Ubersichtsplan der Berliner U-Bahn [Overview of the Berlin Subway]
- Title:
- Ubersichtsplan der Berliner U-Bahn [Overview of the Berlin Subway]
- Alternate Title:
- Overview of the Berlin Subway
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- BVG [West Germany]
- Date:
- 1967
- Posted Date:
- 2017-04-14
- ID Number:
- 1376.01
- Collection Number:
- 8548
- File Name:
- PJM_1376_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1960 - Present
- Subject:
- Communism & Cold War
- Measurement:
- 15 x 20 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- The collection includes four maps of the Berlin subway system (U-Bahn) during the period of the Berlin wall, and they reflect the two polar opposite political views of the divided city.
Two of these maps were issued by the East German (DDR) government, ID #1395 (1987) and ID #2037 (1986). On these maps, the wall is shown quite distinctly, and West Berlin is essentially eliminated from view. The area immediately west of the wall is obliterated by an overlaid "Nebenkarte" (inset map) of Potsdam, a city just west of West Berlin controlled by the DDR. This cartographic approach "takes the prize for sheer barefaced nerve by crafty design, the whole of West Berlin and all its train services are squished up so that it virtually disappears, and even the trains around the left edge . . . appear, at first glance, seamlessly stitched into a continuous East Berlin network." Ovenden 2011, 39. The tiny remaining areas between the wall and the Nebenskarte are labeled "West Berlin" - in contrast to, and smaller type than, the label of the central map, "Berlin." Transit lines are shown terminating to the east of the wall, and there is no indication of West Berlin U-Bahn trains running through East Berlin stations - "ghost" stations, where they were not permitted to stop - between two points on the western side of the wall.
The other two maps were issued by the BVG, the West Berlin transit system, ID #1376 (1967) and ID #1392 (1984). Each of these maps shows the entire subway system, East and West, and the wall is extremely faint. The legend indicates markings for "Stations where the trains do not stop" and "Stations that can be reached only using the trains of the BVG East."
For further information on the Collector’s Notes and a Feedback/Contact Link, see https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/about-collection-personal-statement and https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/feedback-and-contact - Cite As:
- P.J. Mode collection of persuasive cartography, #8548. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.
- Repository:
- Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library
- Archival Collection:
- P.J. Mode collection of persuasive cartography
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.