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105-727: In its current form, the park was created on January 1, 2006, by the merger of the Harz National Park in Lower Saxony, established in 1994, and the Upper Harz National Park in Saxony-Anhalt, established in 1990. As the former inner German border ran through the Harz, large parts of the range were prohibited areas, that apart from the fortifications had remained completely unaffected for decades. Today

210-625: A capitalist state with free and fair elections . The Soviet zone became the German Democratic Republic (GDR), a communist state where voters were restricted to electing communist candidates. From the outset, West Germany and the western Allies rejected East Germany 's legitimacy. The creation of East Germany was deemed a communist fait accompli , without a freely or fairly elected government. West Germany regarded German citizenship and rights as applying equally to East and West German citizens. An East German who escaped or

315-535: A 15% income supplement to those living in the Sperrzone and Schutzstreifen ; but this did not halt the shrinkage of the border population as younger people moved elsewhere to find employment and better living conditions. The GDR bore a huge economic cost for its creation of the border zone and the building and maintenance of its fortifications. The zone consumed around 6,900 square kilometres (2,700 sq mi) – more than six per cent of

420-449: A bolt- or wire-cutter. Nor could they be tunnelled under easily, as the bottom segment of the fences was partially buried in the ground. In a number of places, more lightly constructed fences ( Lichtsperren ) consisting of mesh and barbed wire lined the border. The fences were not continuous but could be crossed at a number of places. Gates were installed to enable guards to patrol up to the line and to give engineers access for maintenance on

525-579: A capitalist, semi- fascist state that exploited its citizens, sought to regain the lost territories of the Third Reich , and stood opposed to the peaceful socialism of the GDR. In the early days of the occupation, the Allies controlled traffic between the zones to manage the flow of refugees and prevent the escape of former Nazi officials and intelligence officers. These controls were gradually lifted in

630-430: A continuous expanded metal fence 1,185 kilometres (736 mi) long and 2 metres (6.6 ft) high. The fence was lined with low-voltage electrified strands of barbed wire . When the wire was touched or cut, an alarm was activated to alert nearby guards. On the other side of the signal fence lay the heavily guarded "protective strip" ( Schutzstreifen ), 500 to 1,000 metres (1,600 to 3,300 ft) wide, which adjoined

735-506: A continuous line of metal fences and concrete walls. At one location, Rüterberg on the Elbe, the border fortifications completely surrounded the village and sealed off the inhabitants from the rest of East Germany as well as the West. The guards of the inner German border comprised tens of thousands of military, paramilitary and civilian personnel from both East and West Germany, as well as from

840-414: A cursory formality. The inner German border was not completely abandoned until 1 July 1990, exactly 45 years to the day since its establishment, and only three months before German reunification formally ended Germany's division. Little remains of the inner German border's fortifications. Its route has been declared part of a European Green Belt linking national parks and nature reserves along

945-498: A male lynx was brought down at Lautenthal . The so-called Lynx Stone recalls the success of that particular hunt. In 1999 it was decided to reintroduce the lynx. Between 2000 and 2004 alone, 19 were released from zoo breeding programmes. Before their release the animals are prepared in a large enclosure in order to acclimatized them to freedom. In addition there is a viewing enclosure near the National Park forest restaurant on

1050-479: A much harder time because the country was poorer and their government imposed severe restrictions on them. The border region was progressively depopulated through the clearance of numerous villages and the forced relocation of their inhabitants. Border towns suffered draconian building restrictions: inhabitants were forbidden from building new houses and even repairing existing buildings, causing infrastructure to fall into severe decay. The state did little but to provide

1155-753: A nudist beach was opened on the Western side in 1975 immediately adjoining the border's terminus near the Baltic Sea port of Travemünde . Visitors often sought to have a nude photograph taken below a looming East German watchtower; the West Germans noted "a lot more movement on that watchtower since the nudist beach opened." The East German side of the inner German border was dominated by a complex system of fortifications and security zones, over 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) long and several kilometres deep. The fortifications were established in 1952 and reached

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1260-481: A peak of complexity and lethality at the start of the 1980s. The border guards referred to the side of the border zone facing the GDR as the freundwärts (literally "friendward") side and that facing the FRG as the feindwärts ("enemyward") side. A person attempting to make an illegal crossing of the inner German border around 1980, travelling from east to west, would first come to the "restricted zone" ( Sperrzone ). This

1365-485: A small percentage of the border – 29.1 kilometres (18.1 mi) of the total length by 1989. Anti-personnel mines were installed along approximately half of the border's length starting in 1966; by the 1980s, some 1.3 million mines of various Soviet-made types had been laid. In addition, from 1970 the outer fence was booby-trapped with around 60,000 SM-70 ( Splittermine-70 ) directional anti-personnel mines. They were activated by tripwires connected to

1470-416: Is assumed that the wild cat in the Harz has a stable population. It is widespread throughout the region, preferring those areas which are warmer, richer, more varied and better supplied with nutrients (lower lying deciduous forest with greater food availability). In addition to lynx and wild cat, red deer and roe deer are also important species in the Harz National Park. The most common invasive species

1575-557: Is here") notified visitors of the presence of the border. Foreign military personnel were restricted from approaching the border to avoid clashes or other unwanted incidents. Signs in English and German provided notifications of the distance to the border to discourage accidental crossings. No such restriction applied to Western civilians, who were free to go up to the border line, and there were no physical obstacles to stop them crossing it. The inner German border system also extended along

1680-405: Is not achieved the region can be classified as a so-called developing national park, if it is assessed as fulfilling these conditions within 30 years. The Harz National Park counts as a developing national park. Currently 60,3 per cent of the area of the park is designated as a natural biodiversity or core zone. The aim is to cross the 75 per cent threshold by 2020. 38,5 per cent of

1785-512: Is the raccoon , but occasionally the raccoon dog also occurs. The mouflon , which was in the 1930s located in different districts of the Harz for hunting reasons, is also found in the park. Recently, the Harz National Park has suffered from bark beetle outbreaks as well as acid rain and other environmental problems. The bark beetle is on the rise here due to climate change and global warming. Since 2006, there has been increased bark beetle gradation. Hurricane Kyrill also caused severe damage in

1890-587: The Bundesgrenzschutz , or BGS – however, Allied troops (the British in the north, the Americans in the south) retained responsibility for the military security of the border. The boundary line was nonetheless still fairly easy to cross. Local inhabitants were able to maintain fields on the other side, or even to live on one side and work on the other. Refugees were able to sneak across or bribe

1995-467: The Kolonnenweg was one of the control strips ( Kontrollstreifen ), a line of bare earth running parallel to the fences along almost the entire length of the border. There were two control strips, both located on the inward-facing sides of the fences. The secondary "K2" strip, 2 metres (6.6 ft) wide, ran alongside the signal fence, while the primary "K6" strip, 6 metres (20 ft) wide, ran along

2100-881: The Oder Dam on the southeastern edge of the park. Other dams and lakes within or bordering on the national park include the Ecker Dam and the Silberteich . The highest elevations are the Brocken , the Bruchberg and the Achtermann . The present, pan-state Nationalpark Harz was formed on 1 January 2006 from the merger of the old park of the same name in Lower Saxony and the High Harz National Park ( Nationalpark Hochharz ) in Saxony-Anhalt. Since

2205-485: The Rabenklippe where the shy cats can also be observed by visitors to the park. Since 2002, there have been several instances of kittens born in the wild. In March, a male lynx was fitted with a GPS transmitter, so precise details can now be obtained about the range of an animal. The project team receives information via SMS from the transmitter. Another reintroduction project was the capercaillie, which died out in

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2310-785: The Soviet army during the Soviet–Afghan War , it would have replaced the fences with sensors and detectors. However, the plan was never implemented. The closure of the border had a substantial economic and social impact on both countries. Cross-border transport links were largely severed; 10 main railway lines, 24 secondary lines, 23  autobahns or national roads, 140 regional roads and thousands of smaller roads, paths and waterways were blocked or otherwise interrupted. The tightest level of closure came in 1966, by which time only six railway lines, three autobahns, one regional road and two waterways were left open. When relations between

2415-548: The Trapos caused an international incident in the Danish port of Gedser, when they beat up a would-be escapee on the quayside and opened fire, hitting a Danish boat in the harbour. The next day, thousands of Danes turned out to protest against " Vopo ( Volkspolizei ) methods." The "boat-jumpers" were eventually stopped by further restricting the already limited travel rights of the GDR's population. The border also ran along part of

2520-489: The western capercaillie ( Auerhuhn ) however did not succeed. The 24,700 hectares of the Harz National Park cover about 10 percent of the total area of the Harz . The park lies in the western part of the Harz (see Upper Harz ) and stretches from Wernigerode and Ilsenburg in the north to Herzberg and Bad Lauterberg in the south. Near its perimeter the park terrain is about 230 m above  sea level (NN) in

2625-456: The "modern frontier" in the 1970s led to a major increase in personnel costs. Total annual expenditure on GDR border troops rose from 600 million marks per annum in 1970 to nearly 1 billion by 1983. In early 1989, East German economists calculated that each arrest cost the equivalent of 2.1 million marks, three times the average "value" to the state of each working person. The two German governments promoted very different views of

2730-1766: The Arts and Humanities United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation Global [ edit ] International Co-operative Alliance International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements Girls on the Run United Nations umbrella organizations See also [ edit ] Big tent Federation Supraorganization Umbrella brand Umbrella company Umbrella fund Umbrella school Umbrella term References [ edit ] ^ Legal, US. "Umbrella Organization Law and Legal Definition | USLegal, Inc" . definitions.uslegal.com . Retrieved 5 February 2018 . ^ Ortiz, Rosalba; Peris, Jordi (January 2021). "The Role of Farmers' Umbrella Organizations in Building Transformative Capacity around Grassroots Innovations in Rural Agri-Food Systems in Guatemala" . Sustainability . 14 (5): 2695. doi : 10.3390/su14052695 . hdl : 10251/199935 . ISSN   2071-1050 . ^ Melville, Rose (2010), "Umbrella Organizations" , in Anheier, Helmut K.; Toepler, Stefan (eds.), International Encyclopedia of Civil Society , New York, NY: Springer US, pp. 1577–1582, doi : 10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_628 , ISBN   978-0-387-93996-4 , retrieved 2024-04-28 ^ "Giles Coren Times article prompts Polish complaints to PCC" .

2835-513: The Baltic coast, dubbed the "blue border" or sea border of the GDR. The coastline was partly fortified along the east side mouth of the river Trave opposite the West German port of Travemünde. Watchtowers, walls and fences stood along the marshy shoreline to deter escape attempts and the water was patrolled by high-speed East German boats. The continuous line of the inner German border ended at

2940-516: The Baltic. Some East Germans tried to escape by jumping overboard from East German ships docked in Baltic harbours. So many East Germans attempted to flee this way in Danish ports that harbourmasters installed extra life-saving equipment on quaysides where East German vessels docked. The GDR's government responded by stationing armed Transportpolizei ( Trapos ) on passenger ships to deal forcefully with escape attempts. On one occasion in August 1961,

3045-533: The British and American zones. The division of Germany was official on 1 August 1945. Because of the unexpectedly rapid Allied advances through central Germany in the final weeks of the war, British and American troops occupied large areas of territory that had been assigned to the Soviet zone of occupation. The redeployment of Western troops prompted many Germans to flee west to escape the Russians' takeover of

3150-605: The Brocken summit or mountain meadows. Here conservation measures will also be applied in future. Furthermore, within a 500 metre wide strip on the edge of the national park, measures are being put into effect that will protect the adjacent areas. Inner German border [REDACTED] Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic [REDACTED] National People's Army [REDACTED] Stasi The inner German border ( German : innerdeutsche Grenze or deutsch–deutsche Grenze ; initially also Zonengrenze )

3255-477: The East German side, so that observers in the West could not see guards going in or out. Around 1,000 two-man observation bunkers also stood along the length of the border. Guard dogs were used to provide an additional deterrent to escapees. Dog runs ( Kettenlaufanlagen ), consisting of a suspended wire up to 100 metres (330 ft) long to which a large dog was chained, were installed on high-risk sectors of

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3360-470: The East's territory, within which economic activity was severely curtailed or ceased entirely. The actual cost of the border system was a closely guarded secret, and even today it is uncertain exactly how much it cost to build and maintain. The BT-9 watchtowers each cost around 65,000  East German marks to build and the expanded metal fences cost around 151,800 marks per kilometre. The implementation of

3465-516: The European umbrella organisation EUROPARC Federation, a federation of national parks, biosphere reserves and nature parks . It concerns itself inter alia with the exchange of information, ustausch, advanced education and public relations. The German section, EUROPARC Deutschland, of this umbrella organisation has also organised the merger of many large conservation areas in Germany. In 2005

3570-904: The Guardian . 2008-08-08 . Retrieved 2022-11-11 . ^ Business Solutions, WebCider. "buildingSMART, United Kingdom and Ireland" . www.ukbimalliance.org . {{ cite web }} : |last= has generic name ( help ) ^ "United Nations Umbrella Organizations" (PDF) . FSI Transition Center. 2017. External links [ edit ] [REDACTED] The dictionary definition of umbrella organization at Wiktionary Authority control databases : National [REDACTED] Germany Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Umbrella_organization&oldid=1239294731 " Categories : Supraorganizations Types of organization Hidden categories: CS1 errors: generic name Articles with short description Short description

3675-474: The Harz National Park. In the sub-alpine area above 1050 metres is the " battle zone " of the spruce tree. Here it is not uncommon to find trees over 250 years old and bent into bizarre shapes by the wind. But predominant here are the dwarf shrub heaths and raised bogs ( Hochmoore ). The altimontane vegetation zone is found between 750 m above  sea level (NN) and 1,050 m above NN , dominated by spruce. These areas can be found in

3780-481: The Harz in 1920–1930. Its reintroduction began in 1978. Over the years about 1,000 birds have been reared and set free. In spite of the number of birds the population was not assessed as stable. Due to the lack of success, the project was closed in 2003. The Harz is now one of Germany's most important habitats for the wild cat . It is classified in the Federal Republic of Germany as seriously endangered. It

3885-1039: The Public Interest UEFA Ulster Defence Association United Way Yamaguchi-gumi National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia ANC Asia [ edit ] Bangladesh [ edit ] Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh Europe [ edit ] Russia [ edit ] The former KGB United Kingdom [ edit ] Bond : network for organisations working in international development Homeless Link NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) (UK) UK BIM Alliance Transport for London Maritime UK North America [ edit ] Canadian GeoAlliance Canadian Hockey League Central Intelligence Agency Jewish Federations of North America Rainbow Railroad Metropolitan Toronto School Board and its six boards United Fund for

3990-835: The United Kingdom, the United States and initially the Soviet Union. Umbrella organisation (Redirected from Umbrella organisation ) Group of industry-specific institutions For the fictional company set in the Resident Evil videogame series, see Umbrella Corporation . An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and identities to

4095-475: The West. The seal around the country was expanded in July 1962 when the GDR declared its entire Baltic coast a border zone subject to closures and restrictions. The border between East and West Berlin was also significantly tightened, although not fully closed; East Germans were still able to cross into West Berlin, which then became the main route by which East Germans migrated to the West. Between 1949 and

4200-459: The Western side of the frontier declared "Hier ist Deutschland nicht zu Ende – Auch drüben ist Vaterland!" ("Germany does not end here: the Fatherland is over there too!" ) Whereas the GDR kept its civilians well away from the border, the West Germans actively encouraged tourism, and locations where the border was especially intrusive became tourist attractions. One example was

4305-557: The Western zones, but were tightened between Western and Soviet zones in 1946 to stem a flow of economic and political refugees from the Soviet zone. Between October 1945 and June 1946, 1.6 million Germans left the Soviet zone for the west. The east–west interzonal border became steadily more tense as the relationship between the Western Allies and the Soviets deteriorated. From September 1947, an increasingly strict regime

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4410-400: The actual border line. When the third-generation fortifications were constructed, the fences were moved back from between 20 metres (66 ft) to as much as 2 kilometres (1.2 mi). This gave the guards a clear field of fire to target escapees and provided a buffer zone where engineers could work on maintaining the outward face of the fence in East German territory. Access to the outer strip

4515-495: The border from May 1952. The first-generation fence was a crudely constructed single barbed-wire fence ( Stacheldrahtzaun ) which stood between 1.2 and 2.5 metres (3.9 and 8.2 ft) high and was built very close to the actual border line. This was replaced in the late 1950s with parallel rows of more strongly constructed barbed-wire fences, sometimes with concertina wire placed between the fences as an additional obstacle. A "third-generation" fence, much more solidly constructed,

4620-458: The border itself. It was monitored by guards stationed in concrete, steel and wooden watchtowers constructed at regular intervals along the entire length of the border. Nearly 700 such watchtowers had been built by 1989; the larger ones were equipped with a powerful 1,000-watt rotating searchlight ( Suchscheinwerfer ) and firing ports to enable the guards to open fire without having to go outside. Their entrances were always positioned facing towards

4725-409: The border to go into an economic and demographic decline. The two German states responded to the problem in different ways. West Germany gave substantial subsidies to communities under the "Aid to border regions" programme, an initiative begun in 1971 to save them from total decline. Infrastructure and businesses along the border benefited from substantial state investment. East Germany's communities had

4830-403: The border. Elsewhere, V-shaped anti-vehicle ditches known as Kraftfahrzeug-Sperrgraben ( KFZ-Sperrgraben ) were installed along 829 kilometres (515 mi) of the border and were absent only where natural obstacles such as streams, rivers, gullies or thick forests made such barriers unnecessary. The outer fences were constructed in a number of phases, starting with the initial fortification of

4935-424: The border. The GDR saw it as the international frontier of a sovereign state – a defensive rampart against Western aggression. In Grenzer ("Border Guard"), a 1981 East German Army propaganda film, NATO and West German troops and tanks were depicted as ruthless militarists advancing towards East Germany. Border troops interviewed in the film described what they saw as the rightfulness of their cause and

5040-429: The border. The dogs were occasionally turned loose in temporary pens adjoining gates or damaged sections of the fence. The guards used an all-weather patrol road ( Kolonnenweg , literally "column way") to patrol the border and travel rapidly to the scene of an attempted crossing. It consisted of two parallel lines of perforated concrete blocks which ran beside the border for around 900 kilometres (560 mi). Next to

5145-565: The boundary between the Western and Soviet occupation zones of Germany. On the Eastern side, it was made one of the world's most heavily fortified frontiers, defined by a continuous line of high metal fences and walls, barbed wire, alarms, anti-vehicle ditches, watchtowers, automatic booby traps and minefields. It was patrolled by 50,000 armed GDR border guards who faced tens of thousands of West German, British and US guards and soldiers. In

5250-520: The building of the Berlin Wall in 1961, an estimated 3.5 million East Germans – a sixth of the entire population – emigrated to the West, most via Berlin. The GDR decided to upgrade the fortifications in the late 1960s to establish a "modern frontier" that would be far more difficult to cross. Barbed-wire fences were replaced with harder-to-climb expanded metal barriers; directional anti-personnel mines and anti-vehicle ditches blocked

5355-756: The claims made and adding inline citations . Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. ( February 2015 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) AFL–CIO and other national trade union centers DD172 Department of Public Safety European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy European Music Council European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting (EWF) Federation of Poles in Great Britain Federation of Student Islamic Societies Independent Sector National Retail Federation National Wrestling Alliance Open Source Geospatial Foundation Software in

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5460-521: The concept of reforestation with fast-growing spruce trees. This led to the now widespread spruce monocultures. Unlike "Harz pine", the pines introduced from other regions cope less well with snow and ice conditions in the Harz and are thus more prone to bark beetle infestation. Currently 82 percent of the forest consists of spruce stands. Only 12 percent of the trees are beeches. The remaining 6 percent are species such as oak , rowan or birch (as at December 2007). There are various vegetation zones in

5565-616: The course of the old Iron Curtain from the Arctic Circle to the Black Sea . Museums and memorials along the old border commemorate the division and reunification of Germany and, in some places, preserve elements of the fortifications. The inner German border originated from the Second World War Allies' plans to divide a defeated Germany into occupation zones. The boundaries between these zones were drawn along

5670-544: The divided village of Mödlareuth in Bavaria. The Associated Press reported in 1976 that "Western tourists by the busload come out to have their pictures taken against the backdrop of the latest Communist walled city [and] the concrete blockhouse and the bunker-slits protruding from the green hillock where a collective's cows were grazing." At Zimmerau in Bavaria, a 38-metre (125 ft) observation tower (the Bayernturm )

5775-446: The east of the inner German border. On 9 November 1989, the East German government announced the opening of the Berlin Wall and the inner German border. Over the following days, millions of East Germans poured into the West to visit. Hundreds of thousands moved permanently to the West in the following months as more crossings were opened, and ties between long-divided communities were re-established as border controls became little more than

5880-456: The eastern park from 1995 until its merger with the Harz National Park in the western Harz on 1 January 2006. The Lower Saxon part of the park was opened on 1 January 1994 after four years of preparation. Its founding father was Dr. Wolf-Eberhard Barth. Although a combined national park project was discussed soon after reunification by both states it was another twelve years before the parks were merged. The Harz National Park belongs to

5985-423: The firing mechanism. This detonated a horn-shaped charge filled with shrapnel that was sprayed in one direction along the line of the fence. The device was potentially lethal to a range of around 120 metres (390 ft). The mines were eventually removed by the end of 1984 in the face of international condemnation of the East German government. Until the late 1960s the fortifications were constructed almost up to

6090-565: The fugitives. Armed patrols equipped with powerful mobile searchlights monitored the beaches. Escapees aimed for the western (West German) shore of the Bay of Mecklenburg, a Danish lightship off the port of Gedser , the southern Danish islands of Lolland and Falster , or simply the international shipping lanes in the hope of being picked up by a passing freighter. The Baltic Sea was, however, an extremely dangerous escape route. In all, 189 people are estimated to have died attempting to flee via

6195-420: The geographical line than the old barbed-wire fences. The upgrade programme continued well into the 1980s. The new system immediately reduced the number of successful escapes from around 1,000 people a year in the mid-1960s to only about 120 per year a decade later. The introduction of West German Chancellor Willy Brandt 's Ostpolitik ("Eastern Policy") at the end of the 1960s reduced tensions between

6300-512: The guards were able to determine where and when patrols needed to be increased, where improved surveillance from watchtowers and bunkers was required, and which areas needed additional fortifications. Anti-vehicle barriers were installed on the other side of the primary control strip. In some locations, chevaux-de-frise barricades, known in German as Panzersperre or Stahligel ("steel hedgehogs"), were used to prevent vehicles being used to cross

6405-474: The guards, and the smuggling of goods in both directions was rife. The flow of emigrants remained large despite the increase in East German security measures: 675,000 people fled to West Germany between 1949 and 1952. The relative openness of the border ended abruptly on 26 May 1952 when the GDR implemented a "special regime on the demarcation line", justified as a measure to keep out "spies, diversionists, terrorists and smugglers". The East German move

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6510-481: The hinterlands behind the border, more than a million NATO and Warsaw Pact troops awaited the possible outbreak of war. The border was a physical manifestation of Winston Churchill's metaphorical Iron Curtain that separated the Soviet and Western blocs during the Cold War . Built by the East German government in phases from 1952 to the late 1980s, the fortifications were constructed to stop Republikflucht ,

6615-602: The inside of the fence or wall. In places where the border was prone to escape attempts, the control strip was illuminated at night by high-intensity floodlights ( Beleuchtungsanlage ), which were also used at points where rivers and streams crossed the border. Anyone attempting to cross the control strips would leave footprints which were quickly detected by patrols. This enabled the guards to identify otherwise undetected escape attempts, recording how many individuals had crossed, where escape attempts were being made and at which times of day escapees were active. From this information,

6720-520: The large-scale emigration of East German citizens to the West, about 1,000 of whom are said to have died trying to cross it during its 45-year existence. It caused widespread economic and social disruption on both sides; East Germans living nearby suffered especially draconian restrictions. The better-known Berlin Wall was a physically separate, less elaborate, and much shorter border barrier surrounding West Berlin , more than 170 kilometres (110 mi) to

6825-660: The length of three major rivers of central Germany: the Elbe between Lauenburg and Schnackenburg (around 95 kilometres (59 mi)), the Werra and the Saale . The river borders were especially problematic; although the Western Allies and West Germany held that the demarcation line ran along the eastern bank, the East Germans and Soviets insisted that it was located in the middle of the river (the Thalweg principle). In practice,

6930-685: The letters "DDR" carved on the west-facing edge. Around 2,600 distinctive East German concrete "barber pole" ( Grenzsäule or Grenzpfähle ) markers were installed just behind the border line at intervals of about 500 metres (1,600 ft). A metal East German coat of arms, the Staatsemblem , was fixed to the side of the marker that faced West Germany. On the West German side, there were no fortifications of any kind, nor even any patrol roads in most areas. Warning signs ( Grenzschilder ) with messages such as Achtung! Zonengrenze! ("Danger! Zonal border!") or Halt! Hier Zonengrenze ("Stop! The zonal border

7035-485: The low calorific value of peat and the weather conditions in the High Harz. The bogs in the Harz are of international significance by virtue of their distinctiveness and flora. The lynx now lives wild again in the Harz, having been eradicated from the mountains since the early 19th century. The last report of a successful lynx hunt in the Harz dates to 1818. In an eleven-day hunt, in which almost 200 people took part,

7140-437: The maintenance of information posts and national park buildings. (as at: 31 December 2007) The natural forests of the High Harz consist mainly of Norway spruce ( Picea abies ) and rowan ( Sorbus aucuparia ); deciduous trees only dominate below 600 m above  sea level (NN) . Since the Harz was partly deforested in the 19th century by ore mining, the count's head forester, Hans Dietrich von Zanthier, developed

7245-461: The merger the head of this major nature conservation area has been Andreas Pusch. The Upper Harz National Park was established as part of GDR 's national park programme on 1 October 1990, two days before the reunification of Germany , on the basis of a ministerial decision by the East German government. The park included large parts of the eastern Harz , roughly from the Ecker Dam and

7350-483: The mid-1980s the first problems appeared in the Harz, such as bark beetle and fungal infestation. In the wake of the spirit of optimism during the time around reunification it was exactly this that gave impetus for the establishment of the national park. On 1 January 1991 a national park headquarters in Wernigerode was set up under the leadership of Hubertus Hlawatsch. Hlawatsch's successor was Peter Gaffert, who ran

7455-492: The movement of people and vehicles; tripwires and electric signals helped guards to detect escapees; all-weather patrol roads enabled rapid access to any point along the border; and wooden guard towers were replaced with prefabricated concrete towers and observation bunkers. Construction of the new border system started in September 1967. Nearly 1,300 kilometres (808 mi) of new fencing was built, usually further back from

7560-581: The national park municipality of Ilsenburg in the north and Schierke in the south as well as the Brocken . The region is characterised by a relatively undisturbed plant and animal environment, which is mainly due to its location immediately next to the old Inner German Border . In the German Democratic Republic era, the Brocken was accessible until 1961 with an easily obtained pass. From 13 August 1961 it became an out-of-bounds area, which meant that tourists could no longer visit it. In

7665-500: The national park this area has shrunk to just a few residual stands and has been largely replaced by spruce. In the region of Ilsenburg spruce monoculture occurs even down to 230 m above NN . In these zones the spruce is not native and, as a result of climate change , it has suffered increasingly from bark beetle infestation. Currently the National Park Service is having these areas reforested to encourage

7770-654: The national park was included in the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas. Currently the national park employs 188 staff, of which 59 work in the national park head office in Wernigerode or its outpost in Sankt Andreasberg OT Oderhaus. The 40 employees of the national park warden service, who are also known as rangers, conduct guided tours and look after tasks in connexion with environmental training, include

7875-759: The north and 270 m above NN in the south and climbs to 1,141.1 m above NN at the summit of the Brocken. Several rivers have their sources in the national park, including the Bode , the Oder and the Ilse , a tributary of the Oker . The waters of the Oder, flowing southwards, are collected in the historic Oderteich reservoir, finished in 1722 to supply the mines in Sankt Andreasberg , and feed

7980-407: The original beech and maple, that used to dominate them, to resettle. The Harz is home to the Brocken anemone ( Pulsatilla alpina subsp. alba ), which grows in Germany only on the plateau of the Brocken. Its survival has however been especially endangered since German reunification by the onset of tourism. The Brocken Garden , a botanical garden on the summit of the Brocken, deals mainly with

8085-411: The outward-facing side of the barrier. In some places, villages adjoining the border were fenced with wooden board fences ( Holzlattenzaun ) or concrete barrier walls ( Betonsperrmauern ) standing around 3–4 metres (9.8–13.1 ft) high. Windows in buildings adjoining the border were bricked or boarded up, and buildings deemed too close to the border were pulled down. The barrier walls stood along only

8190-408: The park area is currently still a nature development zone. Here measures in lines with the forest development concept are carried out. The aim is to transfer the largest possible area of this natural development zone into the natural biodiversity zone. A proportion of the park counts as a utilisation zone. This covers areas that are important for tourism or are historico-culturally significant, such as

8295-605: The park covers parts of the districts of Goslar , Göttingen and Harz . Rare animals of the Harz National Park include the white-throated dipper , the black stork , peregrine falcon , the European wildcat and especially the Eurasian lynx . The last lynx in the Harz Mountains had been shot in 1818, but in 1999 a project for reintroducing was established. Since 2002 several wild lynxes gave birth. An attempt to return

8400-504: The park turned out to be unfounded. The Harz National Park is recognised by the IUCN (World Conservation Union) as a national park (a Category II protected area in the IUCN system). To achieve that, according to the rules, at least 75 per cent of the area must be set aside as a natural biodiversity zone (core zone). In this zone nature must be left completely to itself. If this proportion

8505-511: The peninsula of Priwall, still belonging to Travemünde, but already on the east side of the Trave. From there to Boltenhagen , along some 15 km of the eastern shore of the Bay of Mecklenburg, the GDR shoreline was part of the restricted-access "protective strip" or Schutzgebiet . Security controls were imposed on the rest of the coast from Boltenhagen to Altwarp on the Polish border, including

8610-438: The protection of plant species and restoration of the summit area. Especially valuable for nature conservation, are the raised bogs formed by the restoration of former marshland. The conditions are favorable for this, as the bogs in the park are less impacted by human use than the bogs of the Lower Saxony plain. When wood became scarce in the Harz, the locals tried to take advantage of the peat bogs. This proved unprofitable due to

8715-418: The region. Stands of trees, especially spruce, were torn down over wide areas. The National Park management came under fire from the local communities as a result of the bark beetle measures that were subsequently needed. In particular, the National Park community at Ilsenburg criticized the use of technology (e.g. harvesters ). Because of the inaccessibility of the terrain there was really no other way to haul

8820-482: The remainder of the Soviet zone. The wartime Allies initially worked together under the auspices of the Allied Control Council (ACC) for Germany. Cooperation between the Western Allies and the Soviets ultimately broke down because of disagreements over Germany's political and economic future. In May 1949, the three western occupation zones were merged to form the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),

8925-443: The smaller organizations. In this kind of arrangement, it is sometimes responsible, to some degree, for the groups under its care. Umbrella organizations are prominent in cooperatives and in civil society, and can engage in advocacy or collective bargaining on behalf of their members. Examples [ edit ] [REDACTED] This section possibly contains original research . Please improve it by verifying

9030-402: The territorial boundaries of 19th-century German states and provinces that had largely disappeared with the unification of Germany in 1871. Three zones were agreed on, each covering roughly a third of Germany's territories: a British zone in the north-west, an American zone in the south and a Soviet zone in the east. France was later given a zone in the far west of Germany, carved out of

9135-460: The threat of Western agents, spies and provocateurs . Their colleagues killed on the border were hailed as heroes and schoolchildren in East Berlin were depicted saluting their memorial. However, West German propaganda leaflets referred to the border as merely "the demarcation line of the Soviet occupation zone", and emphasised the cruelty and injustice of the division of Germany. Signs along

9240-411: The two German states. It led to a series of treaties and agreements in the early 1970s, most significantly a treaty in which East and West Germany recognised each other's sovereignty and supported each other's applications for UN membership, although neither state changed its view on the citizenship issue.   Reunification remained a theoretical objective for West Germany, but in practice that objective

9345-518: The two states eased in the 1970s, the GDR agreed to open more crossing points in exchange for economic assistance. Telephone and mail communications operated throughout the Cold War, although packages and letters were routinely opened and telephone calls were monitored by the East German secret police. The economic impact of the border was harsh. Many towns and villages were severed from their markets and economic hinterlands, which caused areas close to

9450-484: The vicinity of Schierke and Torfhaus . Not until the montane zone between 450 m above NN and 750 m above NN and the submontane zone is the vegetation dominated by beech forests. Today's beech stands grow primarily on acidic soil. The most commonly encountered forest type is the Hainsimsen beech forest. At heights above 700 m it is usually adjacent to spruce-beech mixed woodland. But in

9555-499: The watch of armed guards, who were authorised to use weapons if their orders were not obeyed. Border communities on both sides suffered acute disruption. Farms, coal mines and even houses were split in two by the sudden closure of the border. More than 8,300 East German civilians living along the border were forcibly resettled in a programme codenamed "Operation Vermin" ( Aktion Ungeziefer ). Another 3,000 residents, realising they were about to be expelled from their homes, fled to

9660-428: The waterways were shared 50/50 but the navigation channels often strayed across the line. This led to tense confrontations as East or West German vessels sought to assert their right to free passage on the waterways. The rivers were as heavily guarded as other parts of the border. On the Elbe, East Germany maintained a fleet of about 30 fast patrol boats and West Germany had some sixteen customs vessels. The river border

9765-427: The whole of the islands of Poel , Rügen , Hiddensee , Usedom and the peninsulas of Darß and Wustrow . The GDR implemented a variety of security measures along its Baltic coastline to hinder escape attempts. Camping and access to boats was severely limited and 27 watchtowers were built along the Baltic coastline. If a suspected escape attempt was spotted, high-speed patrol boats would be dispatched to intercept

9870-445: The wind blown tree trunks from the affected areas. In the so-called natural development zone of the Harz National Park, which surrounds the core area, bark beetle measures are taken where necessary, and plantations are established where in order to encourage the natural development of the forest. To protect these beech and oak groves, national park wildlife management is required. Accusations that private or state hunts had taken place in

9975-430: Was a 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) wide area running parallel to the border to which access was heavily restricted. Its inhabitants could only enter and leave using special permits, were not permitted to travel to other villages within the zone, and were subjected to nighttime curfews. It was not fenced off but access roads were blocked by checkpoints. On the far side of the Sperrzone was the signal fence ( Signalzaun ),

10080-492: Was closely watched for escapees, many of whom drowned attempting to cross. Numerous bridges blown up in the closing days of the Second World War remained in ruins, while other surviving bridges were blocked or demolished on the East German side. There were no ferry crossings and river barges were rigorously inspected by the GDR border guards. To prevent escape attempts, the East German river banks were barricaded with

10185-408: Was constructed in 1966 to give visitors a view across the hills into East Germany. The inhabitants of the East German village of Kella found themselves becoming a tourist attraction for Westerners in the 1970s and 1980s. A viewing point, the "Window on Kella", was established on a nearby hilltop from which tourists could peer across the border with binoculars and telescopes. To the amusement of many,

10290-417: Was created in which only those holding a special permit could live or work. Trees and brush were cut down along the border to clear lines of sight for the guards and to eliminate cover for would-be crossers. Houses adjoining the border were torn down, bridges were closed and barbed-wire fencing was put up in many places. Farmers were permitted to work their fields along the border only in daylight hours and under

10395-509: Was imposed on the eastern Soviet zone boundary. The number of Soviet soldiers on the boundary was increased and supplemented with border guards from the newly established East German Volkspolizei ("People's Police"). Many unofficial crossing points were blocked with ditches and barricades. The West Germans also stepped up security with the establishment in 1952 of the Federal Border Protection force of 20,000 men; –

10500-562: Was installed in an ongoing programme of improvements from the late 1960s to the 1980s. The fence line was moved back to create an outer strip between the fence and the actual border. The barbed-wire fences were replaced with a barrier that was usually 3.2–4.0 metres (10–13 ft) high. It was constructed with expanded metal mesh ( Metallgitterzaun ) panels. The openings in the mesh were generally too small to provide finger-holds and were very sharp. The panels could not easily be pulled down, as they overlapped, and they could not be cut through with

10605-417: Was put aside by the West and abandoned entirely by the East. New crossing points were established and East German crossing regulations were slightly relaxed, although the fortifications were as rigorously maintained as ever. In 1988, the GDR leadership considered proposals to replace the expensive and intrusive fortifications with a high-technology system codenamed Grenze 2000 . Drawing on technology used by

10710-473: Was released to the West was automatically granted West German rights, including residence and the right to work; West German laws were deemed to be applicable in the East. East Germans thus had a powerful incentive to move to the West, where they would enjoy greater freedom and economic prospects. The East German government sought to define the country as a legitimate state in its own right and portrayed West Germany as enemy territory ( feindliches Ausland ) –

10815-414: Was taken to limit the continuing exodus of its citizens, which threatened the viability of the GDR's economy. A ploughed strip 10 m (32.8 ft) wide was created along the entire length of the inner German border. An adjoining "protective strip" ( Schutzstreifen ) 500 m (1,640 ft) wide was placed under tight control. A "restricted zone" ( Sperrzone ) a further 5 km (3.1 mile) wide

10920-604: Was the frontier between the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany) from 1949 to 1990. De jure not including the similar but physically separate Berlin Wall , the border was 1,381 kilometres (858 mi) long and ran from the Baltic Sea to Czechoslovakia . It was formally established by the Potsdam Agreement on 1 August 1945 as

11025-399: Was very tightly controlled, to ensure that the guards themselves would not be tempted to escape. Although often described by Western sources as a " no-man's land ", it was in fact wholly East German territory; trespassers could be arrested or shot. The actual line between West and East Germany was located on the far side of the outer strip. It was marked by granite stones ( Grenzsteine ) with

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