About

“Border Zone” is a joint project of the Cologne Game Lab and the Foundation Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG). In 2021, the interdisciplinary project team develops a Mixed-Reality location-based game, which playfully explores the impact of the German-German division and its border fortifications on the Babelsberg Park in Potsdam during the Cold War.

Pictures of the border zone (Title, 1 & 2 © SPSG / Peter Rohn | Potsdam; recording date: 1989) and Park Babelsberg comparison image (3 © SPSG / Roland Handrick, 1990 & © SPSG / Wolfgang Pfauder, 2004)

What used to be a place of the highest gardening art and aesthetic contemplation created by the renown landscape artists Joseph von Lenné and Hermann von Pückler fell victim to the inhuman architecture of the border protection facilities of the German Democratic Republic. Eventually, the park and the nearby Glienicker Brücke – the Bridge of Spies – became the scene for many public and personal stories around the ideological conflict of the 20th century. Based on true events, the “Border Zone” game app will invite visitors of the park to discover its turbulent history through short interactive stories.

Game prototype testing with theatrical means: The development team trying out the puzzle and re-enactment mechanics for the future game app.