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Peter Bochmann Border Guard Collection

Major Peter Bochmann (b. 1940) was a career officer with the East German Border Guards, who spent most of his active career at the border crossing installation (“Grenzübergangsstelle”) Friedrich/Zimmerstraße directly opposite the Allied “Checkpoint Charlie” in Berlin.

With an amateur historian’s eye, Bochmann saved photographs and newspaper documentation of operations at the border, especially during the “Wende” year of 1990 as duties at the checkpoint wound down. The Museum holds a vast array of documents and material objects related to his role as a border guard. He recorded his career at the Berlin Wall with a thorough and carefully organized collection of primary and secondary literature, training materials, personal documents, and photographs. In addition, he preserved phones, briefcases, lockers, radios, awards, and even dishware from the guards’ room at the Checkpoint. Earlier, he had worked closely with developing and refining the techniques and procedures of personal identification in use by the passport control division (PKE).  Maj. Bochmann hoped that the methods developed at the border might find some commercial application after Reunification.

 Major Bochmann’s collections were featured in the exhibitions: Facing the Wall (2008-2017), surveillance-themed permanent collection displays (2017-2024), and the upcoming PST exhibition, Surveillance Countersurveillance (Fall 2024 – Spring 2025). Additionally, Bochmann provided twenty hours of oral history which was conducted as part of the Historical Witness Project.

The museum has been acquiring Major Bochmann’s collection over a number of years, and many of the materials were displayed as part of the exhibition Facing the Wall (2009–17). Adding greater contextual information to these items are Bochmann’s twenty hours of oral history conducted as part of theHistorical Witness Project.

The cataloging and digitization of this collection was made possible by the support of Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin.

Showing search results 31-45 of 58
Document; photograph; film negative
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.034
Date Made: 1987
floureszierende Sicherungen
floureszierende Sicherungen
Document; photograph
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.035
Date Made: n.d.
Reisepaß der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika
Reisepaß der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika
Document; photograph; film
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.036
Date Made: n.d.
Exercise 6
Exercise 6
Document
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.037
Date Made: n.d.
Test paper: a knowledge test on the subject of the identitifcation of criminal persons
Test paper: a knowledge test on the subject of the identitifcation of criminal persons
Document
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.038
Date Made: n.d.
Person Description
Person Description
Document
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.039
Date Made: n.d.
Document
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.040
Date Made: September 20, 1981
Attachment 7, 8, 9
Attachment 7, 8, 9
Document
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.041
Date Made: n.d.
Unsere Fahrt in die Sächsische Schweiz
Unsere Fahrt in die Sächsische Schweiz
Brigade book
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.042
Date Made: April 4, 1981
People's Physical Characteristics (Merkmale des Äußeren von Personen)
People's Physical Characteristics (Merkmale des Äußeren von Personen)
Booklet
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.043
Date Made: n.d.
Photograph
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.044
Date Made: n.d.
Photograph
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.045
Date Made: n.d.
Document
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.046
Date Made: n.d.
Personenidentifizierung Lehrbuch erste Fassung
Personenidentifizierung Lehrbuch erste Fassung
Binder; booklet
Maker: Unknown
ID: 2017.015.047
Date Made: n.d.
I. Personenidentifizierung Lehrbuch
I. Personenidentifizierung Lehrbuch
Binder
Maker: Peter Bochmann
ID: 2017.015.048
Date Made: 1980-1990s
Showing search results 31-45 of 58

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