Was Berlin part of East Germany or West Germany?

After the end of WW II, Germany was divided into 4 zones, occupied by the 4 Allies USA, USSR, France and UK. The zones had been determined at the Jalta Conference in 1945. read more

East Berlin became part of (and the capital of) East Germany in 1949. The Western Allies took the view that Berlin as whole had a special status of its own, but for most practical purposes West Berlin was a part of West Germany. read more

West Berlin was technically not a part of West Germany, but it was also not a sovereign city state. It was technically a joint dependency of the three Western Allies (the United States, United Kingdom, and France), subject to some conditions imposed by the fourth Ally, the Soviet Union. read more

East Germany closed the borders between East and West Germany and sealed off the border with West Berlin in 1952; but because of the quadripartite Allied status of the city, the 46-kilometre (29 mi)-long sectorial border between East and West Berlin remained open. read more