Steinstücken

A small enclave of roughly 200 inhabitants at its Cold War peak, Steinstücken is the southernmost territory of Berlin, in Wannsee. For a time its border was made up of only barbed wire, and was the point of many escape attempts. A permanent border wall was erected here after more than 20 East German border guards escaped to the West.
Nearby: a “helicopter memorial” commemorates the regular flying in of troops by helicopter

The enclave’s vulnerability became an international incident in 1951 when East German police briefly occupied it, prompting a US military response.

For years, the only access to Steinstücken was by a narrow corridor closely guarded by East German forces. The United States Army regularly flew troops into the enclave by helicopter to demonstrate Allied resolve, and a “helicopter memorial” near the enclave commemorates these flights. President Kennedy personally intervened in 1961, ordering that Steinstücken be protected as part of West Berlin.

In 1972, a land-swap agreement between the two German states secured a permanent road connection to Steinstücken, ending its isolation. Today the enclave is a quiet residential neighbourhood with little visible trace of the wall, though information boards mark the former border route.

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