The photograph shows the processing building of an Allied control point at the Berlin zonal border, presumably Checkpoint Dreilinden (Checkpoint Baker) on the highway to West Germany. Three flags of the USA, Great Britain, and France fly from flagpoles; a sign indicates that British, French, and US personnel must report to their respective control posts. A uniformed soldier supervises traffic, which includes a VW Beetle and a tour bus. The scene illustrates Allied control of the access routes to West Berlin in 1955 and the daily experienced reality of the divided city. The wooded background and the provisionally constructed wooden barracks underscore the transitional character of this border installation, which was both a symbol of Western presence and a bulwark in the Cold War.