Basic HTML Version
ANewLook
ata
DIVIDED CITY
B
ERLIN IS
an
emgma, a para–
dox. Berlín is a
con undrum of iro–
nies.
Berlín is the Jerusa–
lem of central Europe
in terms of controversy.
Berlín is all this and
more.
by
John Ross Schroeder
no compar ison to the
colorful, p r osperous
homes one sees nearly
everywhere in the Federal
Republic. Numerous
G.D.R. houses, at least
along the railway route,
were little more than
huts.
For Berlín is a city that
used to be one city and
now has been divided into
two separate c ities be–
longing to two different
countries.
Being a longtime ad–
mirer of steam locomo–
tives, 1 was in for an
e
unexpected treat on this
¡j
100-mile ride across East
~
German territory. 1 had
~
not seen steam locomo–
~
tives in regular service
L.:::====:::;¡==:::::;::::==========::::::::::::::::~=====..lt
si nce 1953. Most West-
The enigmas and iro–
nies of Berlín go on and on. Sur–
rounded on all sides by the Ger–
man Democratic Republic (the
G.D.R.), West Ber lín is an island
of capitalism in the midst of a
country of socialism.
West Berlín is, in sorne ways,
a
part
of West Germany. But it is
effectively separated from the Fed–
eral Republic by 100 miles of East
German territory.
Bound for Berlin
l boarded an intercity train in the
bustling West German city of Han–
nover bound for West Berlín. The
train was full of Berliners returning
to that city from a visit to the Fed–
eral Republic.
In the restaurant car 1 sat across
from an elderly gentleman who
lives in East Berlí n. He spoke a
little English. He remarked at how
much cheaper the very samc meat
May 1984
dish we were partaking of would be
in East Berl ín.
Upon our arrival at the East Ger–
man border town of Helmstedt,
G.D.R. police and customs officials
boarded the train. They checked
passenger passports and visas as tbe
train rolled through the East Ger–
man countryside. The stark differ–
ence between the two countries
became immediately obvious. West
Germany is an exceedingly pros–
perous country from a materialistic
point of view. East Germany is
no
t.
One should not , howcver, jump
to the conclusion that life in the
West is always superior. Crime is
not a big problem in either East
Berlín or East Germany as a whole.
The same cannot be said of West
Germany.
But the stark and Spartan hous–
ing estates of East Germany bear
ern countries have long
since modernized their locomotive
fteet with diese! electrics. To my
delight there were a number of
handsome steamers working the
route- another telltale clue that
economically, the East was behind
the West.
The four-hour train ride to West
Berlín was one of the most pleasur–
able trips of my life, conversation–
ally and otherwise. 1 was sorry to
have to detrain.
The railway station in West Ber–
lín was a shabby eyesore compared
to most of the modern metropolitan
passenger depots in the Federal
Republic- another one of thosc
abundant enigmas so peculiar to
Berlín. The reason: East Germans
own and operate the overground
rai lway systems in West Berlin- a
peculiarity brought about by the
unusual status of the whole city of
Berlín following World War IJ. In
27