East German Border watch tower

[Aircav]

Has anyone got any pictures of the inside of this please?

[Geoff]

It might be worth a look at u-tube if you cannot find anything else. There is not a lot on the DDR there; but try searching on NVA, Stasi, etc. I remember seeing one or two shots from watchtowers and the like.

[Aircav]

Thanks Geoff, I'll give it a try.
All the best
Steve

[Nick]

Look on 'Urban Explorer' websites like 28 Days Later and Sub-Brit.
I will forward your query to my friends in Sub-Brit and see what comes back, some of them are going out to East Germany next week for a 10-day tour of Cold War bunkers. I'm sure one or two have already got pics of these already.
If I had the cash and time I'd go with them!

I did a quick Google search and found a similar tower survives on Erna-Berger-Strasse in Berlin, this might help you find more pics.
http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/denkmal/denkmale_in_berlin/en/berliner_mauer/erna_berger_strasse.shtml

[Aircav]

Thanks Nick, I've managed to get some drawings done on the general size and shape but I'd like to add some internal detail. I did find some shots of what the hatch looked like inside by looking on Youtube as Geoff said but I'd like to know where the phone went plus was there a table/desk and any chairs in them.
Steve

[Supertom]

Trying to build one on your front yard are you? 

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Thanks Nick, I've managed to get some drawings done on the general size and shape but I'd like to add some internal detail. I did find some shots of what the hatch looked like inside by looking on Youtube as Geoff said but I'd like to know where the phone went plus was there a table/desk and any chairs in them.

Steve,
From what I remember about the construction of those watch towers they were nothing more than concrete cylinders stacked on end to form the tower with the cabin mounted on top.  During periods of high winds these towers had to be evacuated due to the seriousness of the swaying induced by the wind.  Internal details will be sparse as they were not designe for creature comfort, it was nothing more than an enclosed gun positon to keep the occupants out of the weather.  The concrete cylinders are quite similar to what you would expect for construction of a large liquid flow such as those normally seen constructed for surface water drainage, city sewage or a municipal water supply systems.  So there will be no circular stair cases, wlet bar, or wall to wall carpeting inside, just the basics such as a couple of chairs, shelf or table for a telephone and small radio and a rifle rack.  The square apertures under the windows are gun ports with a sliding door so that will give you an idea of how the interior would appear. 

[Aircav]

Trying to build one on your front yard are you? 

1/72 and 1/48, I'll leave the 1/1 till later 

[Nick]

I had this reply from a friend in Sub-Brit, you will have to play with the links...


Hi Nick,
Interior pictures of them in use are hard to come by, security etc. The
watch towers in Berlin that I know of are all are protected listed buildings
(Denkmal) now. There are several that are open by historical groups at
certain times.
All I have seen have no internal fittings, all have been stripped.

I suggest contacting 'Berlin Story', a book shop in Berlin with a superb
stock and helpful staff..
If you friend sends an email for the attention of Wieland Giebel I'm sure he
may be able to help. He speaks perfect English.
http://www.berlinstory.de/

Berlin Story, Unter den Linden 26, 10117 Berlin
Tel: 030 - 20 45 38 42 - Fax: 030 - 20 45 38 41
E-Mail: Service@BerlinStory.de


There is a book that might be of some help but though I've looked at it in
his shop I can't remember any pix of the interior.
http://www.linksverlag.de/cgi-bin/WebObjects/TXTSVLinks.woa/11/wo/NM3tq0y6zVnhhDodI3/
14.0.15.5.7.9.2.1.0.BoxArticleSmall.17.0
(sorry, cut and paste)

Regards,
Roy
Visit Roy's Homepages.
http://www.deepshelter.co.uk
For Secret Architecture in London, Bunkers, Citadels, Deep Shelters, Sirens
and lots more.
Also
http://www.geocities.com/lupinpooter/index.htm
For Berlin Flaktowers, Air Raid Sirens, Berghof pictures.

[TsrJoe]

hiyas Steve, just had a looksee through Osprey's 'Berlin Wall, intra German Border 61-89' by Gordon Rottman, a few pics and drawings of the tower itself but nothing internal, a useful reference tho for putting it into context, ill keep looking tho in case iv something in the files

cheers Joe

[Aircav]

Hi Chaps
and thanks for all the help you have given me on this subject, it is very much appreciated and Moin, its the model that started the search off in the first place, TsrJoe very kindly lent me his model of the tower made by Busch which is in HO/TT scale and I thought it would be great to have a go at building one in 1/72 and 1/48 scale.
On one site you and I found there was mention that the tower column sections were 1m high so I scaled the photos to 1/48 and the diameter came out at 28.75mm which is what I've been using as a standard but now I've since for out from another site that the column diameter in real life is 1.4m which works out at 29.16mm which isn't bad considering I was using photos to work from (hey, you have to blow your own trumpet sometimes ).
The drawings are 99% done and it was just the interior that had me stumped but now with the information you have supplied I should be able to do that as well.
Many thanks again and all the best
Steve

[Aircav]

I've just found a firm that makes a 1/43 scale model of the tower for 18.99 Euro
http://www.moduni.de/product_info.php/products_id/1006101

[Nick]

I have one of their East German apartment block card models. Get about 50 of those and you have a genuine model East German town!
They make the British housing estates of the 1960's look exciting by comparison.... 

I actually stayed in one in Berlin. The entire building was converted to a hostel/cheap hotel and there are several similar buildings nearby. At the DDR Museum I was told of a new town where they had to paint the front doors different colours because the kids kept getting lost on the way home from school....

[Jeffry Fontaine]

I've just found a firm that makes a 1/43 scale model of the tower for 18.99 Euro http://www.moduni.de/product_info.php/products_id/1006101

Wow, that is not cheap, especially for a paper card model.  Guess you can make up for your initial cost by making multiple copies on your Xerox machine, albeit for your own personal consumption...