Osobliwie situacje graniczne

(23) - FRANKFURT/O. (D) - SLUBICE (PL)

Frankfurt/Oder (D) - Slubice (PL)

Frankfurt's recorded history starts in the 13th century around a monarchy. The city develops into an important town on the Oder river in Eastern Germany.

12. June 1945: at the end of WW II Sovjet troups reach the city, and the main part is destroyed.

DE:
On the Potsdam Conference in Summer 1945 the Allies decide to transfer all German territory east of the rivers Neisse and Oder to Poland (and the Sovjetunion)

Frankfurt's biggest part with town centre and most buildings is situated on the west bank of the river and remains German, the suburb on the eastside however becomes Polish, as the river runs through the city.

Although situated on the Oder-border now, the rebuilt town becomes capital of a province in 1952 and develops into an important border crossing check point for vehicules and trains on the main route from Hannover-Berlin to Warsaw and Moscow.

PL
As the Oder river now is the border, the former 'Dammvorstadt' of Frankfurt lies on Polish territory is renamed Slubice and continues to exist as an independent city. Polish people move into the abandoned houses.
Frankfurt/Oder
district city in the German Federal State of

Brandenburg.
approx. . 90 km east of Berlin.
Number of inhabitants: 80.000

 Slubice
Town in the Lubuskie Voivodship (Gorzów Wlkp.)
in the Ziemia Lubuska County
more about Slubice here

 

  Oder river: we are at the EU border, German bank on the left, Polish side (Slubice) to the right.
   Along the Oder: Look back to the German side.
   Slubice (PL): Arrival in Poland after having crossed the Oder-city-bridge in the town-centre.
   Slubice (PL):

main square directly behind the border check point.
   Frankfurt/O: View of the city-bridge and the Polish side.
   Frankfurt/O.: city limits = state frontier.
   Frankfurt/O.: The oder bridge from the German side in the early evening.
    Extract from an older city-map (C) from Communist times showing the city centres of both German Frankfurt and the Polish side.
   Frankfurt/O.: downtown, turn right for the border crossing after 1/3 mile.
 Frankfurt/O.:

10 years later: Arriving on the German side: the first yards of the National trunk road 'Bundesstrasse 5' towards the west (=direction Berlin/Hamburg).
In the background crosses the main shopping street.

(Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse)
Along the Oder:

Re-Construction works at the Oder town bridge in the Summer of 2002:

provisional temporary bridge
Along the Oder:

Re-Construction works at the Oder town bridge in the Summer of 2002.
Frankfurt/O.:

Footpath to the border/immigrations: in the background, the roof of the customs/checkpoint building/facilities.
Slubice (PL):

bilingual advertisement for a local supermarket.

(ul. Wojska Polskiego)
Slubice (PL):

The University: Collegium Polonicum

(ul. 1. Maja)
Along the Oder:

Re-Construction works at the Oder town bridge in the Summer of 2002:. View towardsFrankfurt/O.

(ul. Jednosci Robotniczej)
In Slubice:

near the University towards the border and the river Oder.
[The road sign says in two languages (Polish/German) 'forbidden to enter here for queue to the state frontier'.]

(ul. A. Mickewicza)
Along the Oder:

View from Slubice (PL) to Frankfurt/O.
In Frankfurt/O.:

Queueing at the inner-city border crossing.

(Rosa-Luxemburg-Str.)
In Frankfurt/O.:

Modern shopping-mall "Lenné-Passagen", Corner Heilbronn and Karl-Marx-street.
Along the Oder:

Re-Construction works at the Oder town bridge in the Summer of 2002: Information board in German (on the German side) and Polish side (on the Polish side)

(c) Text and photos by BK November 2000 + big up-date Okt. 2002

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It is not the intention to question or revise the existing border! It is merely a description of the situation.