by Special Contributor Marni Patterson

Cold War-era movies are popular with audiences worldwide, and Bridge of Spies ranks as one of the best. Directed and co-produced by Stephen Spielberg, Bridge of Spies stars Tom Hanks as Jim Donovan, a lawyer who’s appointed to defend KGB spy Rudolf Abel. Donovan convinces the judge not to invoke the death penalty because Abel may be useful as a bargaining chip in a future prisoner exchange.

His instincts turn out to be correct when U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is shot down over the Soviet Union. Donovan is tapped to go to East Berlin to negotiate the prisoner exchange amid conflicting demands. The East German government wants to exchange Abel for Frederic Pryor, an American graduate student who’s been arrested by the Stasi and mistakenly branded a spy. The CIA doesn’t care about Pryor and just wants Powers back before the Russians can get him to talk. Donovan works to have both released.

When I went to Berlin, I saw several Cold War sites that were actually used in Bridge of Spies and that history buffs might recognize.

Donovan’s journey begins in 1961 when he arrives in East Berlin. He sees the Wall under construction and witnesses several people being arrested or shot as they climb it to escape Communism. When I visited the Berlin Wall Memorial, I saw one of the few remaining sections of the original Wall (left) and the Window of Remembrance (below), a tribute to hundreds of East Germans who died while trying to escape to the West.

When Jim Donovan is meeting with East German government officials, he learns that Frederic Pryor has been detained by the Secret Police (Stasi) at the Ministry for State Security, also known as Stasi Headquarters.

Now the home of the Stasi Museum (below), the building housed one of the world’s largest and most brutal intelligence agencies in the world. During its 40-year reign of terror, thousands of East German citizens who received a dreaded summons entered the building wondering if they’d be allowed to leave.

Stasi Prison

If they were arrested, they were sent to Hohenschönhausen, the Stasi prison for political prisoners and East Germans who spoke out against the government or tried to escape to the West. Like Frederic Pryor, they were transported in a covert prison van disguised as a commercial delivery truck that could hold up to five prisoners in cramped, windowless cells.

Donovan’s second meeting with the East German government goes sour and he’s arrested and spends a night in a cold, spartan cell in Hohenschönhausen. We see Frederic Pryor getting his daily allotment of fresh air in a “tiger cage” while a hostile guard watches from above. Hohenschönhausen also served as the Soviet prison where Francis Gary Powers was held.

The negotiation details finally come together and both sides meet at the Glieneke Bridge, often referred to as the “Bridge of Spies” (below) because it was used for so many prisoner exchanges during the Cold War. Donovan waits on one side of the bridge with Rudolf Abel and a military and CIA entourage while the Russians wait on the other side with Francis Gary Powers.

Checkpoint Charlie

Donovan maintains contact with border guards at Checkpoint Charlie, the main crossing point between East and West Berlin and refuses to release Powers to the Russians until East German officials allow Frederic Pryor to enter West Berlin (below0.

Once both prisoners have been exchanged, Donovan takes a final look at East and West Berlin before returning to the U.S. His family and friends think he’s been fishing in Scotland and is shocked when they listen to the evening news and learn about the real reason for his trip.

Berlin is a vibrant city with something for everyone. But if you’re a fan of Bridge of Spies or Cold War history you’ll want to add these sites to your “must-see” list.