List of allied institutions in the western sectors of Berlin

The list of allied facilities in the western sectors of Berlin represents the infrastructure of the four occupying powers in the area of the three western sectors of West Berlin . These are properties used by the military such as barracks, depots, training grounds and civil facilities such as housing estates or supply facilities that were used during from 1945 until the end of the four-power status through the Two-Plus-Four Treaty in 1991 by the Allies .

Overview of the three western sectors

The three western sectors had an area of 482 square kilometers. That corresponded to about 54 percent of the total area of Berlin . Around two million people lived here at the end of the 1980s, but the population density in the eastern part of the city was significantly lower at 1.3 million people. 4.5 percent of the area of the three western sectors was used for military installations. The troop strengths fluctuated very strongly; At the end of the 1980s there were around 2900 soldiers in the French sector, 3200 in the British and 5800 in the US. In addition, there was a considerable number of civilian employees (both from home countries and from Berlin) as well as the family members of the soldiers. For the American community, for example, there are figures of approximately 7,500 family members and 6,000 civilian employees.

sector	Total area ( ha )	Military. used area (ha)
French Sector ( Forces Françaises à Berlin )	10,500	0294
British Sector ( Berlin Infantry Brigade )	16,600	0584
US Sector ( Berlin Brigade )	21,100	1256

Joint facilities of the four main allies

designation	location	image
Allied Control Council building with the Berlin Air Safety Center	Schöneberg , Elßholzstrasse ( Location )	More pictures
The Allied Control Council, consisting of the commanders-in-chief of the four victorious powers, assumed government responsibility in occupied Germany between 1945 and 1948. It had its seat in the building of the former Prussian Chamber Court , in which between 1944 and 1945 the show trials of the People's Court against the assassins of July 20 took place under the direction of Roland Freisler . In the Allied Control Council, the victorious powers were to jointly and unanimously decide questions concerning all of Germany and implement the resolutions of the Potsdam Agreement . By 1948 the Control Council had 82 meetings. In protest against the London Six Power Conference and the emerging establishment of a West German federal state , the representative of the Soviet Union left the Control Council on March 20, 1948, which did not meet again afterwards. From then on, the Western Allies pursued their own policy in Germany and the Control Council thus lost its function. Formally, however, the Control Council was only dissolved with the Two-Plus-Four Treaty . Also on Kleist Park was Air Safety Center Berlin ( Berlin Air Safety Center , in short: BASC) housed. Besides the Spandau war crimes prison, this was the only institution that was maintained by all four Allies after 1948. The BASC's task was to ensure the safety of all aircraft in the Berlin area and the air corridors to Berlin. While the BASC performed purely logistical tasks, the Berlin Air Route Traffic Control Center (BARTCC) at Tempelhof Airport with its radar systems and air traffic controllers was responsible for the technical implementation of the air surveillance . In the 1990s, the building was extensively renovated and reconstructed and has since been the seat of the Higher Regional Court (in Berlin: Kammergericht), the Constitutional Court of the State of Berlin and parts of the Public Prosecutor's Office.		More pictures
War criminals prison	Wilhelmstadt , Wilhelmstrasse ( Location )	More pictures
On October 4, 1946, a few days after the verdicts at the Nuremberg Trials of Major War Criminals were pronounced , the four Allies decided to imprison the seven war criminals who had been sentenced to prison terms in a Berlin prison. They were transferred to the Spandau war crimes prison in 1947 . The prison in Spandau, built between 1878 and 1898, was originally a Prussian military prison for up to 600 prisoners. After 1966 Rudolf Hess, sentenced to life imprisonment, was the only remaining prisoner in Spandau. After Hess died by suicide in 1987 , the prison was demolished by order of the four powers so that the place could not become a place of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis. Then the Britannia Center , a shopping center for the British soldiers, was built here. The administration of the war crimes prison was the joint responsibility of all four Allies. So the guards changed every month. Issues related to the war crimes prison were discussed in the Allied headquarters; since the Soviet Union had left the headquarters after 1948, their representatives were contacted in writing.		More pictures

Joint facilities of the three Western Allies

designation	location	image
Allied headquarters	Dahlem , Kaiserswerther Strasse ( Location )

Allied Staff Berlin (ASB)	Westend , Hanns-Braun-Strasse ( Location )
In the Allied Staff Berlin (ASB), the three Western powers worked together on military defense plans and emergency measures for Berlin. In connection with the Berlin blockade , the staff was initially established as a small working group called the Allied Liaison Committee and continued in 1951 as the Allied Staff Berlin . In peacetime the staff consisted of 57 soldiers and civil servants. In addition to the defense planning, the ASB also coordinated the trinational public relations work, organized the annual troop parade and the Airlift Memorial Day and organized joint competitions and maneuvers. In addition, the ASB oversaw the Senate's storage facilities . The ASB was located on the site of the British headquarters in the Olympic Park , which is now the House of German Sports. The location at the Olympic Stadium was deliberately chosen as it was located in the core area of the defense (the key area ), which should be kept as long as possible in the event of an attack.
Liaison Office (Liaison Offices) Allied liaison officers at the Berlin Senate in Schöneberg Town Hall	Schöneberg , John F. Kennedy Platz ( Location )
The three liaison officers were diplomats appointed by the city commanders who sat directly in Schöneberg Town Hall and were supposed to maintain contact with the governing mayor , the Senate and the House of Representatives . They met once a week with the head of the state chancellery to inform each other about current security issues. Some of the liaison officers later made careers in the diplomatic service, such as the British ambassador to Germany Christopher Mallaby or the first US ambassador to the GDR Brandon Grove .
Berlin Air Route Traffic Control Center (air traffic control center )	Tempelhof ( Location )

French armed forces in Berlin

designation	location	image
Quartier Napoleon , seat of the French military government and accommodation for the troops	Wedding , Kurt-Schumacher-Damm ( Location )	More pictures
The Napoleon quarter was the largest barracks in the western sectors. Almost all the troops of the French garrison were concentrated here. This strong concentration on one large location was due to the lack of other barracks in the French sector. The facility is around 90 hectares and includes around 60 buildings. The barracks were built between 1936 and 1939 for the Air Force Infantry Regiment “General Göring” under the most modern of aspects at the time. After the Second World War, about 80 percent of the barracks was destroyed and was largely restored to its original state in the course of the 1950s. In addition, some buildings were added, such as the St. Louis Church or the L'Aiglon cinema. After the withdrawal of the French troops, the barracks was taken over by the German armed forces and renamed the Julius Leber barracks in 1995 . It is a listed building as a whole.		More pictures

Residential and cultural facilities

designation	location	image
Residence of the High Commissioner of the French Republic for Germany	Waidmannslust , Dianastraße 41-43 ( Location )

Residence of the Deputy Commander of the French Military Government in Berlin	Waidmannslust , Dianastraße 44-46 / Waidmannsluster Damm 154/160 ( Location )

Residence of the French city commandant in Berlin	Waidmannslust , Bondickstrasse 1-4 ( Location )

Center Français de Berlin	Wedding , Müllerstrasse 74 ( Location )	More pictures
The building was erected in 1960–1961 by the French military government to promote French culture in the French sector. Until 1992 it was operated as a cultural center by the French armed forces in Berlin. After the fall of the wall and the withdrawal of the Allies, the building came into the possession of the Federal Republic of Germany. The governments of the Republic of France and the Federal Republic of Germany agreed that the Center Français would continue in the spirit of Franco-German friendship, the European idea of international understanding.		More pictures
Cité Foch housing estate	Wittenau ( Location )	More pictures
The settlement was essentially built between 1952 and 1976 and over time had developed into the largest of the French residential areas , with up to 2,600 people living in 785 apartments on 47 hectares . Various civil institutions such as schools, a shopping center with a cinema, a church and an indoor swimming pool are also concentrated here. The settlement is named after Ferdinand Foch , a French marshal in the First World War .		More pictures
Cité Guynemer housing estate	Tegel , north adjacent to the airport Tegel ( Location )	More pictures
The Cité Guynemer is located to the north bordering the military area of Tegel Airport. Between 1953 and 1954, a total of 227 apartments were built here on around 21 hectares for the personnel of the French Air Force, 66 of which were high-standard officers' apartments. The western part predominantly has the character of a forest settlement with one and two-storey semi-detached houses and terraced house groups and spacious front gardens, while open, multi-storey row development dominates east of Avenue Jean Mermoz and in the periphery. The settlement is named after Georges Guynemer , a French fighter pilot during the First World War . The streets in the Cité Guynemer are also named after French flying heroes. The “Club Bouliste de Berlin”, which claims to be the largest boules club in Germany , is still reminiscent of the time of the French garrison .		More pictures
Cité Joffre Housing Development	Wedding , adjacent to the Napoleon quarter to the south ( Location )
The Cité Joffre was built between 1953 and 1962. It extends over around 11 hectares to the south, bordering the Napoleon quarter . The development consists mainly of two to three-storey apartment buildings with a total of around 300 residential units. A special feature of Cité Joffre is that the French street names here were largely adapted to the rules of the Berlin Roads Act around the year 2000. For example from 'Allée Camille Saint-Saëns' to 'Charles-Corcelle-Ring'.
Cité Pasteur Housing Development	Tegel , south of Tegel Airport ( Location )	More pictures
Between 1952 and 1958, the Cité Pasteur was built on around 14 hectares between Tegel Airport and the Napoleon district . In 1990, the settlement had 291 apartments in three-story apartment buildings, which are grouped around a green area. In addition, most of the French schools and kindergartens were located in the Cité Pasteur until the end of the 1960s , until they were gradually moved to the Cité Foch . The traditional Collège Français (the French grammar school), whose history dates back to 1689, was also located here from 1953 to 1974. After the grammar school was moved to Tiergarten in 1974 , the school building stands empty. Some buildings were still used for sports facilities. In 2009, a position paper from the Reinickendorf district office on the re-use of the airport caused some speculation about a possible demolition of the Cité Pasteur , as it considered the abandonment of residential use to be inevitable. Two years later, the Senate Department for Urban Development took the planning for the airport area into its own hands - in view of its particular importance for urban politics. The “Masterplan TXL” drawn up by the Senate in 2013 explicitly provides for a preservation of the residential area of Cité Pasteur .		More pictures
Club Nautique Français de Tegel	Tegel , Schwarzer Weg 31 ( Location )
The yacht club, which was founded in 1945, was privately run after the Allies left and is still in existence today.
Center Bagatelle	Frohnau , Zeltinger Strasse 6 ( Location )
The Center Bagatelle still exists today as a cultural center in Frohnau . The villa was built in 1925 to designs by the architects Poser and Bamm for Herbert Worch (general director of the insurance company Deutscher Herold ). During the time of National Socialism , the seat of the NSDAP local group Frohnau was established here. In May 1945 the building was first used by the Soviet local commanders and on July 9, 1945 the British Allies took over the building. The house finally came into the possession of the French on August 12, 1945, as Frohnau was part of the French sector . They set up an officers' mess and named the villa Center Bagatelle . From 1950 the house was also open to Germans and cultural events, French language and literature courses were held here. In 1993 the property and the house were taken over by the Reinickendorf District Office.

Practice areas

designation	location	image
Site practice area	Heiligensee , Elchdamm ( Location )	More pictures
The approximately 40 hectare area of the Baumberge was used for combat training and as a tank training area. Due to the military use, the area was kept free of vegetation and thus preserved the character of an open dune landscape with sand heights over 30 meters high. In addition to the Püttberge in the Treptow-Köpenick district , the Baumberge are the last remaining inland dune landscape in the State of Berlin and were placed under nature protection in 2011.		More pictures
Site practice area and shooting range	Tegel , Bernauer Strasse 171 ( Location )
There are eight shooting ranges in three buildings on the approximately 16 hectare shooting range with distances of 25 to 400 meters. There was also an obstacle course. The French used the 400-meter hall, while the smaller halls (until today) are used by the Berlin police. After the French withdrew, the facility became the property of the Bundeswehr.

Others

designation	location	image
Military part of Tegel Airport	Tegel ( Location )

Gare Française Berlin-Tegel	Tegel , Berlin-Tegel train station ( Location )
The train drove from here regularly to Strasbourg once a week and could be used by French military personnel and their relatives as well as employees of French institutions, e.g. B. the French grammar school , can be used free of charge. Every Thursday he also brought supplies for the French supermarket in Waidmannslust .
Ammunition depot	Wedding , at the fairground ( Location )
From 1889 to 1945 the area was used by the Chemisch-Technische Reichsanstalt (CTR) for experimental purposes. The French then confiscated the site and demolished the CTR buildings by 1959 to mine sand and gravel. The French ammunition depot, which was initially located on the premises of Tegel Airport, was relocated to the east side of the Kurt-Schumacher-Damm between the Cité Joffre and the Berlin-Spandauer-Schifffahrtskanal around 1965-1970 , where it existed until 1994. There were 43 above-ground bunkers, two watchtowers and several outbuildings on the 20 hectare, walled ammunition area. In 1999 the bunkers and security systems were torn down and the square was converted into an event space. Since then, numerous events have taken place on the “Central Festival Square”, such as the Franco-German Volksfest or the Berlin Oktoberfest.
French Consulate General and Maison de France Cultural Center	Charlottenburg , Kurfürstendamm 211 ( Location )
The Maison de France, built in 1950, was outside the French sector in the district of Charlottenburg. The Cinéma Paris , a bookshop, Air France offices and the French consulate on the third floor were on the ground floor . In the Maison de France , various events such as conferences, readings, concerts were u. a. organized. Even after the Allies withdrew, the cultural center was maintained by the Institut Français Berlin as a Franco-German meeting place. On August 25, 1983, the German terrorist and Carlos accomplice Johannes Weinrich carried out an explosive attack on the Maison de France , in which the two upper floors were completely destroyed. One person died and 23 were injured. The attack was part of a series of attacks with which the Carlos confidante Magdalena Kopp should be cleared. In April 2013, the French ambassador announced the closure of the Institut Français , which led to violent protests in Berlin. In August of the same year, the French government announced that it would review the decision again.

British armed forces in Berlin

designation	location	image
British Headquarters, British Military Government, Berlin Brigade Staff	Westend , Hanns-Braun-Strasse ( Location )

British headquarters	Wilmersdorf , Fehrbelliner Platz 4 ( Location )
From 1945 to 1953 the former building of the German Labor Front as 'Lancaster House' was British headquarters. Two memorial plaques in the entrance hall have been commemorating this since 1994. From 1954 to 2014 it was the Wilmersdorf town hall .
British headquarters	Wilmersdorf , Fehrbelliner Platz 1 ( Location )
From 1945 to 1951, the former Karstadt AG building, known as the 'Cumberland House', was the British headquarters. February 12, 1951, the “Cumberland House” was handed over to the Senate
British headquarters	Wilmersdorf , Westfälische Strasse 1–5 ( Location )
From 1945 to 1949 the former building of the German Labor Front as the 'York House' was the British headquarters. On February 9, 1949, the “York House” was handed over to the Berlin Superior Court.