Bundesautobahn 2 is an autobahn in Germany that connects the Ruhr area in the west to Berlin in the east. The A 2 starts at the junction with the A3 near the western city of Oberhausen, passes through the north of the Ruhr valley, through the Münsterland and into Ostwestfalen, crossing the former inner German border and continuing through the Magdeburger Börde to merge into the Berliner Ring shortly before reaching Berlin. Major cities such as Magdeburg, Braunschweig, Hannover and Dortmund are situated very close to the A 2. The A 2 is one of the most important autobahns, connecting several large industrial areas with each other.
Border crossing at Helmstedt in 1967
A2 near Magdeburg
The Autobahn is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is Bundesautobahn, which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word Bundesautobahn is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'.
A 3 and A 5 at Frankfurter Kreuz near Frankfurt am Main
Overhead signage on A 3
Part of the AVUS road in Berlin, the first automobile-only road, and served as an inspiration for Piero Puricelli's 1924 autostrada between Milan and the northern Italian lakes, the first motorway in the world.
Hitler ceremonially starts the excavation works for the first Austrian autobahn (1938).
