First checkpoints A checkpoint was established on the site on 1 July 1945, which was on the demarcation line between the
British and
Soviet occupation zones. Its scope included the interzonal railway traffic as well as the motor vehicle traffic on the
Reichsautobahn between
Hanover and
Berlin. The checkpoint buildings were located directly on the zones' border, and consisted of little more than temporary wooden buildings. The most important inner-German checkpoint, the
Autobahn crossing at Helmstedt was named
Alpha by the
Western Allies. Its counterpart in the Berlin southern borough of
Dreilinden was named
Bravo. The connection between these checkpoints gained its importance from being the shortest connection between the western zones and Berlin, at . During the
Berlin Blockade, which endured from June 1948 to May 1949, the Soviet checkpoint was closed. The border was initially manned by the
Royal Military Police and the
Group of Soviet Occupation Forces In Germany. From 1950 onwards, the East German '
(later the ') performed the border control on the eastern side of the checkpoint while the Soviet Army escorted
NATO military traffic to and from West Berlin. Due to the increasing tensions between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union during the
Cold War, the border crossing was expanded extensively and security was increased during the following years. However, the original checkpoint was eventually regarded too unsafe to operate efficiently.
Expansion in the 1970s Between 1972 and 1974, the GDR erected a new control portal on a field situated on a hill near Marienborn, about east of the border. The control portal was staffed with as many as 1,000 passport control, customs, and border police employees. The buildings were linked with a tunnel system, through which military or police units could reach the control portal quickly and secretly. The Western Allies kept control of their checkpoint on the western side, with small garrisons of
French,
British and
American troops stationed in Helmstedt. The West German
Bundesgrenzschutz had assumed control of the operative controls on the western side of the border crossing, where the buildings were notably smaller compared with Marienborn. The restrictive East German controls and the ever-increasing amount of traffic soon resulted in notable waiting times on the West German side. Therefore, the West German government added extensive
car parks and
rest areas on the autobahn approach to Helmstedt. Border controls were relaxed after the
Wende during late 1989. The crossing was dismantled at midnight on June 30, 1990, exactly 45 years after its first opening. The former GDR buildings have been a
listed building since October 1990, however the former GDR departures area was demolished when the road was expanded to six lanes. A rest stop with a motel has now been built on part of the old GDR control portal's area. == Checkpoint Alpha ==