Steinstücken was a West Berlin neighborhood that functioned as an exclave surrounded by East German territory.
The small settlement belonged to West Berlin but was geographically separated from the main part of the city. After the Berlin Wall was built, access became especially complicated because residents and visitors had to use a narrow connecting route through East German territory.
In 1971, an agreement between West Germany and the Soviet Union helped resolve the enclave’s isolation. A road connection, known as the Steinstücken corridor, linked the neighborhood more securely with West Berlin. American military vehicles also maintained a visible presence there during the Cold War.
Steinstücken is often confused with West Berlin’s wider position as an enclave within East Germany. West Berlin as a whole was surrounded by East German territory, but Steinstücken was a smaller detached part of West Berlin inside that surrounding area.