BALTIC BORDER TOWER, KÛHLUNGS-
BORN
ADDRESS
The border tower is located in Kühlungsborn East directly at the beach promenade not far from the pier. Go up to the corner Strandstraße/Ostseeallee.
Contact: Chairman of the Society for the Conservation of Historical Monuments Knut Wiek Ostseeallee 1a 18225 Kühlungsborn + 49 0171 7530 924
WEBSITE
OPENING HOURS
Contact us for viewings, guided tours or talks. Guided tours normally Fridays 15:00 and 17:00. Tours can be arranged by phone at short notice, +49 (0)38293 411291.
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BALTIC WATCH TOWER ON THE BEACH AT KÜHLUNGSBORN. MEMORIAL TO THE COLD WAR AND DIVIDED GERMANY
World War II (1939-45) ended in a defeated and divided Germany. Two countries - the Communist GDR and the democratic FRG - coexisted. In 1961, the Communist GDR government erected the “Berlin Wall” over night at the orders of the Soviet Union and with its support. From that point on, it was impossible for East Germans to travel freely to the West. The land and sea borders were totally closed.
The Baltic Border Tower Type BT 11 was part of the border control system. Its purpose was to prevent escapees from reaching West German or Danish shores and to observe all movements and boats at sea and along the coast. Generally, two soldiers were based in the tower. They operated the huge searchlights, scanning the sea at night. Using a special Radio Network System, border patrol boats or army units with helicopters could be immediately alerted. Most attempts to escape ended in tragedy.
AFTER THE COLD WAR, FREE BEACHES FOR FREE CITIZENS ONCE MORE
After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1990, people could once again move freely along the German Baltic Sea’s beaches, sailing, diving and angling.
In 1990, the citizens of Kühlungsborn and the new mayor saved the last Baltic Border Tower from demolition and it was maintained as a monument.
The tower is going to be restored step by step and turned into a meeting place. The Border Tower Society is compiling local archives and is happy to accept all contributions, wether information, documents or objects.
A PRESENT FOR THE NEW MUSEUM: A BOAT USED FOR ESCAPING ACROSS THE BALTIC
This little boat was used by the Kostbade family in 1988 to escape across the Baltic Sea from Kühlungsborn to the isle of Fehmarn in the West. The boat measures only 3.5 metres long. The risky night-time escape of the parents and their two children was aided by thick fog.
The Kostbades have now donated the boat to the “Ostsee-Grenzturm” Society. It will be one of the exhibits at a new museum near the tower, to be built in 2011 to provide information on the extraordinary history of this place.