Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears)

The glass-and-steel pavilion at Friedrichstraße station was the departure hall of one of the busiest crossing points between East and West Berlin. From here, Westerners and privileged East Germans passed through rigorous Stasi passport control to leave the East. Because divided families could meet on day visits but had to part again at this hall, the emotional farewells that played out daily earned it the nickname 'Tränenpalast' — the Palace of Tears. Behind the scenes, border guards used hidden mirrors, height gauges and sniffer dogs to catch escapees hidden in cars and luggage. After the Wall fell, the pavilion became a museum of everyday life under division, its original passport booths and interrogation cabins preserved to show how the border cut through ordinary lives.