Photographic documentation of the Sonnenallee border crossing
 

The file contains a brief description of conditions on the West Berlin side of the Sonnenallee border crossing, together with a sketch from February 1981, a report by the GDR Sonnenallee passport control unit (Passkontrolleinheit, PKE) from July 1987, and photographic documentation of the Sonnenallee border crossing point (Grenzübergangsstelle, GÜSt) from February 1989.

All photos in the photographic documentation were taken from West Berlin. They show the border wall, the border crossing and the environs of the border crossing on the West Berlin side. The photographer was most likely either a full-time staff member or an unofficial collaborator of the Ministry for State Security (MfS). In the detailed and panoramic photos, the Stasi identified distinctive landmarks, objects and points of orientation, including the huts used by the West Berlin police and customs authorities, as well as a bus stop near the border crossing.

The 1987 report, signed by Lieutenant Colonel Karman, head of the Sonnenallee passport control unit, details an alleged provocation at the border crossing point from the West Berlin side. The report includes three photos of the incident. Only Stasi officers and non-commissioned officers worked in the passport control units.