Helmstedt is a city in the Brunswick Land in Lower Saxony, Germany. In the second half of the 20th century, Helmstedt and its eastern neighboir Marienborn were best known as the largest checkpoint, Checkpoint Alpha, along the inter-German border during the division of Germany. Museums and monuments in the area document this era, and some of the buildings on the former East German checkpoint grounds are a memorial site that offers exhibitions and site tours.

Understand

Juleum, building of the former University of Helmstedt

Helmstedt is one of several settlements surrounding the Elm mountain range, rich in a unique type of limestone known as "Elm Limestone" (German: Elmkalkstein) which was mined in medieval times as a building material. Limestone from the region was used for the tomb of Henry the Lion, the imperial cathedral of Königslutter, buildings in Berlin's Olympiapark, and numerous public and church buildings. In the Middle Ages Königslutter was among the most wealthy cities of the Holy Roman Empire. The city was a member of the Hanseatic League through the 15th and 16th centuries, and in 1576 the University of Helmstedt was founded, which was the largest university of protestant Germany.

In the nearby Lappwald forest, a natural spring was discovered around 1755, and a health resort was founded. The spa was a regionally important destination until the spring dried up around 1894, likely as a result of intensive lignite mining throughout the area.

During the 20th century, the area between Helmstedt and Schöningen was used for lignite mining by the Braunschweigische Kohlenbergwerke AG. Several villages were destroyed by surface mining and their inhabitants moved to Helmstedt, Schöningen and to the newly built village of Neu Büddenstedt, later renamed Büddenstedt.

The Checkpoint Alpha border crossing was along one of the most direct Autobahn routes to West Berlin from West Germany. Evidence of the checkpoint is easy to see from the Autobahn, including an old watch tower, pillars that once held the emblem of the DDR in the centre median, and extensive rest areas on the western approach that were built by the government to accommodate delayed eastbound traffic.

Get in

By car

A2 towards Berlin (driving east) or Hanover (driving west). Take exit 62-Helmstedt-Zentrum toward HE-Zentrum/Bad Helmstedt.

By train

• 1 Helmstedt station. The station building is a 3-minute walk from the city centre. Direct Intercity (IC) services are available from Berlin, Bremen, Hanover, and Leipzig. More frequent regional trains are available from Brunswick (German: Braunschweig) and Magdeburg. (updated Jun 2024)

See

• 1 Juleum, Collegienplatz 1. 
• 2 Monastery St. Marienberg (Kloster St. Marienberg), Klosterstraße 14. 
• 3 Zonengrenz-Museum, Südertor 6. Tu 15:00-17:00; W 10:00-12:00, 15:00-17:00; Th 15:00-18:30; F 15:00-17:00; Sa Su 10:00-17:00. A museum about the former inter-German border. Exhibit text is in German, but there are many photographs, artefacts and models, including a model of the Helmstedt/Marienborn motorway border crossing. By donation. (updated Jun 2024)
• 4 Memorial of the Division of Germany in Marienborn (Gedenkstätte Deutsche Teilung Marienborn). Daily 10:00-17:00. Permanent exhibitions about the division of Germany, and the inter-German border, housed in the preserved facilities of the GDR checkpoint entering East Germany. In addition to several preserved buildings, the exterior grounds can be explored on foot. Free. (updated Jun 2024)

Sleep

• Hotel-Restaurant "Clarabad", Brunnenweg 17, ☏ +49 5351 8697. 
• Hotel-Restaurant "Der Quellenhof", Brunnenweg 19, ☏ +49 5351 1240. 
• Hotel-Restaurant "Waldwinkel", Maschweg 46, ☏ +49 5351 37161. 

Go next

• Wolfsburg
• Brunswick
• Königslutter
• Eisleben
• Schöningen