Glienicke Bridge & Museum

Glienicke Bridge & Museum - darkometer rating : 4 - A small bridge with a big history, located right on the border between (West) Berlin and Potsdam . It was not only part of the Iron Curtain all through the era of the Cold War and the division of Germany , but also served as a high-profile location for the exchange of spies between the Eastern Bloc and the West. A new museum at the site now chronicles this history. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: The present Glienicke Bridge is the last in a number of incarnations at the site. The comparatively plain steel construction dates back to 1907, when the waterway that it spans had to be opened for boat traffic, so that the previous low stone bridge (designed by famous architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel) had to go. The steel bridge was modified on a few occasions, namely broadened and raised higher. But the basic design was retained. From early on it served as a crucial bottleneck connection between Berlin and Potsdam , and at times was allegedly one of the most used bridges in Germany (carrying the No. 1 overland road out of the capital!) This changed with the end of WWII . First the bridge was damaged during the Battle of Berlin, though only partially collapsed so that in 1947 it could be repaired.