Major Difficulties in ‘Miniature Berlin’: The Small Settlement Split in Half by the Cold War Period

A creek so narrow you hardly got your ankles wet separated a settlement for in excess of four decades worth of time. Because of a chance of geography, the fifty residents of Mödlareuth, a small village bordered by coniferous woods, meadows and breathtaking scenery, found themselves at the core of the cold war. They had the bad luck to span Bavaria, in Western Germany, and the Thuringian region in the Eastern part, a border that was demarcated first by a fence and then by a barricade. US troops called it Small Berlin.

Preserving the Past

Several months after their own barrier was torn down, and even before their state had reunified in 1990, a group of villagers began documenting their history. The project is close to reach completion: on 9 November, the 36th annual anniversary of the collapse of the Wall in Berlin, the Deutsch-Deutsches Museum Mödlareuth will open. It was formally opened by the national president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in early October, but the display was not completely prepared. Addressing the villagers who endured the old days, Steinmeier stated: “You were witnesses of an brutal division, which pulled relatives into pieces and turned local residents into foreigners.”

“You were bystanders of an cruel separation, which tore families apart and turned neighbors into aliens.”

Historical Context

Right from its founding in 1810, the community spanned the Bavarian Kingdom and the Princely State of Reuss, a royal family most renowned for giving all its male descendants the title Heinrich and labeling them consecutively by date of birth. As Steinmeier informed the audience, the quirk did not stand in the way of the inhabitants gathering in the identical inn, visiting the very same church and enrolling their kids to the very same educational institution.

Following WWII Split

Next arrived the second world war. The moment they arrived, the Soviet forces installed wood stakes by the brook. For a twelve months they seized the entire community, setting up their headquarters in a house on the western side, decorating it with a image of Stalin and a communist symbol. The Americans persuaded them to withdraw across the creek. For a time, residents could still cross over, though as controls increased they were forced to display ID, even though everyone knew who they were, and to return at after dark.

Escalation of Boundary Restrictions

Subsequently, in 1952, came wire fencing and the legal closing of the border. In 1966, as in Berlin previously in 1961, a barrier was built, with landmines, anti-tank obstacles and watchtowers. The residents could still see each other by climbing hills, but on the east side gesturing and yelling were banned. A female resident was placed on a East German secret police watch list for replying “back at you” to a Bavarian villager who said her “happy new year”.

Museum Development

I was told narratives including these tales by Robert Lebegern, the director of the museum, who has dedicated much of his occupational time developing it. Locals were asked at an early stage about how what length of barrier they wanted to keep. They selected a stretch on the western fringe, adjacent to where a villager was able to flee in the darkest hours with a climbing device, following which the boundary was significantly reinforced.

Preserved Installations

2 observation towers are conserved in addition to a collection of displays showing the most significant events in the community’s history. As we walk, Lebergen lists the rules: no one could approach 5km of the frontier. Agricultural workers required specific authorization to tend to their produce; the spouse could work the harvesting machine but never both, for fear that they attempted to make a run for it. Military personnel kept guard.

Larger Context

The border between the Federal Republic and the East Germany extended 1,400km, from the Baltic Sea in the north to here in the southern region. Berlin is recalled and honored the most, but more than double the number persons (exceeding 300) lost their lives trying to pass over it in rural areas than in the urban center. the director informs me that 95% of efforts to cross failed.

Hamlet Daily Living

The majority of Mödlareuth’s villagers were farmers or skilled workers, who adapted to residing in the uncertain territory between 2 belief systems by avoiding attention and looking after their farms. They did not supported the East German authorities nor opposed it, the director explains.

Interest

For tourists, however, the settlement became a kind of pilgrimage. Approximately 15k came to visit each year, optical devices in hand, to stare – and then swiftly go away. In 1983, the United States leader, George Bush, was shown around by the German defense official.

Twenty-five years after merger, the TV show, a TV series about a imaginary hamlet resembling Mödlareuth, caused fresh curiosity.

Present-Day Changes

The inauguration of the modern exhibition center – with a restaurant, store, cinema room and sizable vehicle area – is probable to