Waldsiedlung
Encyclopedia
Wandlitz
Wandlitz is a municipality in the district of Barnim, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 25 km north of Berlin, and 15 km east of Oranienburg...
(Barnim) about 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) north of East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
. The highest party members of the SED
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
's lived here in relative luxury from 1960 to 1989.
Waldsiedlung and surrounding areas remained off-limits to all ordinary Germans until German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
.
Background
After the events of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the SED party leadership in East Germany decided to build a secure living zone away from its mansions on the MajakowskiringMajakowskiring
The Majakowskiring is an ellipse-shaped street in the Pankow district of Berlin, Germany, in the Niederschönhausen locality...
in Berlin's Pankow district
Pankow
Pankow is the third borough of Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weißensee; the resulting borough retained the name Pankow.- Overview :...
. Construction of Waldsiedlung began two years later after a SED resolution in an area belonging to the city of Bernau
Bernau
Bernau may refer to:*Bernau bei Berlin, a town in Brandenburg, Germany*Bernau am Chiemsee, a municipality in the district of Rosenheim in Bavaria, Germany*Bernau im Schwarzwald, a municipality in Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
. It was built between 1958 and 1960 through an agency subordinated through the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
; this department was tasked with protecting individuals and worked closely with the Ministry for Public Security.
Layout
Waldsiedlung covered about 2km² although the area perimeter was not immediately recognizable from the outside. The 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) outer ring consisted of a wire-mesh fence, on which there were signs signifying a 'game research area'. The inner ring was surrounded by a two-metre high, green security wall and could only be entered with special passes.The four gates were guarded by MfS troops
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
from the Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment. Troops were stationed at 31 watch posts within the 5 km outer fence.
In the 1970s a four-lane autobahn connected the site directly to Berlin.
Living conditions
Within the inner ring, Waldsiedlung consisted of 23 detached family houses with 180m² of land each. The site had a club house with cinema and restaurant, a shop where a limited selection of luxury Western goods could be purchased in local currencyEast German mark
The East German mark commonly called the eastern mark , in East Germany only Mark, was the currency of the German Democratic Republic . Its ISO 4217 currency code was DDM...
, a market garden, a health centre, a shooting range, a swimming pool, a sports field and tennis courts.
There were also barracks and social building for site employees and guards.
In the Honecker era
Erich Honecker
Erich Honecker was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic as General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1971 until 1989, serving as Head of State as well from Willi Stoph's relinquishment of that post in 1976....
the cooks were required to produce gourmet-level meals. In addition to high-quality East German food products luxury western products, such as Beaujolais wines
Beaujolais
Beaujolais is a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée wine generally made of the Gamay grape which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labeled varietally. Whites from the region, which make up only 1% of its production, are made mostly with Chardonnay grapes...
and seltzer water, were imported from West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
.
Waldsiedlung was colloquially called Wandlitz
Wandlitz
Wandlitz is a municipality in the district of Barnim, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 25 km north of Berlin, and 15 km east of Oranienburg...
among East Germans. In the 1980s it became known as Volvograd after the country's political elite began to use Swedish cars
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
rather than the traditional Soviet luxury Chaikas.
In late 1989 the inhabitants had to leave the settlement in accordance with a resolution from the GDR government under premier Hans Modrow
Hans Modrow
Hans Modrow is a German politician, best known as the last communist premier of East Germany. He currently is the honorary Chairman of the Left Party....
.