Inner German border
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The inner German border was the frontier between the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1990. De jure not including the similar but physically separate Berlin Wall, the border was 1,381 kilometres (858 mi) long and ran from the Baltic Sea to Czechoslovakia.
Border installations at Schlagsdorf
The Allied zones of occupation in post-war Germany, highlighting the Soviet zone (red), the inner German border (heavy black line) and the zone from which British and American troops withdrew in July 1945 (purple). The provincial boundaries are those of pre-Nazi Weimar Germany, before the present Länder (federal states) were established.
The border before fortification: inter-zonal barrier near Asbach in Thuringia, 1950
Inner German border at Priwall (Baltic Sea coast), July 1961
Bundeszollverwaltung
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The Bundeszollverwaltung is the customs service of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is also the executive and fiscal administrative unit of the federal government and part of the Federal Ministry of Finance. It was founded in 1949 in West Germany. The purpose of the Customs Service is to administer federal taxes, execute demands for payment on behalf of the federal government and federal statutory corporations, monitor the cross border movements of goods with regard to compliance with bans and restrictions, and prevent illicit work.
A West German customs dog (Zollhund) on the inner German border in 1984
Patrol ship (Zollkreuzer) Helgoland (a SWATH-Vessel)
Vehicle of the Bundeszollverwaltung in Germany