1988 East German Map of West Berlin
The map above is one of our favourites. It shows (or rather doesn’t show) West Berlin in 1988. It was published in East Germany just one year before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

On the surface the map is clearly ridiculous and wouldn’t have fooled anyone. However, it also reveals a deeper truth about life in East Germany prior to the fall of the wall. While Western Berliners and West Germans could visit East Berlin, West Berlin was off-limits for virtually all East German citizens.

Therefore, this map is accurate, in its own way, at least from the perspective of an East German citizen. For most people living in East Berlin or East Germany, West Berlin may as well have not existed, because for all practical purposes it was impossible to visit.