title: Hungary national football team

text: Budapest was denied the opportunity to host the 1920 Summer Olympics, which were held in Belgium. The countries of the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria) were excluded from the Olympics. The formation the Hungarians used was 2–3–5 which was unique at that time.


title: Hungary national football team

text: During this period the Fogl brothers (József and Károly Fogl) played in the national team. Between 1921 and 1924, Béla Guttmann also played six times for the team. At the 1924 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, Guttmann objected to the fact that there were more officials than players in the Hungary squad and that the hotel was more suitable for socialising than match preparation, and to demonstrate his disapproval he hung dead rats on the doors of the travelling officials. At the 1924 Summer Olympics, in the first match Hungary beat Poland but in the second round they lost to Egypt. As a consequence, both the head coach and the head of the Hungarian Football Federation resigned.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Between 1927 and 1930, Hungary participated in the Central European International Cup which is considered to be the first international tournament, with Austria, Czechoslovakia, Italy and Switzerland. In the final, Hungary lost to Italy 0–5. On 12 June 1927, Hungary beat France by 13–1, which is still a record. József Takács scored six goals.


title: Hungary national football team

text: The first FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930, but Hungary were not invited and did not take part in the tournament; there were no qualification matches. Hungary first appeared in the 1934 World Cup in Italy. Hungary's first World Cup match was against Egypt on 27 May 1934, a 4–2 win. The goals were scored by Pál Teleki, Géza Toldi (2) and Jenő Vincze. In the quarter-finals, Hungary faced neighbouring arch-rivals Austria but lost 2–1, the only Hungarian goal coming from György Sárosi.


title: Hungary national football team

text: The 1938 World Cup was held in France. The first match was played against Dutch East Indies and Hungary won 6–0. Sárosi and Gyula Zsengellér each scored twice while Vilmos Kohut and Toldi scored one goal each. In the quarter-finals, Hungary beat Switzerland 2–0 with goals by Sárosi and Zsengellér. In the semi-final at the Parc des Princes, Paris, Hungary beat Sweden 5–1 with goals by Ferenc Sas and Sárosi and a hat-trick by Zsengellér. In the final, Hungary faced Italy at the Stade Olympique de Colombes, Paris, but lost 4–2. The Hungarian goals were scored by Pál Titkos and Sárosi.


title: Hungary national football team

text: This Hungarian team was best known as one of the most formidable and influential sides in football history, which revolutionised the play of the game. Centred around the dynamic and potent quartet of strikers Ferenc Puskás, Sándor Kocsis, attacking half-back József Bozsik and second striker Nándor Hidegkuti, the "Aranycsapat" ("Golden Team") of the "Magnificent Magyars" captivated the football world with an exciting brand of play with innovative tactical nuances. Excluding the 1954 World Cup Final, they achieved a remarkable record of 43 victories, 6 draws, and 0 defeats from 14 May 1950 until they lost 3–1 to Turkey on 19 February 1956.


title: Hungary national football team

text: In the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Hungary beat Romania 2–1 with a goal each from Czibor and Kocsis in the preliminary round. In the first round Hungary beat Italy 3–0; in the quarter-finals Hungary beat Turkey 7–1; and in the semi-finals Hungary faced Sweden, the 1948 Olympics champions and won 6–0. In the final, Hungary beat Yugoslavia 2–0 with a goal each from Puskás and Czibor and thus won the Olympic title for the first time.


title: Hungary national football team

text: On 25 November 1953, England played Hungary at Wembley Stadium, London in a match later dubbed as the "match of the century". The English team were unbeaten for 90 years at home. In front of 105,000 spectators Nándor Hidegkuti scored the first Hungarian goal in the first minute. At half-time the score was 4–2 to Hungary. The Hungarian goals were scored by Nándor Hidegkúti (1st, 22nd) and Ferenc Puskás (25th, 29th). In the second half the Hungarians scored twice more (Hidegkúti and József Bozsik). The final score was 6–3.


title: Hungary national football team

text: On 23 May 1954, the Hungarian national team beat England 7–1 (which remains their worst defeat to date) at the Puskás Ferenc Stadium. At that time in Hungary there was a saying about the match: "Az angolok egy hétre jöttek és 7:1-re mentek", which is a double play on words. The word "week" in Hungarian is called "hét", meaning the number seven. The English came for 1:7 and left with 7:1.


title: Hungary national football team

text: The 1954 World Cup was held in Switzerland. The first match was played against South Korea and Hungary won by 9–0 at the Hardturm, Zürich. In the second group match, Hungary played against West Germany and won by 8–3 at St. Jakob Stadium, Basel. In the quarter-finals, Hungary beat Brazil 4–2 at the Wankdorf Stadium, Bern. In the semi-finals, Hungary played with the two-times World Cup winner Uruguay in Lausanne; Hungary won by 4–2 after extra time. In the final, Hungary faced with West Germany again. Although Hungary won the group match against the Germans, they lost 3–2 in the final in Bern at the Wankdorf Stadium. The Golden Team, built around the legendary Ferenc Puskás, led early 2–0, but ended up 2–3 in a game the West Germans subsequently christened "The Miracle of Bern".


title: Hungary national football team

text: In 2010, journalist Erik Eggers speculates in a study that the German team may have used drugs to beat the Hungarian team, who were considered "invincible" at that time.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Although Hungary qualified as the defending champions for the 1956 Olympics, they did not enter the tournament.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary qualified for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Hungary played their first match against Wales at the Jarnvallen stadium in Sandviken and the final result was 1–1. The second group match was played against the host country, Sweden, where Hungary lost 2–1 at the Råsunda Stadium, Solna. Although Hungary won their last group match against Mexico at the Jarnvallen stadium in Sandvinken, they were eliminated from the World Cup after losing a play-off to Wales, who they had drawn level with on points. The Welsh had drawn all their group matches and then beat the once-mighty Hungarians in a play-off match to decide which nation should follow Sweden into the knock-out stage. Had goal difference been the decider, Hungary would have gone through, as the Hungarians had a goal tally of 6–3 compared to 2–2 for Wales. As it was, Wales instead met Brazil in the quarter-finals and were the recipient of young Pelé's first World Cup goal.


title: Hungary national football team

text: In 1960, Hungary again entered the Olympics held in Italy and was drawn into Group D with France, Peru and India. Hungary finished top of the group with all wins and a goal difference of +12. In the semi-finals, they lost to Denmark 0–2, but beat Italy in the bronze medal match 2–1 thanks to a goal each from Orosz and Dunai.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary qualified for the 1962 World Cup, held in Chile. On 31 May 1962, in the first group match, Hungary beat England by 2–1 thanks to the goals of Lajos Tichy and Flórián Albert at El Teniente stadium in Rancagua in front of 7,938 spectators. The second match on 3 June 1962 was even more convincing against Bulgaria; the match was won 6–1 in Rancagua. The last group match was against Argentina on 6 June 1962 and the final result was a goalless draw in front of 7,945 spectators in Rancagua. Hungary qualified for the quarter-finals by gaining five points and winning the group. In the quarter-finals, however, Hungary was eliminated by Czechoslovakia by 1–0 at El Teniente in front of 11,690 spectators.


title: Hungary national football team

text: In 1964, Hungary again qualified for the 1964 Olympics held in Tokyo and was drawn into Group B with defending champions Yugoslavia, Morocco and North Korea, the latter withdrawing. In their first match against Morocco, Hungary won 6–0 with all six goals scored by Ferenc Bene. In their second match, Hungary won narrowly (6–5) against Yugoslavia and advanced into the next round along with runners-up Yugoslavia. In the quarter-finals, Hungary beat Romania 2–0 with goals from Csernai. In the semi-finals, Hungary beat United Arab Republic (Egypt) 6–0 with four goals from Bene and two from Komora. In the finals, Hungary beat Czechoslovakia 2–1 thanks from an own goal by Weiss and a goal by Bene, thus won their second gold medal.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary qualified for the 1964 European Nations' Cup which was organised in Spain. Hungary played against Spain in the semi-finals of the tournament. The final result was 2–1 after extra time. The only Hungarian goal was scored by Ferenc Bene. In the third place play-off Hungary beat Denmark 3–1 after extra time. Dezső Novák scored twice in the extra time.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary also managed to qualify for the 1966 World Cup which was held in the home of football, England. On 13 July 1966, Hungary lost their first group match against Eusébio's Portugal (3–1) at Old Trafford, Manchester. Two days later, in the second group match Hungary beat Brazil thanks to the goals of Ferenc Bene, János Farkas and Kálmán Mészöly at Goodison Park, Liverpool. In the last round of the group matches, on 20 July 1966, Hungary beat Bulgaria 3–1. The goals were scored by Mészöly and Bene. Hungary finished second in the group and qualified for the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, Hungary were eliminated by the Soviet Union on 23 July 1966 by 2–1 at the Roker Park in Sunderland in front of 26,844 spectators.


title: Hungary national football team

text: In 1968 Olympics, Hungary qualified as defending champions to defend their title and was drawn into Group C with Israel, Ghana and El Salvador. Hungary finished top and advanced into the next round with Israel. In the quarter-finals, Hungary beat Guatemala narrowly with 1–0 from a goal by Szűcs. In the semi-finals, they beat Japan 5–0 thanks to Szűcs with three goals and two from Novák. In the finals, they beat Bulgaria 4–1 and won their third title, being the most successful team at the Olympics in football (Great Britain also won three titles but their first title is in 1904, and football only became an official event in 1908). However, Hungary failed to qualify for the 1970 FIFA World Cup, following a severe defeat to Czechoslovakia (1–4) during a qualification play-off, which many see as the beginning of a period of long-standing decline.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Flórián Albert was named European Footballer of the Year in 1967. He was the most successful footballer of Ferencváros since the formation of the club, scoring 255 goals in 351 matches from 1958 to 1974.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary came back again as long-time defending champions in the 1972 Olympics in Munich and was drawn into Group C with Denmark, Iran and Brazil. They finished top and advanced into the next round with Denmark. In their second group round, they were drawn into Group 1 with East Germany, West Germany and Mexico. They again finished top undefeated and advanced into the finals with East Germany. In the finals, they faced Poland and lost 1–2. The only Hungarian goal was scored by Varady.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary qualified for the finals of the UEFA Euro 1972 which was held in Belgium. In the semi-finals, Hungary faced the Soviet Union and lost 1–0. In the third place play-off, Hungary lost to Belgium 2–1. The only Hungarian goal was scored by Lajos Kű. Hungary finished fourth in at the Euro. The Hungarians would not appear at the European Championship again for 44 years until UEFA Euro 2016.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary participated in the 1978 World Cup which was held in Argentina. On 2 June 1978 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Hungary played with Argentina. Although Károly Csapó scored an early goal, the home side won the match by 2–1. Hungary played their second group match against Italy and the "Azzurri" won by 3–1. Hungary's third match was played against Michel Platini's France and Hungary lost 3–1 which resulted the farewell of the national side.


title: Hungary national football team

text: During the 1980s, Hungary qualified for the World Cup twice. The first group match of the 1982 tournament in Spain was played against El Salvador, where Hungary won 10–1 at Estadio Nuevo, Elche. The goals were scored by Tibor Nyilasi (2), Gábor Pölöskei, László Fazekas (2), József Tóth, László Kiss (3) and Lázár Szentes. In spite of the big victory, Hungary lost to 4–1 to Diego Maradona's Argentina in the second match of the group stages. Maradona scored twice, while the only Hungarian goal was scored by Pölöskei at the Estadio José Rico Pérez in Alicante. Although Hungary drew in the last match against Belgium, they were eliminated from the World Cup. Hungary, however, had been leading in the first half thanks to a goal by József Varga.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary's last World Cup appearance to date was the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. In the first match of the group Hungary lost 6–0 to the Soviet Union. Football experts date the crisis of the Hungarian football from this match. Although Hungary won their second match against Canada 2–0 (the goals were scored by Márton Esterházy and Lajos Détári), they lost to Michel Platini's France 3–0 in the last group match.


title: Hungary national football team

text: During the 1990s, Hungary were not able to qualify for any international tournaments save for the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta. The 1980s were considered as the most bitter years of Hungarian football, but the 1990s proved to be the worst. In 1996, Hungary reached its lowest FIFA World Ranking, 87th. The fall of the Hungarian Communist regime caused financial problems to many Hungarian clubs. Formerly successful clubs like Ferencváros and Újpest faced financial crisis and bankruptcy. This had a profound effect on the Hungarian national team as well since earlier the biggest clubs from Budapest (Ferencváros, Újpest, Honvéd and MTK) produced the players for the national side. Another important reason for the decline can be attributed to the Bosman ruling. Since the Hungarian clubs lost the financial aid from the state in the early 1990s, they were not able to compete with the richer Western European clubs. The crisis in the Hungarian club football affected the performance of the national team.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskás was appointed as the head coach of the national side in 1993 in order to bring back earlier success. He led the team for only four matches, however, as the former Honvéd and Real Madrid star failed to make an impact. The only remarkable success in the 1990s was the qualification of Hungary to the 1996 Summer Olympics. Antal Dunai's team played its first group match against Nigeria and lost to 1–0 in Orlando. In the second group match, Hungary played Brazil and lost to 3–1. The only Hungarian goal was scored by Csaba Madar. The last group match was played against Japan, a 3–2 loss. The Hungarian goals were scored by Csaba Madar and Tamás Sándor. Although the Olympic qualification of the young team was a big surprise and people thought that Hungary would have a better future in football history, the team never reached any similar success later. In the 1990s, Hungary were the closest to qualify for the 1998 World Cup but were eliminated in the play-offs by Yugoslavia with a 12–1 aggregate score.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary were unable to qualify for any major tournament, missing out UEFA Euro 2000, 2004, 2008 and the 2002, 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups. Moreover, during the Euro 2008 qualification, Hungary finished sixth in their group, reaching their nadir in their football history. They even lost to minnows Malta which resulted in the resignation of Péter Bozsik. Several days later, Péter Várhidi was appointed who was famous for his appearances in the Sport 1, Hungarian sport television, and analyzing the Italian Serie A clubs. He proved his talent by beating the 2006 World Champions Italy 3–1 at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium in a friendly tie. Neither Bozsik nor Várhidi, however, could do well in the official matches, which resulted in their removal. The Hungarian Football Federation even tried out foreign coaches: both Lothar Matthäus and Erwin Koeman failed to qualify for any tournaments.


title: Hungary national football team

text: The Hungary national under-20 team head coach Sándor Egervári was appointed as head coach for the senior side ahead of Euro 2012 qualifying in which Hungary were drawn against Finland, Moldova, the Netherlands, San Marino and Sweden. Hungary won six, drew one and lost three games as they finished the group in third place with 19 points. During the qualification process, in September 2011, Hungary reached the 27th place in the FIFA World Ranking, their highest position to date. At the end of the year, the national team played Liechtenstein as a commemoration of the recently deceased Flórián Albert, the only Hungarian football player to win the Ballon d'Or.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary were drawn in Group D in their 2014 World Cup qualifying, along with the Netherlands, Turkey, Romania, Estonia and Andorra. They amassed 14 points entering the penultimate round of games, but suffered a joint national record defeat 8–1 to the Netherlands, which resulted in the resignation of head coach Sándor Egervári. For their final group game, a 2–0 win against Andorra, Hungary were led by caretaker manager József Csábi. They finished in third place in the group, on 17 points, missing out on qualification. After the match, striker Ádám Szalai gave a press conference delivering a poignant scathing monologue about his perception of "continuously lying to our supporters" when it came to suggesting that the team had a chance against current leading teams of the world. Similar sentiments have been expressed before by midfielder Szabolcs Huszti. During this period, a film crew began filming the team during both their preparations and matches; the film, "Még 50 perc" was eventually released in 2016 just before Euro 2016.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Attila Pintér was appointed as head coach of the national team in December 2013. Some had seen this decision as controversial, given Pintér's low popularity with fans and players alike. The team played their first game at the newly constructed Groupama Arena on 7 September 2014, a 2–1 defeat to Northern Ireland in Euro 2016 qualifying. Pintér was subsequently dismissed, with Pál Dárdai appointed as a temporary replacement for three matches. He turned down an offer to manage the team on a permanent basis, but was kept on. Subsequently, Dardai was at Hertha BSC, where he had been passing youth coach, was promoted to manager of the first team, but he remained still coach. In the summer of 2015, he resigned as coach of the Hungarian national team to devote himself to his work as Hertha manager. He was eventually replaced by the German sports director of the Hungarian Football Association, Bernd Storck, in July 2015. Storck exercised incidentally continue from the post of Sports Director of the Association.


title: Hungary national football team

text: On 15 November 2015, a Storck-led Hungary qualified for its first European Championship (UEFA Euro 2016) after 44 years, when Hungary was qualified for the 1972 tournament. Hungary beat Norway in the first leg of the qualifying playoffs 1–0; the only goal was scored by László Kleinheisler. On the return match, Hungary beat Norway 2–1 and qualified for the Euro 2016 finals. After beating Austria 2–0 and drawing with Iceland, Hungary played an exciting 3–3 draw against eventual Euro winners Portugal. Hereupon, Hungary managed to qualify for the round of 16 with a game to spare, marking their best Euro or World Cup performance in over 40 years.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia after finishing outside of the qualification places. Along the way, they drew against the Faroe Islands and were humiliated after being defeated by Andorra 1–0. After failing to qualify, manager Bernd Storck resigned.


title: Hungary national football team

text: On 10 November 2017, Hungary was embarrassed again when they were defeated by Luxembourg 2–1 in a friendly.


title: Hungary national football team

text: On 30 October 2017, Georges Leekens was appointed as a new head coach. Hungary lost both matches in March 2018, the first defeat was another embarrassing one against minnows Kazakhstan (2–3).


title: Hungary national football team

text: On 19 June 2018, after three losses and one draw under his reign, Leekens was let go and Marco Rossi was appointed in his place.


title: Hungary national football team

text: 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C saw Hungary drawn with Finland, Greece and Estonia. Hungary had a nearly successful performance, but losses to Finland and Greece screwed their hope to finish in the top of the group. However, UEFA revised the formula aftermath, meaning Hungary was officially promoted to 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B, having finished second before.


title: Hungary national football team

text: The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying drew a mixed result for the Hungarians. Grouped in group E, they faced Croatia, Wales, Slovakia and Azerbaijan; the former occupied the silver medal in the 2018 FIFA World Cup while the latter was one of 12 host countries in the tournament. Hungary performed successfully against Croatia and Wales at home, obtaining needed victories, as well as successive wins over Azerbaijan. However, two straight defeats to Slovakia and away losses to Croatia and Wales, with the final loss happened when Hungary had a chance to qualify directly, sent Hungary into a disappointing fourth-place finish at the expense of the Welsh who qualified directly instead. However, Hungary was able to obtain a play-off spot, thanked for finishing second in their group at the Nations League, behind Finland, and was scheduled against Bulgaria.


title: Hungary national football team

text: While Hungary could only gain a play-off spot in hope to reach the UEFA Euro 2020, Hungary's strong result in previous Nations League gathered more optimism. Hungary began their quest in 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B sharing a group with Russia, Turkey and Serbia. Hungary impressed in their 1–0 victory against host Turkey, Dominik Szoboszlai scoring the game's only goal with a 30-meter free kick. However, Hungary faced a setback when Russia, who Hungary had failed to win against since 1978, beat them at home with 2–3. A series of good results followed later, with two draws against Russia and Serbia, an important away win over the Serbs in Belgrade, and more importantly, a much needed 2–0 win over Turkey at home. This meant that Hungary was able to gain promotion at the expense of Russia to the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A.


title: Hungary national football team

text: In October 2020, Hungary participated in the play-offs to qualify for UEFA Euro 2020, where they faced Bulgaria in their first game of the play-off series. Despite making an away trip to Sofia, Hungary shone with a 3–1 win to reach the final of the play-off to face Iceland a month later, behind closed doors. The team qualified for the tournament winning 2–1, with last-minute strikes from Loïc Nego and Dominik Szoboszlai to take Hungary into the competition despite an earlier mistake by Péter Gulácsi.


title: Hungary national football team

text: In 2021, Hungary was drawn in the "group of death" of the tournament. Group F featured Portugal, the defending European champions, France, the world champions, and Germany, the 2014 world champions. The Hungarians fought against the odds and put on a heroic performance. The first match in Group F was against Portugal on 15 June in the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. The team held onto a 0–0 draw until the 84th minute, even scoring a goal which was disallowed because scorer Schön was offside. The Hungarians lost focus and the match ended in a 3–0 win for Portugal


title: Hungary national football team

text: The second game was played on 19 June against France. Fiola took the lead in the second minute of extra time in the first half. Griezmann later equalized and the match ended 1–1, a fantastic result for the small country. The last group game was played on 23 June in Munich, in the Allianz Arena. Still having a chance to qualify, the Hungarians were fired up. They took the lead twice, but the match ultimately ended in a 2–2 draw. Hungary exited the tournament and Germany saved themselves from another group-stage exit after the 2018 FIFA World Cup.


title: Hungary national football team

text: 2022 again brought the "group of death" for Hungary, as during the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League the team had to face off three former world champions in group A3, Italy, Germany and England respectively. While prior the matches the team was widely considered to be a key contestant for relegation, the Red-White-Greens quickly proved their worth when they beat last year's UEFA Euro silver medalist England 1–0 with a Dominik Szoboszlai penalty an hour into the match. After the victory, expectations were cooled with a 2–1 defeat against Italy in Cesena, nevertheless, an early Zsolt Nagy goal that could only be equalized by Jonas Hofmann resulted in a 1–1 draw against Germany, placing the team second in the group behind Italy. On 14 June, Hungary visited England in Wolverhampton, achieving a stunning 0–4 victory against Gareth Southgate's squad, taking the group's lead after Italy's defeat to Germany. For the last two match days, Hungary's only chance for relegation were defeats against Germany and Italy, with England winning both of their games. The team was taking no chances though, as Ádám Szalai, the long-time forward who announced his retirement a day before the match, scored a heeler to win the game against Germany 1–0 in Leipzig.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary has a long-standing rivalry with its neighbours Romania. The rivalry between the two nations dates back from the Treaty of Trianon, where Hungary lost Transylvania to Romania, after World War I. They throw flares and matches between the two sides usually end in a fight between Hungarian and Romanian supporters, however, recently also before the matches conflicts have emerged outside the stadium. These was seen as they shared the same group in 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifying (The other teams of the group were England, Switzerland and Norway), UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying (The other teams of the group were Portugal, Slovakia, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein), 2002 World Cup qualifying (The other teams of the group were Italy, Georgia and Lithuania), 2014 World Cup qualifying (The other teams of the group were Netherlands, Turkey, Estonia and Andorra) and UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying (The other teams of the group were Greece, Northern Ireland, Finland and Faroe Islands).


title: Hungary national football team

text: The match-up between Austria and Hungary is the second most-played international in football (only Argentina–Uruguay met each other in more matches), although the two teams have only met each other three times since 2000.


title: Hungary national football team

text: The Carpathian Brigade is an official supporters' group for the Hungary national football team. The first organized debut of this group was at a Hungary vs. Malta 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 1 April 2009 at Ferenc Puskás Stadium.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Heavy support for the Hungarian national team also comes from Transylvania, Slovakia, Vojvodina, Zakarpattia and Western Europe.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary's traditional home colours are cherry red shirts, white shorts and green socks. The combination of the colours represent the Hungarian flag. However, the team sometimes wears all white kit even at home. The coat of arms are worn on the left side of the shirt, where the human heart can be found. When the Hungarian players listen to the national anthem of Hungary, "Himnusz", they usually put their arms on to their chest. The actual coat of arms could have always been found on the shirt of the national team in contrast with many other national teams which wear the logo of the football federation. Adidas is currently the designer of the Hungary kits.


title: Hungary national football team

text: The home stadium of the Hungarian national side was the Ferenc Puskás Stadium (also called the Népstadion). The stadium was built between 1948 and 1953 using a large number of volunteers, including soldiers. The stadium was opened in 1953. On 23 May 1954, England lost to 7–1 against the Hungarian national team. The capacity of the stadium at the end was 35,100 (approved by the UEFA) though its original capacity exceeded the 100,000. The stadium also hosted one of the Derbies of Budapest, including Ferencváros, Újpest, MTK, Honvéd or Vasas. The national teams's final match played at the stadium resulted in 3–0 win for Hungary against Kazakhstan on 7 June 2014.


title: Hungary national football team

text: On 19 September 2014, UEFA selected Budapest to host three group stage games and one round of 16 game at UEFA Euro 2020.


title: Hungary national football team

text: On 15 November 2019 the arena was opened by the match Hungary-Uruguay. The idea to invite the Uruguay national football team came from


title: Hungary national football team

text: Károly Jankovics who is the leader of the Hungarian community in Montevideo. All of the tickets were sold for the opening match against Uruguay. In the first three days only the members of the Supporters' Club of the Hungarian Football Federation could purchase the tickets.


title: Hungary national football team

text: On 10 August 2014, Ferencváros' Groupama Arena was opened which was the temporary home of the national team between 2014 and 2019 during the EURO 20016 qualification, 2018 World Cup qualification and Euro 2020 qualification.


title: Hungary national football team

text: The following 25 players were called up for the international friendly matches against Luxembourg (away) and Greece (home) on 17 and 20 November 2022 respectively. Balázs Dzsudzsák was called up for only the match against Greece, which will be his last for the national team.


title: Hungary national football team

text: The first 3 Olympic football events were only unofficial tournaments, with a few nations represented by a club team. Starting from 1908, the Olympic football tournament became an official event, with representation of the official national football teams.


title: Hungary national football team

text: After the Olympics 1988, the football event was changed into a tournament with participation only for the Under-23 national teams.


title: Hungary national football team

text: The match between Austria and Hungary in Vienna in 1902 was the first international match played between two non-British European countries.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary was the first team from outside the United Kingdom and Ireland to beat England at home, famously winning 6–3 at Wembley on 25 November 1953. Six months later they beat England 7–1 in 1954, this time in Budapest. This still ranks as England's record defeat.


title: Hungary national football team

text: The trainer responsible for gelling together the elements of the Hungarian side on the 1950s, Gusztáv Sebes holds the highest ratio of victories per game past 30 matches with 72.06% (49 wins, 12, draws, 7 defeats). Brazil great Vicente Feola (1955–1966) owns the second highest with 71.88% (46 wins, 12 draws, 6 defeats).


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary owns the records for quality in offensive throughput in a single World Cup finals competition. Football historians often relate to the 27 goals (5.4 gls / game) and a goal differential of +17 as records likely never to be passed in the more preventive modern game.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Sándor Kocsis, along with his record 7 hat tricks in the international game, owns the single World Cup finals competition's record with 2.2 goals/match. In 1953, they also became Central European Champions


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary has the distinction of setting the highest Elo football rating ever achieved by a national side, a high of 2230 in 1954. It was set after Hungary's 4–2 victory over Uruguay in the 1954 World Cup semi-final on 30 June 1954, the final match in their 31-game unbeaten streak (see below). Germany and England come in second (2223 in 2014) and third (2212 in 1928) respectively. Brazil of 1962 owns the fourth highest with 2194, and Spain of 2010, with 2165, is the fifth.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Two of the top six international goalscorers of the 20th century were Hungarian, both of them from the Golden Team of the 1950s.


title: Hungary national football team

text: Hungary, with its master narrative of being undefeated in the 1950s also broke one of football's timeless benchmarks being first to eclipse an 1888 Scotland national football team record of being undefeated in 22 consecutive matches. They bettered the old mark by nine additional games to 31 (or 32 counting the match against East Germany, that is not considered an official international for that team). Hungary holds the third longest consecutive run of matches unbeaten with 31 international games between 14 May 1950 and 4 July 1954, when they lost the World Cup final to West Germany.


title: The 13th Warrior

text: The 13th Warrior is a 1999 American historical fiction action film based on Michael Crichton's 1976 novel "Eaters of the Dead", which is a loose adaptation of the tale of "Beowulf" combined with Ahmad ibn Fadlan's historical account of the Volga Vikings. It stars Antonio Banderas as ibn Fadlan, as well as Diane Venora and Omar Sharif. It was directed by John McTiernan; Crichton directed some uncredited reshoots. The film was produced by McTiernan, Crichton, and Ned Dowd, with Andrew G. Vajna, James Biggam and Ethan Dubrow as executive producers.


title: The 13th Warrior

text: Production and marketing costs reputedly reached $160 million, but it grossed $61 million at the box office worldwide, making it one of the biggest box office bombs in history and the biggest one of 1999, with losses of up to $129 million.


title: The 13th Warrior

text: Ahmad ibn Fadlan is a court poet of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Muqtadir of Baghdad, until his amorous encounter with the wife of an influential noble gets him exiled as an "ambassador" to the Volga Bulgars. Traveling with his father's old friend, Melchisidek, his caravan is saved from Tatar raiders by the appearance of Norsemen. Taking refuge at their settlement on the Volga river, communications are established through Melchisidek and Herger, a Norseman who speaks Latin. From Herger, the two learn that the celebration being held by the Northmen is in fact a funeral for their recently deceased king. Herger also introduces them to one of the king's sons, Buliwyf. Ahmad and Melchisidek then witness a fight in which Buliwyf kills his brother in self defense, which establishes Buliwyf as heir apparent, followed by the Viking funeral of their dead king, cremated together with a young woman who agreed to accompany him to Valhalla.


title: The 13th Warrior

text: The next day, a young prince named Wulfgar enters the camp requesting Buliwyf's aid: His father's kingdom in the far north is under attack from an ancient evil so frightening that even the bravest warriors dare not name it. The "angel of death", a völva (wisewoman), determines the mission will be successful if thirteen warriors go to face this danger — but that the thirteenth must not be a Norseman. Ahmad is recruited against his will.


title: The 13th Warrior

text: Ahmad is initially treated indifferently by the Norsemen, who mock his perceived physical weakness and his small Arabian horse; however, he earns a measure of respect by quickly learning their language through careful observation, a demonstration of horsemanship, and his ability to write. Buliwyf, already a polyglot, asks Ahmad to teach him how to write in Arabic, cementing their goodwill towards one another, and recognizing Ahmad's analytic nature as an asset to their quest.


title: The 13th Warrior

text: Reaching King Hrothgar's kingdom, they confirm that their foe is indeed the ancient "Wendol", fiends who come with the mist to kill and take human heads. While the group searches through a raided cabin they find a Venus figurine, said to represent the "Mother of the Wendol". On their first night, Hyglak and Ragnar are killed. In a string of clashes, Buliwyf's band gradually deduce that the Wendol are human cannibals clothed to look like bears, who live like bears, and think of themselves as bears.


title: The 13th Warrior

text: Their numbers dwindling, having also lost Skeld, Halga, Roneth, and Rethel, and their position all but indefensible, they consult an ancient "völva" of the village. She tells them to track the Wendol to their lair and destroy their leaders, the "Mother of the Wendol", and their warlord who wears "the horns of power". Buliwyf and the remaining warriors infiltrate the Wendol cave-complex and kill the Mother, but not before Buliwyf is scratched deeply across the shoulder by her poisoned claw-like fingernail.


title: The 13th Warrior

text: Ahmad and the last of the Norse warriors escape the caves (but without the injured Helfdane, who opts to stay behind and fight). They return to the village to prepare for a last stand. Buliwyf staggers outside before the battle and inspires the warriors with a Viking prayer for the honored dead who will enter Valhalla. Buliwyf succeeds in killing the Wendol warlord, causing their defeat, before succumbing to the poison.


title: The 13th Warrior

text: Ahmad witnesses Buliwyf's royal funeral before returning to his homeland, grateful to the Norsemen for helping him to "become a man and a useful servant of God". He is seen at the movie's end writing down the tale of his time with them.


title: The 13th Warrior

text: Originally titled "Eaters of the Dead", production began in the summer of 1997, but the film went through several re-edits after test audiences did not react well to the initial cut. Crichton took over as director himself due to the poor test audience reception, causing the release date to be pushed back over a year. The film was re-cut, a new ending added, along with a new score. Graeme Revell was replaced by Jerry Goldsmith as composer. The title was changed to "The 13th Warrior".


title: The 13th Warrior

text: The budget, which was originally around $85 million, reportedly soared to $100 million before principal photography concluded. With all of the re-shoots and promotional expenses, the total cost of the film was rumored to be as high as $160 million, which given its lackluster box office take (earning US$61.7 million worldwide), made for a loss of $70–130 million.


title: The 13th Warrior

text: "The 13th Warrior" holds a 33% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 88 reviews. The consensus is: "Atmospheric, great sets and costumes, but thin plot."


title: The 13th Warrior

text: Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half stars out of four, remarking that it "lumber[s] from one expensive set-piece to the next without taking the time to tell a story that might make us care." Conversely, James Berardinelli gave "The 13th Warrior" three stars out of four, calling it "a solid offering" that "delivers an exhilarating 100 minutes". Lisa Schwarzbaum of "Entertainment Weekly" rated it A− and called it "the most unexpectedly audacious, exhilarating, and wildly creative adventure thriller I have seen in ages".


title: The 13th Warrior

text: The outcome of the film's production disappointed Omar Sharif so much that he temporarily retired from film acting, not taking a role in another major film until 2003's "Monsieur Ibrahim":


title: The 13th Warrior

text: Some retrospective reviewers have since reassessed the film, particularly after Vikings became popular in fiction.


title: The 13th Warrior

text: The original soundtrack was composed by Graeme Revell and featured the Dead Can Dance singer Lisa Gerrard. The score was rejected by Michael Crichton and was replaced by one composed by Crichton's usual collaborator, Jerry Goldsmith.


title: West Berlin

text: West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1990, the territory was claimed by the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) which was heavily disputed by the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries. However, West Berlin de facto aligned itself politically with the FRG on 23 May 1949, was directly or indirectly represented in its federal institutions, and most of its residents were citizens of the FRG.


title: West Berlin

text: West Berlin was formally controlled by the Western Allies and entirely surrounded by the Soviet-controlled East Berlin and East Germany. West Berlin had great symbolic significance during the Cold War, as it was widely considered by westerners an "island of freedom" and America's most loyal counterpart in Europe. It was heavily subsidised by West Germany as a "showcase of the West". A wealthy city, West Berlin was noted for its distinctly cosmopolitan character, and as a centre of education, research and culture. With about two million inhabitants, West Berlin had the largest population of any city in Germany during the Cold War era.


title: West Berlin

text: West Berlin was east and north of the Inner German border and only accessible by land from West Germany by narrow rail and highway corridors. It consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors established in 1945. The Berlin Wall, built in 1961, physically separated West Berlin from its East Berlin and East German surroundings until it fell in 1989. On 3 October 1990, the day Germany was officially reunified, East and West Berlin formally reunited, joined the Federal Republic as a city-state and, eventually, once again became the capital of Germany.


title: West Berlin

text: The London Protocol of 1944 and the Potsdam Agreement established the legal framework for the occupation of Germany in the wake of World War II. According to these agreements, Germany would be formally under the administration of four Allies (the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and France) until a German government "acceptable to all parties" could be established. The territory of Germany, as it existed in 1937, would be reduced by most of "Eastern Germany" thus creating the former eastern territories of Germany. The remaining territory would be divided into four zones, each administered by one of the four allied countries. Berlin, which was surrounded by the Soviet zone of occupation—newly established in most of Middle Germany—would be similarly divided, with the Western Allies occupying an enclave consisting of the western parts of the city. According to the agreement, the occupation of Berlin could end only as a result of a quadripartite agreement. The Western Allies were guaranteed three air corridors to their sectors of Berlin, and the Soviets also informally allowed road and rail access between West Berlin and the western parts of Germany (see section on traffic).


title: West Berlin

text: At first, this arrangement was intended to be of a temporary administrative nature, with all parties declaring that Germany and Berlin would soon be reunited. However, as the relations between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union soured and the Cold War began, the joint administration of Germany and Berlin broke down. Soon, Soviet-occupied Berlin and western-occupied Berlin had separate city administrations. In 1948, the Soviets tried to force the Western Allies out of Berlin by imposing a land blockade on the western sectors—the Berlin Blockade. The West responded by using its air corridors for supplying their part of the city with food and other goods through the Berlin Airlift. In May 1949, the Soviets lifted the blockade, and West Berlin as a separate city with its own jurisdiction was maintained.


title: West Berlin

text: Following the Berlin Blockade, normal contacts between East and West Berlin resumed. This was temporary until talks were resumed. In 1952, the East German government began sealing its borders, further isolating West Berlin. As a direct result, electrical grids were separated and phone lines were cut. The Volkspolizei and Soviet military personnel also continued the process of blocking all the roads leading away from the city, resulting in several armed standoffs and at least one skirmish with the French Gendarmerie and the Bundesgrenzschutz that June. However, the culmination of the schism did not occur until 1961 with the construction of the Berlin Wall.


title: West Berlin

text: From the legal theory followed by the Western Allies, the occupation of most of Germany ended in 1949 with the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) on 23 May and of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) on 7 October. Under Article 127 of the Basic Law (or constitution) of the Federal Republic, provision was made for federal laws to be extended to Greater Berlin (as Berlin was called during the 1920 expansion of its municipal boundaries) as well as Baden, Rhineland-Palatinate and Württemberg-Hohenzollern within one year of its promulgation. However, because the occupation of Berlin could be ended only by a quadripartite agreement, Berlin remained an occupied territory under the formal sovereignty of the allies. Hence, the Basic Law was not fully applicable to West Berlin.


title: West Berlin

text: On 4 August 1950, the House of Representatives, the city's legislature, passed a new constitution, declaring Berlin to be a state of the Federal Republic and the provisions of the Basic Law as binding law superior to Berlin state law (Article 1, clauses 2 and 3). However, that became statutory law only on 1 September and only with the inclusion of the western Allied provision according to which Art. 1, clauses 2 and 3, were deferred for the time being; the clauses became valid law only on 3 October 1990 (the day of Germany's unification). It stated:


title: West Berlin

text: Article 87 is interpreted as meaning that during the transitional period Berlin shall possess none of the attributes of a twelfth Land. The provision of this Article concerning the Basic Law will only apply to the extent necessary to prevent a conflict between this Law and the Berlin Constitution...


title: West Berlin

text: Thus, civic liberties and personal rights (except for the privacy of telecommunications) guaranteed by the Basic Law were also valid in West Berlin.


title: West Berlin

text: In addition, West German federal statutes could only take effect in West Berlin with the approval of the city's legislature.


title: West Berlin

text: The ambiguous legal status of the city, then still legally styled as Greater Berlin (although technically only comprising the western sectors), meant that West Berliners were not eligible to vote in federal elections. In their notification of permission of 12 May 1949 the three western military governors for Germany explained their proviso in No. 4, as follows:


title: West Berlin

text: A third reservation concerns the participation of Greater Berlin in the Federation. We interpret the effect of Articles 23 and 144 (2) of the Basic Law as constituting acceptance of our previous request that while Berlin may not be accorded voting membership in the Bundestag or Bundesrat nor be governed by the Federation she may, nevertheless, designate a small number of representatives to the meetings of those legislative bodies.


title: West Berlin

text: Consequently, West Berliners were indirectly represented in the Bundestag in Bonn by 22 non-voting delegates chosen by the House of Representatives. Similarly, the Senate (the city's executive) sent four non-voting delegates to the Bundesrat. In addition, when the first direct elections to the European Parliament were held in 1979, West Berlin's three members were instead indirectly elected by the House of Representatives.


title: West Berlin

text: However, as West German citizens, West Berliners were able to stand for election in West Germany. For example, Social Democrat Willy Brandt, who eventually became Chancellor, was elected via his party's list of candidates. The West German government considered all West Berliners as well as all citizens of the GDR to be citizens of West Germany. Male residents of West Berlin were exempt from the Federal Republic's compulsory military service. This exemption made the city a popular destination for West German young people, which resulted in a flourishing counterculture, which in turn became one of the defining features of the city.


title: West Berlin

text: The Western Allies remained the ultimate political authorities in West Berlin. All legislation of the House of Representatives, whether of the West Berlin legislature or adopted federal law, only applied under the proviso of confirmation by the three Western Allied commanders-in-chief. If they approved a bill, it was enacted as part of West Berlin's statutory law. If the commanders-in-chief rejected a bill, it did not become law in West Berlin; this, for example, was the case with West German laws on military duty. West Berlin was run by the elected Governing Mayor and Senate seated at Rathaus Schöneberg. The Governing Mayor and Senators (ministers) had to be approved by the Western Allies and thus derived their authority from the occupying forces, not from their electoral mandate.


title: West Berlin

text: The Soviets unilaterally declared the occupation of East Berlin at an end along with the rest of East Germany. This move was, however, not recognised by the Western Allies, who continued to view all of Berlin as a jointly occupied territory belonging to neither of the two German states. This view was supported by the continued practice of patrols of all four sectors by soldiers of all four occupying powers. Thus, occasionally Western Allied soldiers were on patrol in East Berlin as were Soviet soldiers in West Berlin. After the Wall was built, East Germany wanted to control Western Allied patrols upon entering or leaving East Berlin, a practice that the Western Allies regarded as unacceptable. After protests to the Soviets, the patrols continued uncontrolled on both sides, with the tacit agreement that the western Allies would not use their patrolling privileges for helping Easterners to flee to the West.


title: West Berlin

text: In many ways, West Berlin functioned as the "de facto" 11th state of West Germany and was depicted on maps published in the West as being a part of West Germany. There was freedom of movement (to the extent allowed by geography) between West Berlin and West Germany. There were no separate immigration regulations for West Berlin, all immigration rules for West Germany being followed in West Berlin. West German entry visas issued to visitors were stamped with "for the Federal Republic of Germany, including the State of Berlin", in German ""für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland einschl. [einschließlich] des Landes Berlin"", prompting complaints from the Soviet Union. However, this wording remained on the visas throughout the rest of the entire period of West Berlin's existence.


title: West Berlin

text: West Berlin remained under military occupation until 3 October 1990, the day of unification of East Germany, East and West Berlin with Federal Republic of Germany. The West German Federal Government, as well as the governments of most western nations, considered East Berlin to be a "separate entity" from East Germany, and while the Western Allies later opened embassies in East Berlin, they recognised the city only as the "seat of government" of the GDR, not as its "capital".


title: West Berlin

text: Communist countries, however, did not recognise West Berlin as part of West Germany and usually described it as a "third" German jurisdiction, called in German "selbständige politische Einheit" ("independent political unit"). On maps of East Berlin, West Berlin often did not appear as an adjacent urban area but as a monochrome terra incognita, sometimes showing the letters WB, meaning West Berlin, or overlaid with a legend or pictures. It was often labelled "Besonderes politisches Gebiet Westberlin" (West Berlin special political area).


title: West Berlin

text: The Federal Republic of Germany issued West German passports to West Berliners on request that showed West Berlin as their place of residence. However, West Berliners could not use their passports for crossing East German borders and were denied entrance by any country of the Eastern Bloc, since governments of these countries held the view that West Germany was not authorized to issue legal papers for West Berliners.


title: West Berlin

text: Since West Berlin was not a sovereign state, it did not issue passports. Instead, West Berliners were issued with "auxiliary identity cards" by the West Berlin authorities. These differed visually from the regular West German identity cards, with green bindings instead of the grey standard, they did not show the "Federal Eagle" or coat of arms, and contained no indications as to the issuing State. However, they did have a statement that the holder of the document was a German citizen. From 11 June 1968, East Germany made it mandatory that West Berlin and West German "transit passengers" obtain a transit visa, issued upon entering East Germany, because under its second constitution East Germany considered West Germans and West Berliners foreigners. Since identity cards had no pages to stamp visas, issuers of East German visas stamped their visas onto separate leaflets which were loosely stuck into the identity cards, which, until the mid-1980s, were little booklets. Although the West German government subsidized visa fees, they were still payable by individual travellers.


title: West Berlin

text: In order to enter visa-requiring Western countries, such as the US, West Berliners commonly used West German passports. However, for countries which did not require stamped visas for entry, including Switzerland, Austria, and many members of the then European Economic Community, including the United Kingdom, West Berlin identity cards were also acceptable for entry.


title: West Berlin

text: Active immigration and asylum politics in West Berlin triggered waves of immigration in the 1960s and 1970s. As of 2017, Berlin was home to at least 178,000 Turkish and Turkish German residents, making it the largest Turkish community outside of Turkey.


title: West Berlin

text: West Berlin was also a destination for many people fleeing East Germany both before and after the construction of the Berlin Wall. As many immigrants from East Germany did not intend to stay in Berlin, flights - the only option for those people to reach West Germany without coming into contact with East German authorities - were subsidized by the West German government despite being operated only by companies registered in and owned by nationals of the western occupying powers.


title: West Berlin

text: Most Westerners called the Western sectors "Berlin" unless further distinction was necessary. The West German Federal government officially called West Berlin "Berlin (West)", although it also used the hyphenated "West-Berlin", whereas the East German government commonly referred to it as "Westberlin". Starting from 31 May 1961, East Berlin was officially called "Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR" (Berlin, Capital of the GDR), replacing the formerly used term "Demokratisches Berlin", or simply "Berlin", by East Germany, and "Berlin (Ost)" by the West German Federal government. Other names used by West German media included "Ost-Berlin", "Ostberlin", or "Ostsektor". These different naming conventions for the divided parts of Berlin, when followed by individuals, governments, or media, commonly indicated their political leanings, with the centre-right "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" using "Ost-Berlin" and the centre-left "Süddeutsche Zeitung" using "Ostberlin".


title: West Berlin

text: After the Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961, West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer suggested to U.S. President John F. Kennedy that the United States propose a swap of West Berlin with Thuringia and parts of Saxony and Mecklenburg; the city's population would have been relocated to West Germany. Adenauer did not believe that the Soviets would accept the offer because East Germany would lose important industry, but hoped that making the proposal would reduce tensions between the western and eastern blocs, and perhaps hurt relations between the USSR and East Germany if they disagreed on accepting the offer. While the Kennedy administration seriously considered the idea, it did not make the proposal to the Soviet Union.


title: West Berlin

text: NATO also took an increased interest in the specific issue related to West Berlin, and drafted plans to ensure to defend the city against an eventual attack from the East. A tripartite planning group known as LIVE OAK, working together with NATO, was entrusted with potential military responses to any crisis.


title: West Berlin

text: On 26 June 1963, President Kennedy visited West Berlin. On his triumphant tour, cheered by hundred of thousands of West Berliners in the streets, he stopped at the Congress Hall, near the Brandenburg Gate, and at Checkpoint Charlie, before delivering at West Berlin's city hall a speech, which became famous for its phrase "Ich bin ein Berliner" and a hallmark of America's solidarity with the city.


title: West Berlin

text: The Four Power Agreement on Berlin (September 1971) and the Transit Agreement (May 1972) helped to significantly ease tensions over the status of West Berlin. While many restrictions remained in place, it also made it easier for West Berliners to travel to East Germany and it simplified the regulations for Germans travelling along the autobahn transit routes.


title: West Berlin

text: At the Brandenburg Gate in 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan provided a challenge to the then Soviet leader:


title: West Berlin

text: General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!


title: West Berlin

text: On 9 November 1989, the Wall was opened, and the two parts of the city were once again physically—though at this point not legally—united. The Two Plus Four Treaty, signed by the two German states and the four wartime allies, paved the way for German reunification and an end to the Western Allies' occupation of West Berlin. On 3 October 1990—the day Germany was officially reunified—East and West Berlin formally reunited as the city of Berlin, which then joined the enlarged Federal Republic as a city-state along the lines of the existing West German city-states of Bremen and Hamburg. Walter Momper, the mayor of West Berlin, became the first mayor of the reunified city in the interim. City-wide elections in December 1990 resulted in the first "all Berlin" mayor being elected to take office in January 1991, with the separate offices of mayors in East and West Berlin expiring by that time, and Eberhard Diepgen (a former mayor of West Berlin) became the first elected mayor of a reunited Berlin.


title: West Berlin

text: West Berlin's border was identical to the municipal boundary of Berlin as defined in the Greater Berlin Act of 1920 and amended in 1938, and the border between the Soviet sector and the French, British, and American sectors respectively, which followed the boundaries of Berlin administrative boroughs as defined in the same years. Another amendment was added in 1945 at the border between the British sector of Berlin (ceding West-Staaken) and the Soviet zone (ceding the Seeburg Salient) so that the Wehrmacht airfield at Berlin-Gatow became part of the British sector and the airfield at Berlin-Staaken became part of the Soviet sector. The resulting borderline was further complicated with a lot of geographical oddities, including a number of exclaves and enclaves that Greater Berlin had inside some neighbouring municipalities since 1920, all of which happened to become part of the British or American sectors after 1945, so that parts of West Berlin came to be surrounded by East Germany.


title: West Berlin

text: Furthermore, the Gatow/Staaken exchange in August 1945 resulted in the geographically western half of Berlin-Staaken, which was located in the western outskirts of the city, becoming "de jure" Soviet occupied. However, the "de facto" administration remained with the Borough of Spandau in the British sector. Therefore, all inhabitants of Staaken could vote in West Berlin's city state elections in 1948 and 1950. On 1 February 1951, East German Volkspolizei surprised the people of western Staaken by occupying the area and ended its administration by the Spandau Borough; instead, western Staaken became an exclave of the Soviet occupied borough Berlin-Mitte in the city centre. However, on 1 June 1952, western Staaken's "de facto" administration was placed with neighbouring East German Falkensee in the East German district Nauen. This situation was undone on 3 October 1990, the day of German unification, when western Staaken was reincorporated into united Berlin.


title: West Berlin

text: West Berlin had its own postal administration first called "Deutsche Post Berlin" (1947–1955) and then Deutsche Bundespost Berlin, separate from West Germany's Deutsche Bundespost, and issuing its own postage stamps until 1990. However, the separation was merely symbolic; in reality, West Berlin's postal service was completely integrated with West Germany's, using the same postal code system.


title: West Berlin

text: West Berlin was also integrated into the West German telephone network, using the same international dialling code as West Germany, +49, with the area code 0311, later changed to 030. Unlike West Germany, from where calls to East Berlin were made using the prefix 00372 (international access code 00, East German country code 37, area code 2), calls from West Berlin required only the short code 0372. Conversely, those made to West Berlin from East Berlin only required the short code 849.


title: West Berlin

text: In order to reduce eastern wiretapping of telecommunications between West Berlin and West Germany, microwave radio relay connections were built, which transmitted telephone calls between antenna towers in West Germany and West Berlin by radio. Two such towers were built, one antenna in Berlin-Wannsee and later a second in Berlin-Frohnau, finished on 16 May 1980 with a height of . This tower was demolished on 8 February 2009.


title: West Berlin

text: West Berliners could travel to West Germany and all Western and non-aligned states at all times, except during the Berlin Blockade by the Soviet Union (24 June 1948 to 12 May 1949) when there were restrictions on passenger flight capacity imposed by the airlift.


title: West Berlin

text: Travelling to and from West Berlin by road or train always required passing through East German border checks, since West Berlin was an enclave surrounded by East Germany and East Berlin. On 2 October 1967, six years after the Wall was constructed, tram tracks in West Berlin were removed because the authorities wanted to promote car usage, meaning that the tram system remaining today runs almost entirely within the former East Berlin.


title: West Berlin

text: There were no dedicated walled-off road corridors between West Germany and West Berlin under West German jurisdiction, and travellers needed to pass through East Germany. A valid passport was required for citizens of West Germany and other western nationals to be produced at East German border checks. West Berliners could get admission only through their identity cards (see above). For travel from West Berlin to Denmark, Sweden and West Germany via dedicated East German transit routes (), East German border guards issued a "transit visa" for a fee of 5 Western Deutsche Mark. For journeys between West Berlin and Poland or Czechoslovakia through East Germany, each traveller was also required to present a valid visa for the destination country.


title: West Berlin

text: The transit routes for road travel connecting West Berlin to other destinations usually consisted of autobahns and other highways, marked by "Transit" signs. "Transit travellers" () were prohibited to leave the transit routes, and occasional traffic checkpoints would check for violators.


title: West Berlin

text: The latter three routes used autobahns built during the Nazi era. They left West Berlin at "Checkpoint Dreilinden", also called Checkpoint Bravo (W)/Potsdam-Drewitz (E). Transit routes to Poland were via today's A 11 to Nadrensee-Pomellen (East Germany, GDR)/Kołbaskowo (Kolbitzow) (PL), eastwards via today's A 12 to Frankfurt upon Oder (GDR)/Słubice (PL), or southeastwards via today's A 13 and A 15 to Forst in Lusatia/Baršć (GDR)/Zasieki (Berge) (PL). Additional routes led to Denmark and Sweden by ferry between Warnemünde (GDR) and Gedser (DK) and by ferry between Sassnitz (GDR) and Rønne (DK) or Trelleborg (S). Routes to Czechoslovakia were via Schmilka (GDR)/Hřensko (Herrnskretschen) (ČSSR) and via Fürstenau (a part of today's Geising) (GDR)/Cínovec (Cinvald/Böhmisch Zinnwald) (ČSSR).


title: West Berlin

text: The transit routes were also used for East German domestic traffic. This meant that transit passengers could potentially meet with East Germans and East Berliners at restaurants at motorway rest stops. Since such meetings were deemed illegal by the East German government, border guards would calculate the travel duration from the time of entry and exit of the transit route. Excessive time spent for transit travel could arouse their suspicion and prompt questioning or additional checking by the border guards. Western coaches could stop only at dedicated service areas since the East German government was concerned that East Germans might potentially use coaches to escape into the West.


title: West Berlin

text: On 1 September 1951 East Germany, because of a shortage in foreign currencies, started to levy road tolls on cars using the transit routes. At first, the toll amounted to 10 Ostmark per passenger car and 10 to 50 for trucks, depending on size. Ostmarks had to be exchanged into Deutsche Mark at a rate of 1:1. On 30 March 1955, East Germany raised the toll for passenger cars to 30 Deutsche Marks, but after West German protests, in June of the same year, it changed it back to the previous rate. Following a new agreement between East and West Germany, starting from 1 January 1980 the Federal Government in Bonn paid an annual lump sum () of 50 million Deutsche Marks to the Eastern government, so that transit passengers no longer had to pay tolls individually.


title: West Berlin

text: Four transit train connections—earlier also called "interzonal train" ()—connected West Berlin with Hamburg via Schwanheide (E)/Büchen (W) in the North, with Hanover via Marienborn (E)/Helmstedt (W) in the West, with Frankfurt am Main via Gerstungen (E)/Hönebach (W) in the Southwest, and with Nuremberg via Probstzella (E)/Ludwigsstadt (W) in the South of West Germany. These transit trains did not service domestic passengers of East Germany and made stops in East Germany almost exclusively for East German border guards upon entering and leaving the country. Until the construction of the Berlin Wall, "interzonal trains" would also stop once on their way within East Germany for travellers having a visa for entering or leaving East Germany. Train travel from West Berlin to Czechoslovakia, Denmark (by ferry), Poland and Sweden (by ferry) required a visa to enter East Berlin or East Germany to allow transfer to an international train—which also carried domestic passengers—bound for an international destination. One railway connection between West Berlin and Oebisfelde (E)/Wolfsburg (W) was reserved for freight trains only.


title: West Berlin

text: In July and August 1945, the three Western Allies and the Soviet Union decided that the railways, previously serviced by the Deutsche Reichsbahn (German Reich Railways), should continue to be operated by one railway administration to service all four sectors. West Berlin had – with the exception of a few small private railway lines – no separate railway administration. Furthermore, the operation of the Reichsbahn's Berlin S-Bahn electric metropolitan transport network, consisting of commuter trains, was also maintained. After the founding of East Germany on 7 October 1949 it gained responsibility for the Reichsbahn in its territory. East Germany continued to run its railways under the official name Deutsche Reichsbahn, which thus maintained responsibility for almost all railway transport in all four sectors of Berlin. The GDR-controlled 'Bahnpolizei', the Reichsbahn's railway police, were authorised to patrol station premises and other railway property in the whole city including West Berlin. The legal necessity of keeping the term 'Deutsche Reichsbahn' explains the surprising use of the word 'Reich' (with its Imperial and Nazi connotations) in the name of an official organisation of the communist GDR.


title: West Berlin

text: After the Berlin Blockade "transit trains" () would leave and enter West Berlin only via one line through Berlin-Wannsee railway station (W) and Potsdam Griebnitzsee railway station (E). All transit trains would start or end in East Berlin, passing through West Berlin with only one stop in the Western Berlin Zoologischer Garten railway station, which became West Berlin's main railway station. Until 1952, the Reichsbahn also permitted stops at other stations on the way through the Western sectors. After easing of tensions between East and West Germany, starting on 30 May 1976 transit trains going westwards, southwestwards, or southwards stopped once again at Wannsee. For transit trains going northwestwards, a shorter line was reopened on 26 September 1976 with an additional stop at the then Berlin-Spandau railway station, entering East Germany at Staaken.


title: West Berlin

text: Many Reichsbahn employees working in West Berlin were West Berliners. Their East German employer, whose proceeds from ticket sales for Western Deutsche Marks contributed to East Germany's foreign revenues, tried to hold down wage social security contributions in Western Deutsche Mark. Therefore, West Berlin employees of the Reichsbahn were paid partly in Eastern German currency. They could spend this money in East Germany and take their purchases to West Berlin, which other Westerners could not do to the same extent. West Berlin employees were trained in East Germany and employed under East German labour laws. West Berliners employed by the Reichsbahn were not included in the Western health insurance system either. The Reichsbahn ran its own hospital for them in West Berlin, the building of which is now used as the headquarters of Bombardier Transportation. For certain patients, the Reichsbahn would facilitate treatment in a hospital in East Berlin. In medical emergencies, the employees could use West Berlin doctors and hospitals, which would then be paid for by the Reichsbahn.


title: West Berlin

text: The GDR used the western stations to distribute propaganda and display posters with slogans like "Americans Go Home." On 1 May, May Day, a state holiday in East and West, S-Bahn trains were sometimes decorated with the East German banner and a red flag.


title: West Berlin

text: Two waterways via the rivers and canals Havel and Mittellandkanal were open for inland navigation, but only freight vessels were allowed to cross from West Berlin into East German waters. The Havel crossed at the East German border in Nedlitz (a part of Potsdam-Bornstedt), continuing through the Elbe-Havel Canal and then either taking the Elbe northwestwards crossing the border again at Cumlosen (E)/Schnackenburg (W) or westwards following the Mittellandkanal to Buchhorst (Oebisfelde) (E)/Rühen (W). Western freight vessels could stop only at dedicated service areas, because the East German government wanted to prevent any East Germans from boarding them. Through these waterways, West Berlin was linked to the western European inland navigation network, connecting to seaports like Hamburg and Rotterdam, as well as to industrial areas such as the Ruhr Area, Mannheim, Basel, Belgium, and eastern France.


title: West Berlin

text: In July and August 1945, the Western Allies and the Soviet Union decided that the operation and maintenance of the waterways and locks, which were previously run by the national German directorate for inland navigation (), should be continued and reconstructed in all four sectors. Except for the originally city-owned Neukölln Ship Canal and some canals built later (e.g. Westhafen Canal) and locks, West Berlin had no separate inland navigation authority, but the East Berlin-based authority operated most waterways and locks, their lockmasters employed by the East. Because of their negligent maintenance, the western Allies later transferred their control to the Senate of Berlin (West).


title: West Berlin

text: The western entrance to the Teltowkanal, connecting several industrial areas of West Berlin for heavy freight transport, was blocked by East Germany in Potsdam-Klein Glienicke. Therefore, vessels going to the Teltowkanal had to take a detour via the river Spree through West and East Berlin's city centre to enter the canal from the East. On 20 November 1981, East Germany reopened the western entrance, which required two more vessel border checkpoints – Dreilinden and Kleinmachnow – because the waterway crossed the border between East Germany and West Berlin four times. Another transit waterway connected West Berlin via the East German vessel checkpoint at Hennigsdorf and the Oder-Havel Canal with the Oder river and Polish Szczecin (Stettin).


title: West Berlin

text: Air traffic was the only connection between West Berlin and the Western world that was not directly under East German control. On 4 July 1948, British European Airways opened the first regular service for civilians between West Berlin and Hamburg. Tickets were originally sold for pounds sterling only. West Berliners and West Germans who had earlier fled East Germany or East Berlin, and thus could face imprisonment on entering East Germany or East Berlin, could only take flights for travel to and from West Berlin. To enable individuals threatened by East German imprisonment to fly to and from West Berlin the West German government subsidised the flights.


title: West Berlin

text: Flights between West Germany and West Berlin were under Allied control by the quadripartite Berlin Air Safety Center. According to permanent agreements, three air corridors to West Germany were provided, which were open only for British, French, or U.S. military planes or civilian planes registered with companies in those countries.


title: West Berlin

text: The airspace controlled by the "Berlin Air Safety Center" comprised a radius of around the seat of the center in the Kammergericht building in Berlin-Schöneberg – thus covering most of East and West Berlin and the three corridors, of the same width – one northwestwards to Hamburg (Fuhlsbüttel Airport), one westwards to Hanover, and one southwestwards to Frankfurt upon Main (Rhein-Main Air Base).


title: West Berlin

text: The West German airline Lufthansa and most other international airlines were not permitted to fly to West Berlin. Flights by Lufthansa or the East German airline Interflug servicing connections between East and West Germany (such as between Düsseldorf and Hamburg in West Germany and the East German city of Leipzig) began in August 1989, but these routes had to go through Czechoslovak or Danish airspace.


title: West Berlin

text: Until 1953, travelling from West Berlin into East Germany (German Democratic Republic (GDR)) fell under Interzonal traffic regulations overseen by the three Allied military governments (the Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SVAG), the Control Commission for Germany – British Element, and the Office of Military Government/United States (OMGUS)). On 27 May 1952, East Germany closed its border with West Germany and its -long border with West Berlin. From then on West Berliners required a permit to enter East Germany. East German border checkpoints were established in East German suburbs of West Berlin, and most streets were gradually closed for interzonal travel into East Germany. The last checkpoint to remain open was located at the Glienicker Brücke near Potsdam, until it was also closed by East Germany on 3 July 1953. The checkpoint at Staaken's Heerstraße remained open only for transit traffic to West Germany.


title: West Berlin

text: This caused hardship for many West Berlin residents, especially those who had friends and family in East Germany. However, East Germans could still enter West Berlin. A number of cemeteries located in East Germany were also affected by the closure. Many church congregations in Berlin owned cemeteries outside the city, so many West Berlin congregations had cemeteries that were located in East Germany. For example, the "Friedhof vor Charlottenburg" (in "Cemetery in front/outside of Charlottenburg") was located in the East German suburb of Dallgow, yet belonged to Catholic congregations in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Many West Berliners wishing to visit the grave of a relative or friend on cemeteries located in East Germany were now unable to do so. Until 1961, East Germany occasionally issued permits to West Berliners to visit the cemeteries on the Catholic feast of "All Saints" on 1 November and on the Protestant Day of Repentance and Prayer.


title: West Berlin

text: In 1948–1952, the Reichsbahn connected the western suburbs of West Berlin to its S-Bahn network. Train routes servicing these suburbs formerly went through West Berlin stations, but ceased to make stops in the western stations or terminated service before entering West Berlin. Private West Berlin railway lines like the Neukölln–Mittenwalde railway (Neukölln-Mittenwalder Eisenbahn, NME), connecting the East German Mittenwalde with West Berlin-Neukölln and the "Bötzowbahn" between West Berlin-Spandau and East German Hennigsdorf, were disrupted at the border between West Berlin and East Germany on 26 October 1948 and August 1950, respectively.


title: West Berlin

text: Tramways and bus routes that connected West Berlin with its East German suburbs and were operated by West Berlin's public transport operator Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe Gesellschaft ("BVG" West) ceased operation on 14 October 1950, after West Berlin tram and bus drivers had been repeatedly stopped and arrested by East German police for having western currency on them, considered a crime in the East. The BVG (West) terminated route sections that extended into East Germany, like the southern end of tram line 47 to Schönefeld, the southwestern end of tram line 96 to Kleinmachnow, as well as two bus lines to Glienicke at the Nordbahn, north, and to Falkensee, northwest of West Berlin. The East German section of tram line 96 continued operating with eastern personnel and cars, obliging the eastern passengers – rarely westerners who needed special permits to enter East Germany – to change from eastern into western trains crossing the border by foot, until it was closed by the Wall.


title: West Berlin

text: The Reichsbahn shut down all of its West Berlin terminal stations and redirected its trains to stations in East Berlin, starting with Berlin Görlitzer Bahnhof – closed on 29 April 1951 – before serving rail traffic with Görlitz and the southeast of East Germany. On 28 August 1951, trains usually serving Berlin Lehrter Bahnhof were redirected to stations in East Berlin, while trains from West Germany were redirected to the Western "Berlin Zoologischer Garten". The Reichsbahn also closed down both Berlin Anhalter Bahnhof and Berlin Nordbahnhof, on 18 May 1952.


title: West Berlin

text: On 28 August 1951, the Reichsbahn opened a new connection – from Spandau via Berlin Jungfernheide station – for the S-Bahn lines connecting East German suburbs to the west of West Berlin (namely Falkensee, Staaken) with East Berlin, thus circumventing the centre of West Berlin. In June 1953, the Reichsbahn further cut off West Berlin from its East German suburbs by the introduction of additional "express S-Bahn trains" (). These routes originated from several East German suburbs bordering West Berlin (such as Falkensee, Potsdam, Oranienburg, Staaken, and Velten), crossing West Berlin non-stop until reaching its destinations in East Berlin. However, the regular S-Bahn connections with West Berlin's East German suburbs, stopping at every Western station, continued. From 17 June to 9 July 1953, East Germany blocked off all traffic between East and West due to the Uprising of 1953 in East Germany.


title: West Berlin

text: From 4 October 1953, all S-Bahn trains crossing the border between East Germany and Berlin had to pass a border checkpoint in East Germany. Travellers from East Germany were checked before entering any part of Berlin, to identify individuals intending to escape into West Berlin or smuggling rationed or rare goods into West Berlin. S-Bahn trains were checked at Hoppegarten, Mahlow, and Zepernick in East Germany bordering East Berlin and in Hohen Neuendorf, Potsdam-Griebnitzsee, and Staaken-Albrechtshof in East Germany bordering West Berlin. On 4 June 1954, the "Bahnhof Hennigsdorf Süd" station located next to West Berlin was opened solely for border controls, also to monitor West Berliners entering or leaving East Berlin, which they could still do freely, while they were not allowed to cross into East Germany proper without a special permit.


title: West Berlin

text: In 1951, the Reichsbahn began construction work on the Berlin outer-circle railway line. This circular line connected all train routes heading for West Berlin and accommodated all domestic GDR traffic, thus directing railway traffic into East Berlin while by-passing West Berlin. Commuters in the East German suburbs around West Berlin now boarded "Sputnik" express trains, which took them into East Berlin without crossing any western sectors. With the completion of the outer-circle railway, there was no further need for express S-Bahn trains crossing the West Berlin border and thus their service ended on 4 May 1958, while stopping S-Bahn trains continued service. However, while East Germans could get off in West Berlin, West Berliners needed the hard-to get permits to enter East Germany by S-Bahn. With the construction of the Berlin Wall on 13 August 1961, all remaining railway traffic between West Berlin and its East German suburbs ended. Rail traffic between East and West Berlin was sharply reduced and restricted to a small number of checkpoints under GDR control. East Berliners and East Germans were then unable to freely enter and leave West Berlin. However, international visitors could obtain visas for East Berlin upon crossing one of the checkpoints at the Wall.


title: West Berlin

text: Following the policy of détente of the "Federal Government" under Chancellor Willy Brandt, West Berliners could again apply for visas to visit East Germany, which were granted more freely than in the period until 1961. On 4 June 1972, West Berlin's public transport operator "BVG" could open its first bus line into the East German suburbs since 1950 (line E to Potsdam via "Checkpoint Bravo" as it was known to the US military). This route was open only to persons bearing all the necessary East German permits and visas. For visits to East Germany, West Berliners could use four checkpoints along the East German border around West Berlin: The two road transit checkpoints Dreilinden (W)/Drewitz (E) and Berlin-Heiligensee (W)/Stolpe (E) as well as the old transit checkpoint at Heerstraße (W)/Staaken (E) and the checkpoint at Waltersdorfer Chaussee (W)/Schönefeld (E), which was also open for travellers boarding international flights at Schönefeld Airport.


title: West Berlin

text: While East and West Berlin became formally separate jurisdictions in September 1948, and while there were travel restrictions in all other directions for more than a decade, freedom of movement existed between the western sectors and the eastern sector of the city. However, time and again Soviet and later East German authorities imposed temporary restrictions for certain persons, certain routes, and certain means of transport. Gradually the eastern authorities disconnected and separated the two parts of the city.


title: West Berlin

text: While the Soviets blocked all transport to West Berlin (Berlin Blockade between 24 June 1948 to 12 May 1949), they increased food supplies in East Berlin in order to gain the compliance of West Berliners who at that time still had free access to East Berlin. West Berliners buying food in East Berlin were regarded as approving of the Soviet attempt to get rid of the Western Allies in West Berlin. This was seen as support by the communists and as treason by most Westerners. Until that time all over Germany food and other necessary supplies had been available only with ration stamps issued by one's municipality. This was the case in East Berlin until the Communist putsch in Berlin's city government in September 1948 – the unitary City Council of Greater Berlin () for East and West.


title: West Berlin

text: By July 1948 a mere 19,000 West Berliners out of a total of almost 2 million covered their food requirements in East Berlin. Thus, 99% of West Berliners preferred to live on shorter supplies than before the Blockade, to show support for the Western Allies' position. In West Germany rationing of most products ended with the introduction of the Western Deutsche Mark on 21 June 1948. The new currency was also introduced in West Berlin on 24 June and this, at least officially, was the justification for the Soviet Blockade due to which rationing in West Berlin had to continue. However, in the course of the Berlin Air Lift some supplies were increased beyond the pre-Blockade level and therefore rationing of certain goods in West Berlin was stopped.


title: West Berlin

text: While West Berliners were officially welcome to buy food in East Berlin, the Soviets tried to prevent them from buying other essential supplies, particularly coal and other fuel. For this reason, on 9 November 1948, they opened checkpoints on 70 streets entering West Berlin and closed the others for horse carriages, lorries and cars, later (16 March 1949) the Soviets erected roadblocks on the closed streets. From 15 November 1948, West Berlin ration stamps were no longer accepted in East Berlin. All the same, the Soviets started a campaign with the slogan "The smart West Berliner buys at the HO" (), the HO being the Soviet zone chain of shops. They also opened so-called "Free Shops" in the Eastern Sector, offering supplies without ration stamps, but denominated at extremely high prices in Eastern Deutsche Marks. Ordinary East and West Berliners could only afford to buy there if they had income in Western Deutsche Mark and bartered the needed Eastern Deutsche Mark on the spontaneous currency markets, which developed in the British sector at the Zoo station. Their demand and supply determined a barter ratio in favour of the Western Deutsche Mark with more than 2 Eastern Deutsche Marks offered for one Western Deutsche Mark. After the Blockade, when holders of Western Deutsche Marks could buy as much they could afford, up to five and six east marks were offered for one west mark. In the East, however, the Soviets had arbitrarily decreed a rate of 1 for 1 and exchanging at other rates was criminalised.


title: West Berlin

text: On 12 May 1949, the Blockade ended and all roadblocks and checkpoints between East and West Berlin were removed. The Berlin Airlift, however, continued until 30 September 1949 in order to build up supplies in West Berlin (the so-called Senate Reserve), in readiness for another possible blockade, thus ensuring that an airlift could then be restarted with ease. On 2 May 1949 power stations in East Berlin started again to supply West Berlin with sufficient electricity. Before then, electrical supply had been reduced to just a few hours a day after the normal supplies had been interrupted at the start of the Blockade. However, the Western Allies and the West Berlin City Council decided to be self-sufficient in terms of electricity generation capacity, to be independent of Eastern supplies and not to be held to ransom by the eastern authorities. On 1 December 1949 the new "power station West" (, in 1953 renamed after the former Governing Mayor of West Berlin into "Kraftwerk Reuter West") went online and West Berlin's electricity board declared independence from Eastern supplies. However, for a time Eastern electricity continued to be supplied albeit intermittently. Supply was interrupted from 1 July until the end of 1950 and then started again until 4 March 1952, when the East finally switched it off. From then on West Berlin turned into an 'electricity island' within a pan-European electricity grid that had developed from the 1920s, because electricity transfers between East and West Germany never fully ceased. The 'electricity island' situation was noticed most in situations of particularly high demand; in other areas of Europe peaks in demand could be met by tapping into electricity supplies from neighbouring areas, but in West Berlin this was not an option and for certain users the lights would go out.


title: West Berlin

text: In 1952 West Berliners were restricted entry to East Germany proper by means of a hard-to-obtain East German permit. Free entry to East Berlin remained possible until 1961 and the building of the Wall. Berlin's underground (Untergrundbahn, U-Bahn) and Berlin's S-Bahn (a metropolitan public transit network), rebuilt after the war, continued to span all occupation sectors. Many people lived in one half of the city and had family, friends, and jobs in the other. However, the East continuously reduced the means of public transport between East and West, with private cars being a very rare privilege in the East and still a luxury in the West.


title: West Berlin

text: Starting on 15 January 1953 the tram network was interrupted. East Berlin's public transport operator "Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe" ("BVG"-East, "BVB" as of 1 January 1969) staffed all trams, whose lines crossed the sectorial border, with women drivers, who were not permitted as drivers by the "BVG" (West), West Berlin's public transport operator. Instead of changing the Western rules, so that the Easterly intended interruption of the cross-border tram traffic would not happen, the "BVG" (West) insisted on male drivers. Cross-border tram traffic ended on 16 January. In East German propaganda this was a point for the East, arguing that the West did not allow drivers coming with their trams from the East to continue along their line into the West, but remaining silent on the fact that the end of cross-border tram traffic was most welcome to the East. The underground and the S-Bahn networks, except the above-mentioned "traverse S-Bahn trains", continued to provide services between East and West Berlin. However, occasionally the East Berlin police – in the streets and on cross-border trains in East Berlin – identified suspicious behaviour (such as carrying heavy loads westwards) and watched out for unwelcome Westerners.


title: West Berlin

text: Occasionally, West Germans were banned from entering East Berlin. This was the case between 29 August and 1 September 1960, when ex-prisoners of war and deportees, "homecomers" (), from all around West Germany and West Berlin met for a convention in that city. The "homecomers" released mostly from a long detention in the Soviet Union were unwelcome in East Berlin. As they could not be recognised through their identification papers, all West Germans were banned from East Berlin during those days. West Berliners were allowed, since the quadripartite Allied status quo provided for their free movement around all four sectors. From 8 September 1960 on, the East subjected all West Germans to apply for a permit before entering East Berlin.


title: West Berlin

text: As the communist government in the East gained tighter control, and the economic recovery in the West significantly outperformed the East, more than a hundred thousand East Germans and East Berliners left East Germany and East Berlin for the West every year. East Germany closed the borders between East and West Germany and sealed off the border with West Berlin in 1952; but because of the quadripartite Allied status of the city, the -long sectorial border between East and West Berlin remained open. As there was freedom of movement between West Berlin and West Germany, Easterners could use the city as a transit point to West Germany, usually travelling there by air.


title: West Berlin

text: To stop this drain of people defecting, the East German government built the Berlin Wall, thus physically closing off West Berlin from East Berlin and East Germany, on 13 August 1961. All Eastern streets, bridges, paths, windows, doors, gates, and sewers opening to West Berlin were systematically sealed off by walls, concrete barriers, barbed wire, and/or bars. The Wall was directed against the Easterners, who by its construction were no longer allowed to leave the East, except with an Eastern permit, not usually granted.


title: West Berlin

text: Westerners were still granted visas on entering East Berlin. Initially eight street checkpoints were opened, and one checkpoint in the Berlin Friedrichstraße railway station, which was reached by one line of the Western underground (today's U 6), two Western S-Bahn lines, one under and one above ground (approximately today's S 2 and S 3, however, lines changed significantly from 1990 onwards), and "transit trains" between West Germany and West Berlin started and ended there.


title: West Berlin

text: The eight street checkpoints were – from North to South along the Wall – on Bornholmer Straße, Chausseestraße, Invalidenstraße, Berlin Friedrichstraße station, Friedrichstraße (Checkpoint Charlie in US military denomination, since this crossing was to their sector), Heinrich-Heine-Straße, Oberbaumbrücke, and Sonnenallee.


title: West Berlin

text: When the construction of the Wall started after midnight early on 13 August, West Berlin's Governing Mayor Willy Brandt was on a West German federal election campaigning tour in West Germany. Arriving by train in Hanover at he was informed about the Wall and flew to West Berlin's Tempelhof Central Airport.


title: West Berlin

text: Over the course of the day he protested along with many other West Berliners on Potsdamer Platz and at the Brandenburg Gate. On 14 August, under the pretext that Western demonstrations necessitated it, the East closed the checkpoint at the Brandenburg Gate 'until further notice', a situation that was to last until 22 December 1989, when it was finally reopened.


title: West Berlin

text: On 26 August 1961 East Germany generally banned West Berliners from entering the Eastern sector. West Germans and other nationals, however, could still get visas on entering East Berlin. Since intra-city phone lines had been cut by the East already in May 1952 (see below) the only remaining way of communication with family or friends on the other side was by mail or at meeting in a motorway restaurant on a "transit route", because the "transit traffic" remained unaffected throughout.


title: West Berlin

text: On 18 May 1962 East Germany opened the so-called Tränenpalast checkpoint hall ("Palace of Tears") at Berlin Friedrichstraße station, where Easterners had to say a sometimes tearful farewell to returning Westerners as well as the few Easterners who had managed to get a permit to visit the West. Until June 1963 the East deepened its border zone around West Berlin in East Germany and East Berlin by clearing existing buildings and vegetation to create an open field of view, sealed off by the Berlin Wall towards the West and a second wall or fence of similar characteristics to the East, observed by armed men in towers, with orders to shoot at escapees.


title: West Berlin

text: Finally, in 1963, West Berliners were again allowed to visit East Berlin. On this occasion a further checkpoint for pedestrians only was opened on the Oberbaumbrücke. West Berliners were granted visas for a one-day visit between 17 December 1963 and 5 January the following year. 1.2 million out of a total 1.9 million West Berliners visited East Berlin during this period. In 1964, 1965, and 1966 East Berlin was opened again to West Berliners, but each time only for a limited period.


title: West Berlin

text: East Germany assigned different legal statuses to East Germans, East Berliners, West Germans, and West Berliners, as well as citizens from other countries in the world. Until 1990 East Germany designated each Border crossings in East Berlin for certain categories of persons, with only one street checkpoint being open simultaneously for West Berliners and West Germans (Bornholmer Straße) and "Berlin Friedrichstraße railway station" being open for all travellers.


title: West Berlin

text: On 9 September 1964, the East German Council of Ministers (government) decided to allow Eastern pensioners to visit family in West Germany or West Berlin. According to the specified regulations valid from 2 November on Eastern pensioners could apply and were usually allowed, to travel into the West to visit relatives once a year for a maximum of four weeks. If pensioners decided not to return, the government did not miss them as manpower, unlike younger Easterners, who were subject to a system of labour and employment, which demanded that almost everybody work in the Eastern command production system.