A quick bus ride to and from Steinstücken (Berlin) in 1989

[@Positivdenker]

Einfach krass das zu sehen wie es dort früher ausgesehen hat. Ich war vor 8 Jahren mal da, man kann sich das kaum noch vorstellen. Tolles Zeitdokument

[@VanlifewithAlan]

Brings back memories of a bus trip there in January 1987. I also sat on the upper floor of the double decker and was able to observe the wall, the guards and the dogs on the other side. Thank you for posting!

[@sven471111]

Though grewing up in West-Berlin I never had the possibility seeing that road before '90.My parents didnt go there by car and everyone from the family refused and for a bicycle ride as a child it was too far.I was always interested how it looks and how the special feeling could be to drive "between the walls".Thanks a lot for sharing it.

[@JanPBtest]

I have a similar story about the Eiskeller exclave, no easy transportation there. My plan was to come back soon and check it all out "properly", and then November 1989 happened :-)

[@sven471111]

@@JanPBtest as a child studying the map there was a real exclave called "Wüste Mark".it was a rented farm land and the farmer got the right to pass the border with his tractor.

[@xaverlustig3581]

That's a pity, there was no particular danger in going there.

[@xaverlustig3581]

@@sven471111 West Berlin originally had 12 proper exclaves. A portion of them was exchanged or connected in an agreed swap of territories in 1972 (Steinstücken was among those). A second swap occurred in 1988. Since then, Berlin has had no more exclaves. During the era 1972 - 1988 there were still 6 exclaves, guess you missed the other ones on the map :)

[@sven471111]

@@xaverlustig3581 that's interesting.i grew up in the 80s in West Berlin and though we had lots of history of Berlin in school there was never the talk about this special subject.can you tell me more about it or do you have a link?

[@mohammedcohen]

...I visited Berlin for the first time in August 1989, three months before the wall fell on the night of my 40th birthday (9 Nov 89)...my later brother, Tim, was living there with his the girlfriend...he took me on a walking trip of much of the city & wall - including Steinstucken....luckily he did because I got some great photos...5 years later, in 1994, I went back and it was gone...thankfully

[@JanPBtest]

Sorry, my response went to the wrong place so I deleted it as it was referring to _this_ video! 🙂

[@garycross8211]

very interesting and historically valuable footage. Thank you! I went to Steinstuecken a few years ago. It was interesting trying to figure out where the Wall had been.

[@JanPBtest]

It's odd that despite the notoriety of the Wall, relatively little photo and film documentation of it was done. I mean besides the usual: Brandenburg Gate and checkpoint Charlie. But just _try_ to find photographs of the multitude of other border crossings, it's quite hard: Chaussee Strasse, Heinrich-Heine-Strasse, Sonnenallee, Invalidenstrasse, etc. Everyone knows what the US border signs said but who knows what the French signs said? ("Fin du secteur français"). There seem to be an effort now to recreate the details in CGI.

[@paulwilliams8555]

Hope everyone realizes how unique this was because the wall was on both sides

[@flopunkt3665]

@@paulwilliams8555 originally Steinstücken was an exclave. That road was given to West-Berlin by the GDR.

[@JanPBtest]

​@@flopunkt3665 Yes, in 1971, I believe. The road, originally in the eastern sector, was land-swapped for something else. This allowed anyone to go to Steinstücken. Before that only invited guests of the residents could go, with paperwork prepared in advance, with two checkpoints at both ends of the road.

[@YPO6]

@@JanPBtest People didn't want to waste their expensive film rolls to "ugly boring wall" and videocameras were little bit too expensive for larger masses. People rather filmed their holiday trips, family gatherings, drinking parties etc. Luckily these days we film almost everything, seems unnecessary waste of storage space today but after 30+ years those videoclips will be nostalgia trips.

[@johnkoops8541]

The OMSI sound effects were pretty good

[@JanPBtest]

Courtesy of the AFM Hi-Fi stereo sound of the Canon A-1 camcorder! :-) I think those buses ran on methanol, someone may remember it better.

[@Ul.B]

@@JanPBtest I think you're confusing that with the MAN SL 195, SL 200 and Mercedes-Benz O 305. These were called E2H in Berlin. The SD did not belong to the methanol buses.

[@JanPBtest]

@@Ul.B OK, thanks. Good to know. BTW, I still have that umbrella at 0:04 :-) It's still in a perfect condition. I bought it specifically to tape this segment because of the rain. Silly details.

[@DavidBerquist334]

Is the bus in the middle no man's or west

[@sven471111]

@@DavidBerquist334 west

[@tomduggan51]

Thanks Jan, Really unique film record!

[@rotheryberlin7772]

I like the sound of that Bus , a MAN SD 200 / 80 . Memories from the past .

[@JanPBtest]

Yes, very cool. In the evening the service would switch to vans. Can't remember the manufacturer, probably a MAN or Mercedes.

[@Steve14ps]

Travelled on BVG buses many times, sadly not to Steinstücken

[@rotheryberlin7772]

@@JanPBtest Since 1973 were the Double Decker from Berlin BVG from MAN, since 2020 from the scottish Company Alexander Dennis (Enviro500).

[@JanPBtest]

@@rotheryberlin7772 All Berlin buses? Haven't been to Berlin for a few years, it's time visit looks like :-) I was in Warsaw and Zürich last September-October and was planning to go to Berlin for the elections but got a flu (yes, a flu, I got tested. I know, it's pathetic.)

[@wedemeyerr]

Dieser Bus hat sofort ganz viele Erinnerungen aktiviert. Ich weiß noch ganz genau wie sich alles anfühlte

[@DerRolkin]

I do live near steinstücken at this moment, I’m too young to have seen this with my own eyes and it really looks very different today. I still recognize the houses and streets though.

[@JanPBtest]

Does the foot bridge at 1:27 still exist? Haven't been there for a while.

[@flopunkt3665]

@@JanPBtest it should be this one here I think and I guess it was the only way to access the part of Steinstücken located on the opposite side of the tracks Gesetzte Markierung maps.app.goo.gl/Hn7L3L6PpafcizpbA

[@JanPBtest]

@@flopunkt3665 I see, thanks. And what about 2:14 ?

[@DerRolkin]

@@JanPBtest Yes, this bridge still exists, now there's the students dorm on the other side, as well as a campus of the University of Potsdam. Unfortunately I can't tell you if the second bridge you were asking about still exists. I don't recognise it.

[@xaverlustig3581]

@@JanPBtest The bridge 1:27 is Stahnsdorfer Straße, it's a regular street so it is here to stay. The bridge at 2:14 is gone, I'm not sure when it was removed. It was just auxiliary to connect the two halves of Steinstücken, but it's not necessary now as you can just walk around.

[@hypercomms2001]

I remember travelling to Steinstücken (Berlin) in about October 1987. I don't remember the bus, but I do remember walking back along Causeway, I seeing a very memorable piece of graffiti:" build bridges, not walls". What an amazing experience, but sad.

[@huberthubert860]

thx for the upload! Getting a lot of memories watching this...

[@VanlifewithAlan]

Me also!

[@paulwilliams8555]

In 1976 I took a picture of my 73 Opel Manta right against the wall in this small town I still have it

[@derzeraphin4208]

The dead tracks to Potsdam. Today you can enter Steinstücken. You able to drive through it.

[@dereklea1183]

Good memories! I visited Steinstucken, for the last time, in February 1987. I PCS'd and left for Hawaii a few days after my visit. I was almost shot by a border guard where the railroad track passed through the wall from East to West. A guard tower was situated there just a few yards from the pass through. Long story... I'll have to have a few beers to tell it.

[@JanPBtest]

What a story! I'm guessing you went to the end of Bernhard-Beyer-Strasse, turned right and walked parallel to the wall (on your left) until the train track? There was a fence there or perhaps a locked gate (I forget). Another way would be perhaps to climb down the incline near the foot bridge (I think that bridge was dismantled few years ago?)

[@fufurabumbacka]

What was in Setinstucken? Did they have a shop or anything you could do somethnig there? Or there was just few houses and nothing else?

[@JanPBtest]

@@fufurabumbacka Just a residential area, I think it had about 200 inhabitants? Very peaceful (obviously :-) )

[@beyondthestars4299]

Wtf why

[@dereklea1183]

@@JanPBtest - Well, no beers but I'll tell the story anyway. I don't remember the name of the street but that seems familiar. I did park at the end of a street, walked to the wall, found sort of a trail along the wall and then walked parallel with it (wall to my left as you said) until I came to the rail road tracks. Where the tracks entered through the wall, and into into East Germany, there was a guard tower immediately to the left as I looked around the corner of the wall. I almost started an international incident a few days before my transfer from Berlin to my duty station in Hawaii. As I stood at the opening of the wall, I was able to look around the corner of it and see a guard tower that seemed almost within reach. After making a few rude comments to the tower guards I heard a motorcycle coming down the patrol road along the wall. As I'm standing where the wall opening was for the rail road tracks, I was able to see a headlight bouncing in the fog of the night. As I heard the putter of the engine get closer, I could see two soldiers riding the motorcycle with AK-47's slung across their backs. I picked up two rocks and immediately threw one at them and missed. I adjusted my fire and immediately threw the second rock and it hit it's target. The rock struck the motorcycle somewhere between the driver's left leg and the left leg of his passenger. They both snapped their heads in my direction and could plainly see me. The motorcycle then made a turn to follow the patrol road that now paralleled the rail road tracks. They drove far enough into the fog so that I could barely see the tail light of the motorcycle. The driver shut off the engine and they both dismounted and I could barely hear some banter between them. Of course I thought the situation was hilarious so I began laughing out loud and then heard the guards in the tower making a phone call to report the incident. Yes, the tower was that close! I gained my composure, after laughing at what I had just did, and then decided to stick my head around the corner of the wall again. I could barely see the two East German guards through the fog but their lit cigarettes were very visible. I made some rude verbal comment in German and then I heard it. The sound that will forever stick in my mind... the sound of one of the guards racking the slide on his AK-47 to chamber a round. I cursed out loud, in English, and jumped back behind the cover of the wall. My breathing rapid as I just realized that I could've been shot, and killed, my body dragged just a few feet into East German territory and no one would know of my whereabouts. Of course the two East German guards found it funnier to scare the Hell out of me, than it was for me finding it funny to hit them with a rock. Comedy factor for this incident; East Germans-1, American causing an international incident-0 I often wonder who those guards were and if they recount any of their stories, to anyone who'll listen, of their days as border guards. If they do, I hope they tell this story just as i did. I've also wondered if they keep in touch with each other, after their time in the military, and reflect back on the time they scared the American at the wall. I would like to find out who they are, get together and share a beer, hear their version of the story, and then thank God we have funny memories of a structure that denied freedom to millions of people for so many years. I have lot's of fond memories of Berlin, along my tour spent at Teufelsberg, and often wish I could go back in time to enjoy it all over again. For a young soldier being away from home, and in a foreign country, for the first time, I had a wonderful experience there. I loved the city, the night life, the food, the culture, the people, history of the city, etc. Whenever I think about Berlin I get a little depressed as I know I can't return to that point in time. It's been 35+ years since I left there yet the memories, to me, are just like they happened yesterday. Ich liebe Berlin.

[@chi4oniki]

This is amazing video! Historical. The wall is still there... For a lot of people as me it is interesting this period... the reunification of Berlin... As well I will appreciate if old people, witnesses contact me. I love to listen those stories. They are the real history.

[@JanPBtest]

It's surprising how little (relatively speaking) film footage of the wall is available. And most of it is the few standard locations, like the Brandenburg Gate or Checkpoint Charlie. It's next to impossible to find films of other border crossings like Invalidenstr., Heinrich-Heine Str., or exclaves like Fichtewiese, etc. AFAIK there exists only one good photograph of the Am Sandkrug "wedge", no film. It's strange that during the 28 years nobody thought of doing a more systematic film archiving. I did a little bit of it but I didn't know the wall would disappear in 1989 (nobody knew that _then,_ no matter what they are saying _today_ :-) ) so I was quite lazy and didn't push very hard.

[@markhall6306]

Exactly Nikolai it's important to hold onto history as most schools don't teach history

[@boandlkramer2539]

Ich kenne das alles live... Mauer, Grenze und alles. Bin öfter nach Ost Berlin zur Tante gefahren 60-90 er Jahre... alles sehr interessant... heute ist nichts los ☝️ Grüße aus dem Wedding 😁

[@pappenchrischan5775]

The border guards 2:47 had an eye on you too! 😜

[@JanPBtest]

They always did that, must have been really boring sitting in those towers for hours and hours.

[@MrRacermike1967]

Allein die Anfahrt hatte es in sich. Es war nicht leicht ,die Enklave auf Anhieb zu finden. Genau dort, wo der Film endet beginnt die Enklave, vorbei am Wasser, was meiner Meinung nach zum Griebnitzsee führt, immer weiter, bis zu einem Hügel . Dort oben angekommen, stand man an einer Imbissbude und konnte dort beim Essen die alte Reichsautobahn bewundern.

[@JanPBtest]

It used to be separated from West Berlin until, I think, 1971 when the Quadripartite Agreement made the access to Steinstücken relatively easy. What they did was swap the narrow piece of land surrounding the access road ("Waldweg") with East Germany. This removed two border checkpoints from the proceedings and one could simply take a city bus there, like I did in this video. I never really _been to_ Griebnitzsee but I rode through it on the train many times as it was a border control station. And the next station was Berlin Wannsee. At the time this one of the main train stations in Berlin (despite its size). All trains would _always_ stop at Berlin Wannsee and Berlin Zoologischer Garten, no exceptions. Now Berlin Wannsee is a little cool station among the lakes, very nice, no long-distance trains ever stop there :-)

[@mabo7019]

@MrRacermike1976 Ein wenig liegst Du daneben und verwechselst eine Kleinigkeit. Siehe meinen Kommentar vom 20.08.22

[@elbakan9214]

My father took me here in June of 1990. Most of the wall was gone by then and People were collecting large chunks leftover. DDR guards were there but they were friendly by then,

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Berlin used to beautiful!

[@prillewitz]

Fantastisch! Ich liebe das!

[@tea4177]

Frage zur Spurensuche : Ist das am Anfang der Königsweg an der Ecke Bernhard-Beyer-Str. ? An welcher Stelle gehen die die Stufen hoch, Brücke (Minute 2.16) ?

[@xaverlustig3581]

Zu Anfang sind wohl die Gleise zwischen Neue Kreisstr und Bernhard-Beyer-Str. diekt an der Stelle wo sie die Grenze queren. Man sieht eine S-Bahn Stromschiene. 02:16 ist eine Fußgängerbrücke über die Bahnstrecke, ungefähr in Höhe der Straße "Am Landeplatz". Diese Brücke ist wohl seitdem entfernt worden.

[@JanPBtest]

@@xaverlustig3581 The unused S-Bahn tracks were off Bernhard-Beyer-Str., yes. I didn't have to walk far to get there. As for that foot bridge, I think you're right about it being removed. Looks like next item to check when I go there :-)

[@rolandmenero6490]

That guy in the front right seat is wearing an A-6 Intruder patch.

[@JanPBtest]

I think they were American military on a day off showing the place to their friends or family.

[@acid823]

2:00 watchdogs in the deathstrip barking

[@markusalexander]

Der roten Ford bei 1:38 parkt im Halteverbot.

[@jean6872]

The sun will shine over Germany in the future.

[@TheBodhisattva]

I remember it well.

[@DrStockmann]

The 80s !

[@RBLR6]

Aah, the old SD200's, strong and reliable. Now we have Scanias, and the new MAN's that are so unreliable, even BVG joke about it.

[@tomootetsu]

Vor oder nach Mauerfall ?

[@JanPBtest]

This is from late November 1989. I was there in June-July 1989 and again in November-January 1989 (and several years before, unfortunately I had no video camera back then). There was no visible change there between before and after at that time (except the weather :-) ) as all the "hammering" went on in the city centre.

[@mabo7019]

Kurz davor. Aber auch mit dem Fall der Mauer, war es an der Stelle nicht möglich so einfach nach Berlin West zu gelangen. Die Grenzstreifen fast rund um Steinstücken waren extrem verseucht mit Minen, scharfen Hunden und sämtliche andere Hindernisse, die so schnell nicht verschwinden konnten.

[@PatrickLohse]

Wahnsinn, die Insel in Mitte von Ostberlin :(.

[@JanPBtest]

Funny thing is they got their gas from Potsdam, I think.

[@xaverlustig3581]

Steinstücken liegt geographisch mitten in Potsdam-Babelsberg, es gehört nur administrativ zu Berlin.

[@mabo7019]

​@@xaverlustig3581 Das stimmt auch nicht ganz. Schau mal in meinem langen Kommentar vom 20.08.2022

[@rainbowthet8516]

Looks like from omsi 2

[@DanyWildTV]

ich hoffe jeder von euch versteht das ist total geisteskrank was da damals gemacht wurde .

[@ilyagric4143]

Какой срач кругом, ужас...

[@АннаСелявина-д2к]

А сейчас ещё хуже клоака ,а не Берлин одни бездельники турецкие и наркоманы

[@alberte.3059]

Der Wall ist veg,,,

[@simoboskovic8132]

SIK FAK NACISTI,,,,,,,,

[@petermill3909]

Woooooodka

[@spaghettimon3851]

Long live the DDR 🇨🇺❤🇩🇪 ☭