Helmstedt is a town located at the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. helmstedt has about 25000 inhabitants.

From the late 1940s to 1990, the town was the site of a major border crossing between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic. The main rail and autobahn route between West Germany and Berlin, across the GDR, began at Helmstedt.

Official military traffic from NATO countries to West Berlin was allowed to use only this route.