Traenenpalast Museum Opens To The Public in Berlin

A visitor looks at a display of video monitors once used by East German border police at the Traenenpalast museum on its first day open to the public on September 15, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. The museum documents the history of the Friedrichstrasse crossing between East and West Berlin. Located at the end of an East Berlin subway line, it was the final point of departure for West Germans returning west after visiting relatives in the East, which earned the building the popular name Traenenpalast, or Palace of Tears. Border gaurds often subjected travelers to inordinately long waits and meticulous searches. The construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 separated families and friends overnight as the East German government mostly forbid its citizens from travelling west. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images Europe) Continue reading »