The Baltic Sea watchtower () in

Kühlungsborn Kühlungsborn () is a Seebad (seaside resort) town in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the Baltic Sea coast, 11 km northwest of Bad Doberan, and 25 km northwest of Rostock. The town has an elo ...

is an old

East German border troops The Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic () was the border guard of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1946 to 1990. The were the primary force guarding the Berlin Wall and the Inner German border, the GDR's international bor ...

watchtower that was manned by the Coastal Brigade (''Grenzbrigade Küste'') or GBK. As a maritime observation town of type BT 11 it was one of a series of originally 27 towers of this type on the coast of

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, of which only two survive.''Ostsee-Grenzturm in Kühlungsborn''
at www.ostsee-grenzturm.com. Accessed on 25 Jan 2013.

History and architecture

The tower was built in 1972Grenzturm e.V. ''Ostsee-Grenzturm, Denkmal und Begegnungsort in Erinnerung an die deutsche Teilung'' brochure published with the support of the State Commissioner for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for

Stasi The Ministry for State Security (, ; abbreviated MfS), commonly known as the (, an abbreviation of ), was the Intelligence agency, state security service and secret police of East Germany from 1950 to 1990. It was one of the most repressive pol ...

documents. and is located in

Ost immediately next to the beach

promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortification, fortress or city walls ...

, not far from the

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

. The border defence soldiers of the Coastal Brigade had the task of observing shipping movements on the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

and identifying escape attempts. By means of a fixed telescope with high magnification, the four-man crew could observe a wide area up to 12

nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude at t ...

s from the observation platform. At night the vicinity could be illuminated with a searchlight on the roof of the tower. The basic equipment on the observation deck included a radio station, a stand-by generator and heating. Below the windows were sealable embrasures for weapons. The guards recorded every apparently suspicious movement. The radio equipment was part of the border reporting network, so border patrol vessels and land-based units could be alerted immediately. The Baltic Sea border tower dominated the landscape of the Baltic Sea coast. Soldiers of the Border Brigade patrolled the beach, and were supported as needed by mobile searchlights and fully equipped service vehicles.

Society

A society prevented the planned demolition of the tower in 1990 and, on their own initiative, restored the building and the technical facilities. In 1991 the border tower was declared a historic monument and it is included in the list of heritage monuments in Kühlungsborn. The tower is accessible using an internal steel ladder.

Documented escape attempts

Information boards around the tower describe various successful escape attempts as well as those prevented by the border guards. One of the most famous escapees was Peter Döbler, who swam across the Baltic Sea in 1971, reaching the island of Fehmarn 45 km away after about 25 hours. In the exhibition room next to the watchtower are several items used for escapes, such as the inflatable boat that took a family with two children. Some of the soldiers' issued equipment are also displayed. The impact of the former Baltic Sea frontier on local residents is described.

Gallery

File:Kühlungsborn_Ostseegrenzturm,_Beispiel_eines_Grenzsoldaten.jpg, The border troops looked like this. File:Kühlungsborn, Ostseeallee, Ehemaliger Grenzwachturm, von der Seeseite aus, 3.JPG, View from the sea side. File:Kühlungsborn Ostsee Grenzturm Die 15 Meter hohe Kanzel.JPG, The observation deck at a height of 15 metres.

References

Sources

* Grenzturm e.V. '' Ostsee-Grenzturm, Denkmal und Begegnungsort in Erinnerung an die deutsche Teilung'' Broschüre, herausgegeben mit Unterstützung des Landesbeauftragten für Mecklenburg-Vorpommern für die Stasi Unterlagen.

Sees also

Baltic Sea watchtower, Börgerende The Baltic Sea watchtower () in Börgerende is an old watchtower that belonged to the Coastal Brigade (''Grenzbrigade Küste'') of the East German Border Troops. As a maritime border observation tower (of type BT 11) it belonged to a series of o ...

https://www.spiegel.de/geschichte/ddr-rekordflucht-1971-peter-doebler-schwamm-45-kilometer-ueber-die-ostsee-in-die-freiheit-a-d918efb3-69eb-4736-b43a-2a96b6486766?d=1627136451&sara_ecid=soci_upd_wbMbjhOSvViISjc8RPU89NcCvtlFcJ

External links

*
Website des Ostsee-Grenzturm e.V.

at ostsee.de {{DEFAULTSORT:Baltic Sea watchtower, Kuhlungsborn GDR Border Troops Watchtowers in Germany Heritage sites in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Military of East Germany Buildings and structures in Rostock (district)