Germany - Schifflersgrund East/West Museum

A most memorable visit to an open air style museum somewhat off the beaten track. Not only were the exhibits and the events it tells you about revealing, the solitude and the silence of what we thought a brilliant overnight stop in our motorhome, was as enjoyable. As company we had one other gentleman and his dog in his motorhome - two motorhomes overnighting on the former West/East German border. Now how's that!

Designated camperstop

From a bygone era

Period uniforms as worn by the East Germans

A stretch of 1.5km of the former dividing wall is still in place. I walked all of it to have a closer look at the site where Heinz-Josef Grosse was shot and killed in 1982 whilst trying to escape. Note the cross on the left where he fell and died in no-mans land. The incident took place in full view of the West German border guards, but agreed protocol prevented their intervention or assistance. The walk down the length of surviving fence, road and watchtower does give you a real feel of walking in the footsteps of history. This dividing 'iron curtain' kept the 'Cold War' very much alive between the West and the East.

Former West/East German border

The following picture shows the front end loader used by Heinz-Josef Grosse to attempt his bid for freedom. He was a construction worker at the border when he noticed that the East German guards were busying themselves with other matters. He got into the cab of his machine and drove it to the far fence, clambered up and into the bucket and jumped over the fence into no-mans land. The guards had by then realised something was happening and opened fire with their Kalashnikovs. This event and the apparent shoot-to-kill policy of the East German regime lead to renewed tensions between East and West during the 1980's.

Front end loader used in an attempt to escape

Fifi in the carpark with the company of a former Bundeswehr armoured vehicle

The visit will also be remembered for the simple pleasure of taking out the chairs and looking across the farming fields of Bad Sooden-Allendorf in warm sunshine. There were the grazing cows, the farmer gathering hay, the visit by the museum's daytime 'guard dog' a Yorkshire terrier doing the rounds. Not often do you have this kind of medicine for the soul in the middle of the European holiday season, all of it on what was a heavily guarded border only 22 years ago.
We continued on our journey the next morning with smiles and a quiet sense of having done something quite ordinary but in an extraordinary way.

Onwards to Berlin! Farewell to the silence and solitude ....