Crossing the inner border between the two Germanys was not impossible during the Cold War. In fact, the border was never completely “sealed” in the manner of what exists between the two Koreas. Of course, at least until the late 1970s, it was easier for a Western tourist to cross into East Germany than for East German citizens to emigrate to the West.
The fact is that an adventurous and intrepid Western tourist could legally cross the border between the two Germanys through a series of designated points by road, train, boat (in the case of rivers), or plane. It was not easy to obtain passage rights, but neither was it impossible.
Travelers coming from Denmark, Sweden, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, or heading to these countries, could cross through East Germany. Foreign tourists had to send their itineraries to the East German tourism office at least nine weeks prior to their trip. Additionally, once in the country, they were required to register at the nearest police station.
Among the most curious requirements were that they were obligated to spend a minimum amount of money per day, could only refuel at pre-approved gas stations, and were required to stay exclusively at an Interhotel, where rooms cost up to ten times more than in a “normal” hotel.
Interhotel was the name of the luxury hotel chain founded in 1965. Initially, it had establishments in Berlin, Erfurt, Jena, Magdeburg, Chemnitz (then called Karl-Marx-Stadt), and Leipzig. Eventually, the number of establishments exceeded 30.
The five-star Interhotels were exclusively reserved for guests from non-socialist or non-communist countries. Citizens from Comecon countries could only stay in the four-star hotels, such as the Park Inn Berlin, or the more modest three-star hotels located in smaller cities, like the Hotel Elephant in Weimar.
The chain was controlled by none other than the Stasi, the secret police, disguised under the tourism department. So, as you can imagine, most of the rooms were riddled with microphones and hidden cameras.
It is not surprising that East Germany never managed to develop a significant tourism industry, given how visitors were treated.
After reunification, the hotels of the chain were sold off to other companies, and it seems that by 2006 none remained under the control of Deutsche Interhotel, as the last twelve were acquired by the American Blackstone Group.
This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on October 8, 2018: Las curiosas obligaciones de los turistas en la antigua República Democrática Alemana
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