busting continues. i've always wanted to show you around my hometown a small city in the state of hessen in the heart of germany. there are more than 1000 half timbered houses here. and if you're lucky you'll hear the bells ring at the market place.

when i was born to go was located on the fringe of the german federal republic germany's and our border right only a few kilometers from here that separated has end to lincoln and germany and all of europe for that matter into east and west but in 1909 the wall came down in berlin and the border between east germany and the federal republic was opened for the past 30 years now and spigot has been at the heart of germany. today i want to take you on a little tour along the border between hassett and well visit places that still bear witness to the cold war division of germany and that's mick tim's and we'll find out what has changed since reunification turning a once heavily fortified death strip and so unattractive tourist destination. we'll visit a small town torn apart in the cold war. well check out

castle one of the symbols of german reunification. and globetrotters steve hanif sends his regards from durban and south africa. i'm heading south all the way along the border between hessen and tooling and until i reach the. 3rd cities and towns meadows and feels quite unimaginable that this region was once marred by the cold war and cut into by the iron curtain i want to find out what things were like back in the day and head over to point alpha a former u.s. observation post at the inner german border. in oxford. takes me around the premises 1st he shows me the different stages of the east german border fencing. starting in 1952 the old boundary stones were replaced with

barbed wire. but those trying to flee could easily cut it when no border guards were in sight so the east german leadership made escaping more and more dangerous. business and i know we're in the middle of a minefield that dates back to the 1960 s. when they began building the berlin wall on august 13th 1961 the inner german border was secured through military means and 1.3 to 1400000 land mines were planted. the death strip whoever managed to pass it unscathed was often brought to a halt at the last border fence i was by who would have walked from there. it would have been very difficult to climb the fence practically impossible to pull yourself up by your fingertips. up until 1904 there were also s.m. seventy's here anti-personnel mines which would detonate if anyone tried to climb up. they were called automatic firing devices and would have fired shrapnel that

anyone trying to escape and had. this was the border patrol road in the former east . only 50 meters across the border a u.s. army watch tower it was part of observation post alpha 40 u.s. soldiers were stationed here they all belong to the reno and black horse regiment a demanding task at the frontline of a conflict that had the whole world holding its breath is that quickly given the black horse regiment was a very strong unit on its own combat helicopters armored infantry and artillery and assumption was that if war broke out the soviets would advance and this would be one of the 1st sites about 3rd world war helpless and couldn't it be flambeaux to. every accidental movement could have had devastating consequences tens were only allowed to drive up to this red line a rule established by the americans and meant to avoid provocation that could have

cost the soviet leadership to see. nowadays point tells the tale of germany seemingly distant but there you've recent history groups of schoolchildren come to learn but also veterans who served here and many people from around the world interested in germany's peaceful reunification by the way this watch tower was only built in 1984 back then nobody thought that 5 years later the cold war and the iron curtain would be history until not too long ago the region we're in right now the loon was full of military infrastructure on both sides of the border today the low mountain range as a protected by a fair reserve and still somewhat of an insider tip for travelers for hiking biking or just taking a little time up. the one is a low mountain range in the middle of germany often called the land of open spaces that ranges from the state of turning in to hassen and bavaria.

there are some larger cities on the outskirts for example mine again in the east which for a long time was the capital of the duchy of socks of mine again. for the growth city of boulder in the west. and right in the middle is the vasa cookbook the highest peak of the one at 950 meters. this is the heart of gliding in germany because of the thermals. the 1st attempts at gliding took place before the 1st world war for the 1st competitions were organized in 1920. a sailplane

is designed to write the air currents without an engine so that it can just glide through space. back when germany was still divided sailplanes from hessen in the west sometimes found themselves gliding towards and even over the border just 15 kilometers from the boss a cookbook. some pilots were even arrested and only released weeks later after paying a hefty fine and deutsche marks. the planes were confiscated. today these gliders and paragliders have the same ideal thermal lift conditions but there is no border that they have to mind. so they can glide freely in their own lands of the open spaces.

little remains of the iron curtain only the border patrol road still meanders through germany i can start to walk on it on the shores of the baltic sea and would end up in hope and bavaria the 4800 kilometers of exclusion zone have turned into a greenbelt a protected area for flora and fauna. kiss as one of the many environmental activists in east and west that demand the german greenbelt not be used for construction or agricultural purposes he wants it to be fully returned to nature resumed its will close to the book on the taft which is now flowing again and its own bed and. before the wall came down this stream was part of a no go zone on the eastern side of the patrol road set up to prevent escapes the

post where you know. after the wall fell the riverbed was recalled invaded by environmentalists and hassen was that you know enough to move her decision point indium. that now there are wetlands for plants and animals for and this is a very valuable limitation that i'm going wasn't if you don't have a. surprisingly political and military hostility where fertile ground for endangered species. kissed and regularly takes visitors around the greenbelt to introduce them to the biodiversity of the region. i went on a really fun watch with some biology students from all snuffed look at the finish of the course we went to the also which is known for its orchids the country. instead of the usual half hour the walk took 2 and

a half because the biology students kept stopping at every blade of grass. or doing that for them and get. their lives so it's not just the locals in the greenbelt has turned into an attractive tourist destination this clean up on the greenbelt will never be a tourist trap thank god. it's not done but it's very important that those who are interested should be able to come here you know common clinton as well this will always be a small select group there won't be any mass tourism. but we're noticing more and more people coming from a far more fun clothes on and finally on. my next stop is fun one of the oldest towns in tooling and. its existence was 1st documented in the year 840. almost as old this bridge that crosses the vent of river on the other side lies phillips only

a stone's throw away but unreachable when germany was divided elizabeth is born and raised and fought tells me how this bridge when from connecting people to separating them from her lack during a cold war was located in the exclusion zone what was daily life like. with a few from when we drove in and drove out we had to show a special stamp on her id. no one else was allowed in on friends couldn't visit us. we were allowed to request a visitor's permit from the police for very close relatives 6 we wouldn't know for 6 weeks whether we'd get permission or not this miracle because. in that battle then best place looked very different and you tell us about this bridge and the role it played on. the

bridge was a very important artery cause of 4 kids from the holy roman empire inside it was on the v. a regular from leipsic to frankfurt. we liked it very much. and we were able to cross it until 1952 and i'm on now you know my aunt lived in the house on the border of monotonic and then that ended here your fear was that there were more and more fences. first a wire mesh fence. then a watch tower was built on the bridge. and then everything was closed off there was nothing around this cause it was a no man's land really i mean months flattened i know what the people are trying to flee across the veterans of that knowledge. very often my brother escaped in 1962 he was a student and try back and he and his friends played jazz and that got them into

trouble with this band so all they swam across in august 1962. mile coast ryan 50 did they succeed as they made a lot of them and no member of 989 the border opened what was that like your family was reunited so was germany euphoria must have been immense i suppose and that's just it's the best thing to have happened to us at the end of the 20th century. yes that's why it's a feeling that you don't experience very often come on with us. you can relive this moment in far as local history museum. and amateur filmmaker captured the scene as the west started to tear down the border wall the famous berlin wall came down on november 9th 989 only 3 days after the border between father and phillips all followed. oh.

this is where it's going to. since then the old bridge has returned to its original function connecting and philip stop. trying to take a little tour of the lives the small town is home to a true gem a castle dating back to the 17th century and surrounded by a lush park. setting out to explore the world wasn't really an option for the citizens of communist east germany people and getting visit their neighbors here in phillips taught nowadays things are much easier get our globe trotters save painted all he needs is a ticket a backpack and a sense of adventure this time we caught up with him in durban south africa 2nd

biggest city. and we start things off in the sunny city of devon i'm here with my little boy guides tell me were god is around for today comes on i could go i'm going to be legal welcome to the city over there been wasn't enough done we're going to take up with what is on the call to be. south africa's rumah city is located on the east coast and has a population of about 3 and a half 1000000 in the metropolitan area durban is famous to being the busiest port in the country it's also seen as one of the major centers of 2 arisen because of the city's warm subtropical climate and extensive teaches it. get. it. right we made it to do mostly the stadium which was built for

the world cup in 2010 we're here to do the big rush the world's tallest when i go. through it but if. it. was it saves time and it was scary i think it's back it's good to be back. and stay on route. to the next morning we hit the road and drive about 3 hours north east. so we just drove away and what we see just right after we have some secrets here. i guess is. our base inside the park was the hilltop camp which overlooks the

reserve. first team drive abyssinian right. there ready to give us a feeling right off because they said it's one of. the little date in follows the path is the oldest proclaimed nature reserve in africa it consists of 960 square kilometers of hilly topography and is known for its rich wildlife and conservation efforts. hiya each of the big 5 game animals can be found in just a short amount of time also we were able to see 4 out of the big 5 on our 1st game drive. and we are back at the kennedy resort in the pool which is the perfect way to finish just ripped through the region of quest to knock off. but.

back in germany i'm on my way to the protest mining area stretching out on both sides of the back up and has an as well as chewing out between 194-5989 it was divided after reunification east and west german potage industries merged the privatisation led to the closure of unsafe or inefficient mines and the loss of many jobs in the former east the mine in macas was turned into a visitor's attraction. wallish guba takes me on a tour of the huge underground labyrinth. even the ride is quite an adventure. 140 square kilometers of winding tunnels the nazis believed this to be the perfect hiding spot in april of 1945 u.s.

soldiers couldn't believe their eyes when they came upon this room thousands of boxes and bags filled with cash diamonds and gold paintings by rembrandt goriot duda and many others in anticipating the downfall of the 3rd reich the nazis hid a lot of their gold and currency reserves and macca us. from by some means so what dimensions are we talking about here that told. me you were right mark well some good thing. if you count everything in but it comes to 3000000000 writes mark you in think notes alone. there was so much money stored here that there was a shortage of cash in berlin. one of the most spectacular finds never t.v. this is of course a replica the original is back in berlin's pergamon museum if all of this is an adventurous enough for you you could also explore the labyrinth by mountain bike

but there are only a limited amount of spots and dates so you should sign up ahead of time in any case there's plenty to see down here. like this grotto full of sparkling salt crystals. because it was on board it's something special or unique in the world as far as we know the salt crystals of this size with a metre long edge aren't found anywhere else except at america. and in the right light it's twice as beautiful. the time now for our weekly the mail our viewer jeff messmate sent us a video of his trip to the island of later on the philippines there he went scuba

diving and that's an amazing footage of the pacific colorful underwater world.

book castle in iceland a symbol of german reunification. into was located only a couple of kilometers from the inner german border germany is arguably a country of many councils so why did the box book play such a crucial role in german history i'm eating with how to find out stuff.

for many years he's been showing visitors through the book into the birthplace of the modern german language 500 years ago monte lucia translated the bible into german in this very room until then there have been countless dialects has bible created a unified german language power in the language that german speak today emerged in this room with martin luther when good to start here hundreds of years later he said we became of people a nation because of martin. that's how we found a common language there were 500 miles and. then other milestone in germany history took place in the books banquet hall and $817.00 students and fraternities hailing from small states and principalities got together and this room. here and they demand that the founding of a unified german nation with democratic civil rights.

under the 1st the un a fraternity germany's 1st fraternity invited people to the book festival. and the fraternity colors were black red and gold with black in the middle red and then a modest gold on the rim of the flag and in the middle an old french. with the flag became the symbol of german democracy black red and gold blue over the book for the 1st time. today the book is once again a castle for all germans a little they still remembers the 1st months after the border was opened west germans were finally able to cross into the east without needing a visa or passport and for many the baht book was the 1st place to visit. just that one year more than 700000 people came. and they waited in line for hours. well they were amazed because the vault book wasn't such a good state and that money had been invested over decades who were all prejudices

flew out the window before they solve a gold cross on the tower and they knew they were home here into the homes of. even the hardest of frontiers are essentially artificial concepts and because they're artificial they can be challenged by the people and eventually taken down it's been 30 years since the fall of the iron curtain and the reopening of the inner german border 3 decades that have blurred the lines between east and west and still we mustn't forget about the past which is why it's so important to have places that remind us of how difficult and different things used to be around these parts thanks for joining me that's it for this week i'll see you next time somewhere in germany.

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