What was the cleared border zone beside the Berlin Wall commonly called?

The cleared border zone beside the Berlin Wall was commonly called the death strip.

It was the controlled area between or behind successive border barriers on the East German side. Depending on the location, it contained floodlights, patrol roads, trenches, fences, trip wires, watchtowers, and other obstacles. Buildings and vegetation were often removed to give guards a clear view of potential escape attempts.

The term “death strip” reflects the danger faced by people trying to cross the fortified border. East German border guards were authorized to stop escape attempts, and some people were killed while attempting to reach West Berlin. The exact layout varied along the border, so the death strip was not a single standardized-width strip everywhere.

The phrase is sometimes mistakenly used as a name for the concrete Wall itself. More precisely, it referred to the exposed, heavily controlled area forming part of the wider border installation.