When films are in production, visitors may be treated to a first look at the sets. I was in the Berlin Spy Museum, one of the city’s newest attractions, located at Potsdamer Platz, and for many years the heavily guarded no-man’s-land that divided East and West in the centre of the city. While the DDR was in power, this prison complex was where people simply vanished. Bridge of Spies is based on a true story and is set in New York City/Brooklyn as well as east and west Berlin. The Bridge: Königstraße. "Oh yes it's very good. Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg attend the 'Bridge of Spies - Der Unterhaendler' World Premiere In Berlin on November 13, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. One of the most important exchanges took place here on June 12th, 1985. Donovan boards a plane to Berlin, hoping to win the young man's freedom through a prisoner exchange. It has also been used as a concert and event space as well as a refugee center. Bridge of Spies is nominated for Sound Mixing for Oscars 2016. Shots of West Berlin interiors were supplied by posh hotels like the Berlin Hilton which actually lies in former East Berlin. With the Bond theme tune playing, Agent AB signed up to have a go. It was at the Villa Schöningen that I spotted an intriguing flyer – “High Noon at Glienicke Bridge” – and discovered to my astonishment that it is now possible to arrange a talk and tour of the bridge with one of the men who had been exchanged in the June 1985 spy swap – Eberhard Fätkenheuer, a former CIA agent and arguably the most fascinating guide in the whole of Berlin. brenna7350 wrote a review Sep 2020. Well-known human rights activist, Anatoly Shcharansky (now known as Natan Sharansky), was labeled a Refusenik (unofficial term for individuals - often Jewish - who were denied permission to emigrate out of the Eastern bloc) and accused of spying for the American Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Anyone who has not, should. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Watch for the airport as James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks character) descends from a historic C-54 Skymaster. The dramatic events behind the Oscar-winning film, Bridge of Spies, tracing the paths leading to the first and most legendary prisoner exchange between East and West at Berlin's Glienicke Bridge and Checkpoint Charlie on February 10, 1962. The internationally acclaimed film The Lives of Others also made use of these chilling cells to amplify their historical drama. It was filmed in Berlin and a German actor stars with Tom Hanks. Further high points of the Cold War were the three exchanges of agents between East and West made on Glienicke Bridge close to Potsdam and the subject of major media interest. It was nearly dusk as I walked the few yards from the villa to the bridge and the fading light lent it a very atmospheric quality: it was like something out of a film set. The Bridge of Spies is an actual place with an important role in Berlin history . OPENING HOURS. This is one of the oldest large-scale film studios in the world and was a precursor to today's Hollywood. Gleinicker Brücke – the Bridge of Spies. I decided to begin my own journey to the Glienicke Bridge by water, taking a 90-minute round-trip cruise from Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, which in East German times was a key listening post on neighbouring West Berlin. Potsdam Day Trip from Berlin with Bridge of Spies. The exchange went as smoothly as could be expected with tensions at an all-time high and the bridge became the location for exchanging spies and prisoners. I watched a solitary man playing with his dog on a deserted stretch of shore and drank in the sumptuousness of the surroundings, cascading trees capped by the Babelsberg Palace, a fantastical English Gothic Revival-style construction that served as the summer residence of the Prussian prince who went on to become Kaiser Wilhelm I. It may not be the prettiest or the boldest, but in its current form – the steel incarnation erected at the beginning of the 20th century to cope with the ever growing traffic between Berlin and Potsdam – it has a simple elegance; a pleasing symmetry; a Teutonic solidity. I arranged to meet him and hear his story: of the school years in which he began to fall foul of the East German authorities; of an unlikely friendship in his twenties with a young man from Vienna who, having spent years building up trust, asked if he would be prepared to spy for the Americans; of clandestine training sessions on Lake Balaton south of Budapest; of assignments, since Fätkenheuer’s job was to observe and report on troops and missile movements of the Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces based on East German soil; of the sense of risk, excitement and elation he felt at the time; and of the subsequent fear when he was found out and sentenced to prison (he served six years). Erin Porter is a freelance writer who has been covering Germany since she moved to Berlin in 2007. Visitors today can walk, bike, or rollerblade the runway. "The swap [of Powers and Abel] was to take place on Glienicke Bridge," said Frank. Between Glienicker Lake and Havel River. Those selected to make the journey had to be very carefully screened. Even in 141 minutes of runtime, Bridge of Spies doesn’t really have enough space to flesh out the parallel story of Frederic Pryor, an American student imprisoned in E… West Berlin (From "Bridge of Spies"/Score) Thomas Newman. • Cold War locations: which can you identify? A bridge has stood in this location since the 1600s with the current version built in 1907, flanked by elegant pillars. Did he have any regrets? Interpreted as a sign of thawing relations between East and West, the event on what will now forever be known as the Bridge of Spies plays out in front of the world’s press. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. And when they were finally allowed to walk on to the bridge, military and intelligence forces – on both sides – would follow them every step of the way. The movie is directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Matt Charman and the Coen brothers, and stars the likes of Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance (who won Best Supporting Actor for this role), Sebastian Koch, Amy Ryan and Alan Alda. This was just the first time the Glienicker Brücke was used for a spy trade and it would not be the last, leading to its nickname "The Bridge of Spies". Glienicke Bridge - Bridge of Spies (Google Maps). To appreciate the uniqueness of Glienicke Bridge we should start at the very beginning. Nov 24, 2015 - Glienick Bridge - "Bridge of Spies" - between Berlin and Potsdam Anyone who has been to the Glienecke Bridge will recognise it as the “Bridge of Spies” that takes centre stage in the Steven Spielberg film of that name which is about to reach our screens. It was completed in 1907. West Berlin repaired its half to the bridge in 1980 and the East German half of the structure in 1985. Glienicke Bridge (From "Bridge of Spies"/Score) Thomas Newman. I could have talked with him a lot longer, but felt that it was time to cross the Glienicke myself. PG-13 | 2h 22min | Drama, History, Thriller | 16 October 2015 (USA) 1:44 | Trailer. There are some gruesome exhibits – including the blocks of nails that were laid in the Havel as an extra deterrent to East Germans who thought there might be a chance of swimming to the other side. Berlin named most 'fun' city in the world, Back to Berlin, 25 years after the wall came down, Why Berlin's swanky new airport is more than 30 years in the making, Travel on Trial: A perfume-making workshop in Berlin provides the ultimate souvenir, 48 hours in . The deal included a provision that the East German authorities would rename the bridge “Glienicker Bruecke” once again. It crosses the Havel river between Wannsee and imperial Potsdam. During the Cold War, Americans and Soviets used the Glienicke Bridge as a meeting spot for the exchange of captured spies. During the 1960s and separation of East and West Berlin, the bridge became a restricted border crossing. It used to be a fairly complicated procedure to walk across the Glienicke Bridge on the far western outskirts of Berlin. This includes the original New York subway cars as well as the vintage trains used in Germany. Oscar season is upon us, so what better time to highlight this extraordinary bridge. Écoutez des chansons intégrales de West Berlin (From 'Bridge of Spies'/Score) de Thomas Newman sur votre téléphone, ordinateur et système audio personnel avec Napster. At great personal risk, he goes to Cold War Berlin to negotiate a prisoner exchange for the release of captured U-2 pilot Gary Francis Powers. The bridge is known as the bridge of spies because it was utilized as an exchange point of captured spies between America and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. (Note that tours are currently only offered in German). Berlin is so jam-packed with landmarks, museums and good falafel joints, it’s difficult to work out how you’d fit everything in one trip. THE DRAMATIC EVENTS BEHIND THE FILM BRIDGE OF SPIES. The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, "Here you will find history writ large; a spot that has witnessed human drama and political intrigue of the very highest order", Natan Sharansky takes his first faltering steps to freedom, A piece of the Berlin wall at Villa Schöningen. The Bridge of Spies is an actual place with an important role in Berlin history. Was it optimism or irony that made them name the bridge the Brücke der Einheit (Bridge of Unity), I wondered? Bridge Of Spies Although attorney Jim Donovan fails to win the freedom of accused spy Rudolf Abel in court, history presents him with another opportunity. Bridge of Spies keeps up its brisker-than-true-events pace by chucking up the Berlin Wall immediately – though it was really constructed in August 1961, over a year after Powers’s capture. Back in Berlin, the two had been struggling to find the perfect location for their period drama in a city that’s been ceaselessly rebuilt and modernized since the end of the Cold War. Bridge of Spies review – Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance red hot in Steven Spielberg's magnificent cold war thriller . On Glienicke Bridge, outside of Berlin in 1962, two Cold War powers met and exchanged their prisoners, the story of which has now been told in Steven Spielberg’s gripping Bridge Of Spies. Saturday-Sunday: 10:00-18:00. Appearances, however, can be deceptive since this particular bridge, one of Germany’s most storied, is also known as the Bridge of Spies… • Berlin named most 'fun' city in the world. It was a cool mid-October morning and the trees lining the banks of the River Havel glimmered with the glories of the season: deep reds and browns; yellows and lingering greens. By the early 20th century, Schinkel's bridge was no longer a… Coventry, United Kingdom 36 contributions 20 helpful votes. written by Rebecca 30/03/2018. Seen Bridge of Spies movie then see the original. A loud alarm went off as on my first attempt I touched one of the beams. Like so many movies made in Berlin, Studio Babelsberg produced many of the sets used in Bridge of Spies. Bridge of Spies. During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers. You can walk without stopping. The first, covered by the movie, took place on February 10, 1962. I was convinced I was working for the good; I was an undercover agent working for the free world. He was held as a political prisoner for nine years in Soviet prisons until the two sides arranged for an exchange of Shcharansky and three Western agents in return for Karl Koecher and four other Eastern agents. Bridge of Spies (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 01:12 12. The bridge is featured in the Oscar nominated movie “Bridge of Spies”. One day after the ‘Fall of the Berlin Wall’ in 1989, the Bridge of Spies was opened to pedestrian traffic and cars – with long lines of East German Trabants queued up to shuttle people back and forth across this infamous frontier which for almost three decades had remained symbolically closed. 3 VIDEOS | 128 IMAGES. And apparently, they used Mennicza in the southeast of the city, as well as some parts of Berlin itself.. I returned to the fray, all the more determined. And geting to the other side of the room. Primarily Kurkowa which leads onto Ptasia (look at the map above if you can’t find them yourself). Bridge of Spies: Stasi prisoner portrayed in Steven Spielberg film brands depiction 'totally false' Frederic Pryor has been left frustrated at the critically-acclaimed movie’s portrayal of events Filming began and ended in this airport turned park. Reader offer: four-night escorted tour of Germany with visits to Berlin, Dresden, Meissen and Colditz, costs from £529pp. And began to get the hang of it. Bridge of Spies is the true story of three extraordinary characters whose fate helped to define the conflicts and lethal undercurrents of the … by Rebecca 30/03/2018. In 1960, a U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union and the pilot miraculously survived the crash. It did not take me long to connect with my own inner James Bond. Appearances, however, can be deceptive since this particular bridge, one of Germany’s most storied, is also known as the Bridge of Spies. It was time to up my game and have a go at the hardest level (moving laser beams). Bridge of Spies ( 2015) Bridge of Spies. The site has been transformed into a memorial site with some tours even provided by its former prisoners. Movies. THE GLIENICKE BRIDGE OR BRIDGE OF SPIES, BERLIN ADDRESS. It’s a doddle this spy businesss. Glienicke Bridge or the Bridge of Spies, Berlin, named after nearby Glienicke Palace, is a bridge across the Havel River, connecting Berlin and the State of Brandenburg. Here, too, in the forest and water-filled world linking the western outskirts of Berlin and the easternmost reaches of the former garrison town of Potsdam, you will find a place of quite staggering natural beauty, a retreat of such serenity that for more than 200 years it was the favoured playground of the princes and princesses of Prussia. I’d enjoyed looking at the museum’s many and varied exhibits – from an original Enigma coding machine to a lipstick pistol to an umbrella of the kind used to stab (and poison) the Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov on Waterloo Bridge in London. It is a vital stopping point for people interested in Cold War history. The studio has produced such recent international hits as The Reader, Inglourious Basterds, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. Bridge of Spies Agentenbrücke. For here you will find history writ large; a spot that has witnessed human drama and political intrigue of the very highest order. Interpreted as a sign of thawing relations between East and West, the event on what will now forever be known as the Bridge of Spies plays out in front of the world’s press. Bridge of Spies (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 10:51 14. In 1960, a U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union and the pilot miraculously survived the crash. Some of the shots for the film took place on a freight yard originally opened in 1867 to handle cattle. On February 10, 1962, Donovan, Abel and others arrived at the Glienicke Bridge, which connected East and West Germany. It was across this line that, in February 1962, the Soviet spy Rudolf Abel and the American spy-plane pilot Francis Gary Powers were exchanged. • Back to Berlin, 25 years after the wall came down. The negotiations could last months, if not years. It lends a great credibility to the film that they were able to shoot in this iconic location. Hotel Hilton Berlin - West Berlin Interior, Berlin-Rummelsburg Betriebsbahnhof, Lichtenberg, Berlin - Vintage Trains, Glienicke Bridge, Berlin - Prisoner Exchange, Funkhaus Berlin Nalepastrasse - East Berlin Interiors, Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial - Former KGB Prison.