West Berlin

West Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors that were established in 1945. The Soviet sector became East Berlin, part of East Germany. Officially West Berlin was called Berlin (West) by West Germany while the East German government referred to West Berlin as Westberlin. (East Berlin was officially called Berlin Hauptstadt der DDR - "Berlin capital of the GDR" - by East Germany.)

The years of division

While West Berlin was a formally separate jurisdiction from East Berlin after 1949, there was for more than a decade freedom of movement between the two, and in many ways Berlin still functioned as a single city. The U-Bahn and S-Bahn public transit networks, rebuilt after the war, spanned all occupation sectors. Many people lived in one half of the city and had family members, friends, and jobs in the other.

Related Topics:
U-Bahn - S-Bahn

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As the cold war continued, many Germans began leaving East Germany for the West. East Germany closed the borders between East and West Germany in 1952, but did not seal off West Berlin; because there was freedom of movement between West Berlin and West Germany, Easterners could use the city as a transit point to the West. It was in large part to stop this drain that the East German government built the Berlin Wall, thus physically closing off West Berlin from East Germany, on August 13, 1961. It was still possible to travel from West Berlin to West Germany by air and by specific rail and autobahn routes set aside for that purpose, but inhabitants of the two Berlins were now physically and legally separated from each other.

Related Topics:
Berlin Wall - August 13 - 1961 - Autobahn

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On June 26, 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin and gave a public speech known for its famous phrase "Ich bin ein Berliner."

Related Topics:
June 26 - 1963 - John F. Kennedy - Ich bin ein Berliner

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On November 9, 1989 the wall was opened, and the two cities were once again physically - though still not legally - united. The so-called Two Plus Four Treaty, signed by the two German states and the four wartime allies, paved the way for German reunification and an end to the western occupation of West Berlin. On October 3, 1990 West Berlin and East Berlin were united as the city of Berlin, which then acceded to the Federal Republic as a Bundesland, along with the rest of East Germany. West Berlin and East Berlin thus both formally ceased to exist.

Related Topics:
November 9 - 1989 - Two Plus Four Treaty - German reunification - October 3 - 1990

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