The main focus of this border was to stop anyone from defecting into the West. Attempting to leave the GDR illegally was a very dangerous undertaking. You might end up in prison for many years...or dead. At the Marienborn checkpoint alone, about ten people lost their lives trying to cross to the West.

Oh, the smell: Fresh. Inviting. Tasty. Do you remember how it feels when the smell of fresh bread is filling the whole room, coming from the kitchen table? This mouthwatering experience is a sensation that you can have at home almost every morning. You take a fresh roll and your knife. And then comes the sound: The crackle, the splintering—when the sharp steel slices through the crust and cuts the roll in half.