The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding

Author:Thomas Harding
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781473506558
Publisher: Random House

Berlin Wall layout

Finally, a metal wire was strung along the inside of the inner wall, to which German shepherds were tethered by a lead that enabled them to run up and down the death strip, searching for possible escapees. Early each morning the Kühnes and the Fuhrmanns heard the rumble of a truck as it drove up the border patrol path, stopped in front of each kennel, and ladled out food for the hungry animals. As with many of their neighbours, they grew fond of these dogs, throwing them scraps from dinners and summer barbecues. Yet, wise to the possible canine corruption, the border patrol guards rotated the dogs’ sentry posts to ensure that they did not become too familiar with the nearby inhabitants.

With the Wall now in place, the villagers were not only cut off from West Berlin, they also had to live with the physical presence of a giant concrete structure just a few metres from their homes. Another immediate consequence was the creation of the Grenzgebiet, the border security zone. This ran parallel to the Wall at distances varying from ten to fifty metres. Only those with permission were allowed to enter the zone, and access to non-residents was limited to special circumstances. Applications to enter could take many weeks to be processed.

In Groß Glienicke, this border security zone started in the north of the village, running along the Potsdamer Chaussee, and then down the Dorfstraße to the south. Along these roads metal signs were posted at hundred-metre intervals on which were written in English, German, French and Russian: ‘Attention here is the border, do not pass without permission.’ Each sign was held up by a pole striped with red and white paint, like those of old barbershops, to ensure that nobody missed the warning. All the lakefront homes, including the Meisels’, were considered to be within this zone. From this point forward, to return home, the Fuhrmanns and the Kühnes would have to show their passes to the soldiers who were standing guard at the Potsdamer Tor.

Two things now became clear. First, and this was good news as far as the two families were concerned, the Meisels would never be coming back. They were now official tenants, rather than caretakers. As a result, the remnants of Will and Eliza’s life were removed: the piano was hauled to the garage, the sheet music was thrown away, and any clothes left in the cupboards were divided up between the families, the rest handed to the community council.

The second was sadder, at least as far as the Kühne and Fuhrmann children were concerned. For although they lived in the lake house, it was now impossible to swim in the lake.

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