Sparnberg lies in the knee of the Saale directly to the right of the river. This knee is formed by a small ridge of the south-east Thuringian slate mountains.
The period from 1945 to 1989 and thus the Cold War had a very strong impact on Sparnberg, because the place was located directly on the newly created zone border between the spheres of power of the Americans on the Upper Franconian side and the Soviets on the Thuringian side.
In 1945 the Saale bridge was blown up and the border was drawn.
1989 was one of the most important years in recent Sparnberg history. Until the fall of the Wall, the place was surrounded by fences, walls and barbed wire. During this time, every act of the residents of Sparnberg was still being watched with suspicion by the SED functionaries. It is noteworthy that the protective strip in Sparnberg was only opened in December 1989. Until then it was possible to get to the Federal Republic of Germany, but not to Sparnberg from there.
In 1990 a temporary footbridge was built over the Saale. The construction work for a permanent bridge on the site of the former covered wooden bridge began in 1991. During this time, the first commercial enterprises developed in Sparnberg. The new bridge was officially opened on September 17, 1993. On this occasion, the Sparnbergers organized the first bridge festival together with the Rudolphsteiners. Since then it has been a symbol for the unity of Germany. (... from Wiki)