The first lookout towers were put up to guard the soldiers patrolling the borders. Their proximity to the West made it tempting to seize the opportunity to escape. The towers were uncomfortable and dangerous for soldiers liable to nod off.
Last updated:聽23 october, 2009 - 15:34 GMT
A border view
Josef Altenburger lived at St Margarethen on the border of Austria Hungary border. During the Second World War he was interned as a prisoner of war at Camp Polk, Louisiana, USA.
Three years after he returned home, he found himself looking at barbed wire again, but this time he was close to home.
This picture gallery is his view of the strict border restrictions brought on by the onset of the Cold War.
Border with a reporter
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