Checkpoint Charlie. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/glienicker-bruecke-bridge-of-spies/

Checkpoint Charlie today

On 22 June 1990 the guardhouse at Checkpoint Charlie was removed. It is now on display in the Allied Museum in Berlin’s Zehlendorf district. On 13 August 2000, a replica of the original US Army guardhouse was erected in the Friedrichstrasse location. Today, it is one of Berlin’s most famous tourist attractions. Nearly 900,000 tourists from all over the world visit the replica every year. On one side, the image of a Soviet solder is shown; on the opposite side, the image of a U.S. soldier is displayed.

Checkpoint Charlie guardhouse on display at the Allied Museum in Berlin-Zehlendorf, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015

Tags: Allan Lightner, Allied Museum, American and Soviet Tanks facing each other, Checkpoint Charlie, East Berlin, East-West showdown, Francis Gary Powers, Frederic Pryor, Friedrichstrasse, Glienicker Bruecke, Rudolf Abel, West Berlin
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Center of attention

April 7th, 2016

People tend to make a run for the front of the line, the back of the class and the center of attention.

— Anonymous

Tags: aim, back, center of attention, choices, front, goal, personal preferences
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Cold War Checkpoint Charlie – Part 1

April 4th, 2016

For almost three decades – from 1961 to 1990 – Checkpoint Charlie was an important border crossing point between East and West Berlin. It was located in the Friedrichstrasse, near Zimmerstrasse, on the western side of the border. Along with Glienicker Bruecke (Glienicke Bridge) Checkpoint Charlie was the most prominent border crossing point during the Cold War.

Checkpoint Charlie’s Function

Checkpoint Charlie was a sentry post of the Western Allies and the main demarcation point between Western-occupied West Berlin and Soviet-occupied East Berlin. Its main function was to register and brief Allied military personnel prior to entering the eastern sector. It was also the only point where diplomats, journalists and foreign tourists could cross into Berlin’s Soviet sector. Germans were prohibited from using this checkpoint. Checkpoint Charlie could be passed by foot or by car. Any visit to the eastern sector required a one-day visa and the exchange of a specified amount of West German Marks for East German Marks. The exchange rate was set at 1:1 even though the official rate of exchange was 4:1.

Warning to anyone about to venture into the eastern sector of Berlin, photo at Checkpoint Charlie © J. Elke Ertle, 2015

Where did Checkpoint Charlie get its name?

The name “Charlie” came from the letter C in the NATO phonetic alphabet. There were two other Allied checkpoints in Germany: Checkpoint Bravo at Drewitz-Dreilinden (the border between East Germany and West Berlin) and Checkpoint Alpha at Helmstedt-Marienborn (the border between West Germany and East Germany).

Checkpoint Charlie operated for 29 years

During most of that time, the western side of Checkpoint Charlie consisted of nothing more than a tiny wooden shack and a few sandbags. In the 1980s, the original guardhouse was replaced by a larger metal structure. But it, too, was modest compared to the East German checkpoint. The unassuming appearance of the western side was intentional. With this simple shack, the Western Allies tried to convey that they did not consider the Berlin Wall to be a legitimate border. The East German side of Checkpoint Charlie, on the other hand, included guard towers, cement barriers and a building where the inspection of vehicles and passengers took place. Searches included heat scans to detect fugitives. To read about Checkpoint Charlie’s role in the East/West showdown in October 1961 and the current location of the old guardhouse, please visit http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/cold-war-checkpoint-charlie-part-2/

Tags: Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie, Cold War, Drewitz-Dreilinden, Glienicke Bridge, Glienicker Bruecke, Helmstedt-Marienborn
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Two good old boats on a voyage

March 31st, 2016

Here we are, two good old boats that have been faithful neighbors, and above all your hand has done its best to keep me from “capsizing”! Let us then continue our voyage—each for the other’s sake, for a long time yet, a long time! We should miss each other so much! Tolerably calm seas and good winds and above all sun—what I wish for myself, I wish for you, too, and am sorry that my gratitude can find expression only in such a wish and has no influence at all on wind or weather!

— Friedrich Nietzsche

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on the home page of http://www.walled-in-berlin.com

Tags: commitment, friendship, loyalty, old age, voyage
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Oberbaumbruecke – mock medieval bridge

March 28th, 2016

Of the city’s nearly 1,000 bridges, Berlin’s Oberbaumbruecke (Oberbaum Bridge) is by far the most striking. Its Backsteingotik (brick gothic) towers, pointed arches, turrets, cross vaults and arched walkways hark back to its city gate past. The double-deck bridge with its seven arches spans the River Spree. Vehicles and pedestrians use the lower deck; Berlin’s bright yellow underground tram, the U-Bahn, uses the upper deck.

Berlin’s Oberbaumbruecke spans the River Spree between the districts of Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015

What does the name “Oberbaumbruecke” mean?

The bridge got its name from the spike-covered tree trunk that was lowered into the river each night during Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia’s reign. The purpose was to prevent the passage of ships without paying taxes. “Baum” means tree in German; thus the name “Oberbaumbruecke” can be translated to mean “Upper Tree Bridge.” There was also an “Unterbaumbruecke,” a “Lower Tree Bridge” downstream. http://berlin-sehen.de/sehenswurdigkeiten-in-berlin/die-oberbaumbrucke/

The Oberbaumbruecke’s history

Archival evidence shows that around 1724 a timber bridge on pilings was constructed close to the location of the current bridge. When King Friedrich Wilhelm I established a customs border in 1732, the bridge formed the border between Berlin and the surrounding State of Brandenburg. Between 1737 and 1860, the Oberbaumbruecke functioned as one of 14 city gates and was an integral part of Berlin’s Custom Wall.

At the end of the 18th century the wooden barriers were replaced with stone walls, and in 1860 the Customs Wall was removed altogether. At the end of the 19th century, when plans for an elevated railway required a reinforced structure, a granite bridge with a brick façade was built. Architectural details included the current mock medieval turrets, reminiscent of the old toll bridge and city gate function.

Backsteingotik mock medieval turrets of Berlin’s Oberbaumbruecke, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015

In April 1945 the German military blew up the middle section of the bridge to prevent the Red Army from crossing it. After the war ended and Berlin was divided into four sectors, the Oberbaumbruecke crossed between the American and the Soviet sector. Until the mid-1950s pedestrians, motor vehicles and the underground tram were able to cross the bridge without difficulty.

The Oberbaumbruecke and the Berlin Wall

But with the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 the bridge became part of the border between East Berlin and West Berlin. The River Spree at this location belonged to East Berlin so that East German fortifications extended all the way to the shore on the West Berlin side. The West Berlin underground tram, the U-Bahn, was forced to terminate at the previous stop. Between 1963 and 1989, the Oberbaumbruecke served as a pedestrian border crossing for West Berlin residents only. Only pedestrians were allowed to cross. The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German reunification in 1990, the bridge was restored and reopened to pedestrians and motorized traffic at the end of 1994.

Tags: Backsteingotik, Berlin Wall, Berlin's Custom Wall, brick gothic, East Berlin, King Friedrich Wilhelm I, Oberbaum Bridge, Oberbaumbruecke, River Spree, West Berlin
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Two different types of people

March 24th, 2016

There are two different types of people in the world, those who want to know, and those who want to believe.

— Friedrich Nietzsche

Tags: belief, certainty, knowledge, wishful thinking
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The doener – Germanys fast food favorite

March 21st, 2016

Foreigners usually associate Germany with sausages of all kinds. But when it comes to simple meals, the doener is Germany’s favorite food. Although it is a Turkish invention, Germany sports more doener stalls than McDonald’s or Burger Kings combined. There are about 17,000 doener stalls in the country, 1,000 in Berlin alone.

What is a doener?

The word doener comes from the Turkish verb doenmek, which means to rotate. Today’s German doener is a variation of the original Turkish doener kebab, which has been in existence for many centuries. Way back in the 19th century, a cook named Iskender Efendi from the city of Bursa, Turkey, came up with the idea of serving kebabs. He placed chunks of lamb on a spit and roasted them horizontally. He served the meal on plates along with rice and tomatoes.

German doeners, on the other hand, are a take-away item. A 2- to 3-foot stack of seasoned, marinated chicken, turkey or beef (rarely lamb) is layered on a vertical spit, which slowly rotates in front of a heating element. The outer layer of the meat cooks while the inside layer remains frozen. Only the crisp outer edges of the meat are sliced off the constantly rotating skewer. The meat is then heaped onto a piece of charred flatbread and topped with various chopped vegetables and a spicy or yogurt-based sauce.

Who brought the doener to Germany?

Most people agree that a Turkish-born immigrant to Berlin created the first German doener. This man not only adapted the popular Turkish dish to the German palate but he also turned the meal into a handheld snack for the Berliner-on-the-go. Two Turkish-born guest workers in Germany vie for the title of having “invented” the German doener.

Kadir Nurman – doener inventor no. 1

The most likely candidate to have “invented” the German doener is Kadir Nurman. In 1960 – at age 26 – Mr. Nurman left his native Turkey for Germany and worked as a guest worker for Daimler in Stuttgart. Six years later he moved to Berlin. In 1972, he set up a fast food stand near Berlin’s busy Zoo station and sold his first doeners. When he realized that busy Berliners prefer to take their meal with them rather than eat it at the stand, he turned his doeners into a moveable feast. He also invented the vertical rotating spit. His doener caught on and by the 1990s became a German fast food favorite. But because he never patented his inventions, Mr. Nurman did not profit from the doener’s success. Although his contribution as the inventor of the doener was officially recognized by the Association of Turkish Doener Manufacturers in 2011, Mr. Nurman died a poor man in 2013, living only on his meager social security income. http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/gesellschaft/doener-erfinder-kadir-nurman-ist-tot-a-930140.html

Mehmet Ayguen – doener inventor no. 2

Mehmet Ayguen also claims to have invented the doener. Like Kadir Nurman, Mr. Ayguen was born in Turkey and immigrated to Germany. While both men had their start as poverty-stricken guest workers, Mr. Ayguen made good. He moved to Berlin in 1976. He was 16 years old. Initially, he drove a taxi, worked as a dishwasher and finally worked for Mr. Nurman at his doener stand (so says Mr. Nurman). At this point the assertions are getting foggy. Mr. Ayguen claims to have served his first doeners in 1971 at Hasir, his family’s restaurant in Berlin. He would have been 11 years old at the time and supposedly still lived in Turkey.

Whether he invented the doener or not, Mehmet Ayguen’s is a success story. He and his five brothers started as paupers and ended up as multi-millionaires in their country of choice. Today, the Ayguen brothers own eight restaurants and three hotels in Berlin as well as five hotels in Istanbul and a luxury resort somewhere else in Turkey.

Tags: doener, Mehmet Ayguen, nadir nurman
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What is healthy competition?

March 17th, 2016

Competition is a by-product of productive work, not its goal. A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.

— Ayn Rand

Tags: achievement, competition, goals, motivation, rivalry
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The Lipsi – a politically correct dance

March 14th, 2016

The Lipsi was a new dance in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was officially promoted by East German leaders. The socialist dance creation was the East’s answer to Elvis Presley’s Rock ‘n’ Roll and the Rock ‘n’ Roll-inspired dance, the Twist. Party officials saw in Elvis’ sexually provocative performance style an undesirable capitalist influence on their socialist youth and were looking for a more wholesome alternative.

The birth of the Lipsi

East German leaders regarded both dancing too closely together as well as dancing apart as indecent, decadent and offensive. Both dance modes were frowned upon and sometimes strictly forbidden. To eclipse the emerging Rock ‘n’ Roll music and dance modes, party officials had to come up with an alternative, a politically correct dance. And in 1959 they introduced the Lipsi.

Composer René Dubianski and dance instructor-couple Christa and Helmut Seifert concocted the dance. Since all three came from the East German city of Leipzig, they named their creation the “Lipsi” by adapting the name from lipsiens, the Latin name for Leipzig. Officials hoped that the “i’ on the end of Lipsi would make the dance sound modern and American and, therefore, appeal to young people. All aspects of the dance were government- supervised and approved. Officials even prepared for the possibility that the new East German dance might become a worldwide hit and applied for a patent.

Let’s do the Lipsi

The Lipsi is a dance in 6/4 time. Think of a double-time waltz, done to fast, upbeat music. Its basic steps and patterns are simple and easily learned so that beginners can master them in short order. The Lipsi is a couples’ dance. The man leads; the woman follows. It looks similar to the Latin Rumba without hip involvement, of course. While partners gently hold hands, they rarely dance apart nor do they get very close to each other. For a few beats of the Lipsi, watch Christa and Helmut Seifert on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQbc9VUBy_8/

What happened to the Lipsi?

Although the Lipsi was actually a rather nice dance addition, it had limited appeal. Its major downfall was that it was promoted as a politically correct dance to counter Rock ‘n’ Roll. Despite enormous propaganda efforts on the part of the East German government, the Lipsi was only briefly in vogue. The dance was too conventional to captivate the East German youth, which hungered for the rousing rhythms of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Within a few years the Lipsi disappeared again. However, since the beginning of the 21st century, the Lipsi has celebrated a come-back, especially in Leipzig.

Tags: Christa and Helmut Seifert, East Germany, Elvis Presley, government-approved, Leipzig, Lipsi, lipsiens, politically correct, Rene Dubianski, Rock 'n' Roll
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