The Green Belt  From Death Strip to Lifeline

For decades, nature was able to develop freely on the former border between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). This area is now known as the "Green Belt" and consists of a series of protected areas.

It all began in the mid-1970s. Germany was a divided country and the border between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was strictly guarded. For 1,400 kilometres between the border triangle and the Baltic Sea, the corridor was narrow, sometimes only 50 metres wide. This area was also known as the 'death strip'. The GDR used walls, fences, trenches, watchtowers and 50,000 armed soldiers to prevent its citizens from fleeing. More than 900 people died trying to do so. This situation had existed for almost 20 years when something caught the attention of people on both sides of the border. In this narrow area, which was largely left untouched, nature flourished in a way that was rare in many other places. Endangered plants grew here, and rare birds found nesting places in the border strip.

The "Green Belt": How It Started

One of the observers was Kai Frobel. Using binoculars, he spotted whinchats, great grey shrikes, nightjars and woodlarks around Coburg in Upper Franconia. He also recognised arnica and orchids, and heard the distant croaking of tree frogs and natterjack toads. Frobel realised: This area, despite its tragic history, was developing into a refuge for nature.

Even at that time, naturalists on both sides of the border were exchanging information by post. Once the Wall finally came down and free travel became possible, Frobel and his colleague Hubert Weiger organised a meeting. Together, they welcomed around 400 participants from the GDR and FRG — people concerned about protecting valuable natural habitats who, until recently, had been separated by an almost impassable border. At the end of the meeting, they adopted a resolution to secure the former border strip as the "ecological backbone of Central Europe". They also found a name for the project: The Green Belt.

A Long Way to Success

Today, the history of the Green Belt reads like a success story. Where else in Germany can you find areas that have remained untouched by humans for a long time and have been handed over to nature conservation? Two thirds of the former border strip are now protected areas. 87 per cent of the Green Belt is considered near-natural. In total, it covers 177 square kilometres across nine federal states and contains 146 different types of biotope. It is home to 5,000 species of animals and plants. Of these, 1,200 are endangered, making the area particularly important for them. But this achievement was hard-earned. Almost ten years passed from the first meeting to the establishment of the "Green Belt" as a project in its own right. For years, nature conservation organisations, including the Bund für Naturschutz und Umwelt in Germany (BUND), which is still in charge of the project today, carried out mapping to prove the ecological uniqueness of the former border strip to the authorities. Mines had to be cleared, and land that had been expropriated and converted into a border zone was returned to its original owners. Consequently, around 30 per cent of the Green Belt is privately owned, and the owners decide how these areas are used. The Green Belt is therefore more accurately described as a green belts. But even this state is valuable. A network of small protected biotopes enables wildlife to move through areas that have been altered by humans. It was only in the early 2000s that the protection of the Green Belt was politically consolidated. In 2018, sections in Thuringia were designated a National Natural Monument, followed by sections in Saxony-Anhalt in 2019, Brandenburg in 2022, and Hesse in 2023. This status means that these sections will be treated as nature reserves.

The Longest Biotope Network in the World: The "European Green Belt"

The Green Belt is now being used as a model for a Europe-wide conservation project. The 'European Green Belt Initiative' is campaigning for a contiguous protected area along the former "Iron Curtain". Spanning around 12,500 kilometres, the initiative would cover 24 countries, stretching from the Russian-Norwegian border to the Baltic Sea coasts, across Central Europe towards the Balkans, and down to the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Right in the middle of this would be the Green Belt. This would be the world's longest biotope network.

May 2025