Border crossing Wartha/Herleshausen

The border crossing Wartha/Herleshausen was one of the few border points of the inner-German border that could be crossed by road traffic between the former German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany. It was located on European Route 40 between the municipalities of Herleshausen in Hesse and Wartha in Thuringia. Until 1984, the West German control point Herleshausen and the East German control point Wartha were connected by a country road, which later became Federal Highway 7a. At the end of 1984, both control points were relocated northward to the newly opened highway, which at that time was only designated as Federal Motorway 4 on the West German side.

Today, parts of the site and the buildings of the new crossing point Wartha, which existed from 1984 to 1990, belong to the Eisenach rest area, located in the former command point of the Commander of Border Security of the border troops of the GDR. The watchtower and the former customs office have also been preserved. Other parts belong to the Krauthausen-Deubachshof commercial area. The former new control point on the Hesse side at Herleshausen was also operated as a rest area until 2005 and was demolished as part of the six-lane expansion of the BAB 4. A parking lot was created on the site, and a new rest area is to be built for the direction towards Dresden.

Wikipedia