Crossing the Border Between East and West Berlin It was relatively easy for Westerners to get into East Germany to visit friends and relatives, but the Communist state tightly controlled the border. Most East Germans were never allowed to visit the West. In this 1964 photo, a group of West Berliners cross the border to return home after a trip to East Berlin. The glass and steel building in the background — the East German border-crossing station — was nicknamed the “Palace of Tears” by local residents. Here departing West Germans and their East German relatives who could not leave East Germany said many tearful farewells. The limits on travel to the West were one of the most hated aspects of daily life in the East Bloc.