Deutsch-deutsches Freilandmuseum Behrungen, Open-air border museum in Hendungen, Germany
The Deutsch-Deutsches Freilandmuseum Behrungen is a memorial site located on the grounds of the former border between East and West Germany in Thuringia and Bavaria. The museum displays original preserved border installations including walls, fences, towers, and control facilities from the period of German division.
The border installation was built in the 1950s as part of the fortification of the inner-German border and was continuously expanded and reinforced until 1989. The museum itself was established after a family discovered and restored the historical remains in 1999.
The site shows how the border split daily life for people living nearby and restricted their freedom to move around. You can still see today how close the two German worlds were to each other, yet completely separated.
The grounds are best explored on foot, as the various monuments are spread out across walking trails and paths. Sturdy footwear and weather-appropriate clothing are advisable since you will spend considerable time outdoors.
One often overlooked detail is that you can actually walk from one side to the other where a seemingly impossible barrier once stood. This physical crossing makes the effects of division tangible in a direct way.
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