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# Border
# Border
# West Berlin
# West Berlin
==Checkpoints==
A limited degree of official access across the Wall was permitted. Given that the entire city of Berlin was still under the joint legal authority of the four wartime Allies (the [[United States of America|United States]], [[Great Britain]], [[France]], and the [[Soviet Union]]), personnel from each of those countries still had the right to move between the western and eastern sectors, while diplomats of countries that had official relations with both West and East Germany could cross from one to the other as well. In addition, while the East German government blocked all West German citizens from visiting the country immediately after the Wall's construction, these restrictions began to be loosened from December 1963 onward, and shortly afterward, it allowed its own citizens to apply for permits to travel to the West for limited, temporary purposes (though such applications were often rejected).
For these reasons, the Berlin Wall contained several border crossings or "checkpoints." The number and location of these varied over time, but for most of the Wall's existence there were eight between West and East Berlin. From north to south:
* Bornholmer Straße
* Chausseestraße/Reinickendorfer Straße
* Invalidenstraße/Sandkrugbrücke
* Friedrichstraße Station (the only rail crossing)
* Checkpoint Charlie/Friedrichstraße
* Heinrich-Heine-Straße/Prinzenstraße
* Oberbaumbrücke
* Sonnenallee
In addition, there were several crossings from West Berlin to East Germany proper.
Though the Brandenburg Gate is arguably the most famous landmark associated with the Wall, it was not the site of a border crossing, except for a brief period immediately following the Wall's construction. The closest checkpoint was at Invalidenstraße, a short distance to the north. Of all the crossings, Checkpoint Charlie became the best-known, partly because it was the main one used by members of the Allied armed forces, partly because it allowed the best views into East Berlin by observers in the West, and partly because it was the scene of some tense standoffs between the Soviet and American armies during the early days of the Wall's existence.
==Escapees==
==Escapees==