Every time you walk too close to Friedrichstraße 43-45, you start to notice an increase in people. Tourists, to be exact. Around a small booth on Berlin’s former west-east border, thousands of people gather each year to take photos at Checkpoint Charlie. In high times, actors dressed as border guards are available to take photos, for a price. The drama of a divided city can be relived with smiles and peace signs.
Importance of checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie became the best known crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War. One of the three entry points, the gate near Friedrichstraße was “Checkpoint C”, or Checkpoint Charlie, for the Allies. (The Soviets called it КПП Фридрихштрассе and the East Germans referred to it as Grenzübergangsstelle Friedrich- / Zimmerstraße . There were also Checkpoint Alpha and Bravo).
Just a simple pre-fab cabin with a few sandbags, it was never a permanent or legitimate border, although it did perform vital tasks. This was the only gateway where East Germany allowed Allied diplomats, military personnel, and foreign tourists to pass into the Soviet sector of Berlin. The German side of the checkpoint was much more elaborate with permanent watchtowers and exhaustive searches for prohibited materials.
This crossing was the site of several tumultuous prisoner exchanges and daring escapes. He is also well remembered for a showdown that epitomized the tension of the time. On October 22, 1961, the American diplomat Allan Lightner attempted to pass through Checkpoint Charlie to attend the opera in East Berlin. He was only allowed in after returning with armed US soldiers. However, East German officials denied entry to other Americans until American General Lucius Clay made a show of force and encountered the East German position of the T-55 tanks in a tense standoff.
Checkpoint Charlie Today
After the fall of the wall in 1989, the checkpoint was decommissioned on June 22, 1990. A copy of the guardhouse and the sign marking the border crossing was created to be placed at the original site. Recreated to look like the first guardhouse from 1961, it was replaced several times with different designs and designs and now bears minimal resemblance to the original guardhouse.
The surrounding area has also changed dramatically. The developers demolished the last surviving original Checkpoint Charlie structure, the East German Watchtower, in 2000. Unable to be classified as a historic landmark, it was replaced by modern offices and convenience stores. Various souvenir stalls with Berlin ornaments and fake military tschotskes litter the tourist area.
It is also close to the private Haus am Checkpoint Charlie museum. Conveniently located, the museum is high on visual appeal and price (12.50 euros).
Where to go besides Checkpoint Charie
The guardhouse that had functioned as a crossing point for so many civilians and soldiers was removed to the Allied Museum in Berlin-Zehlendorf. This museum offers well-organized exhibits in German, English and French on the different sectors of Berlin, tunnel escapes, as well as a watchtower and a piece of the Berlin Wall. Although located outside of the center, this free museum is a better view of the history of the wall than what remains at “Checkpoint Charlie.”
Other sites to understand the history of the Berlin Wall :
- East Side Gallery: the longest remaining section of the wall
- Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse – A sprawling outdoor display of what life was really like with the wall
- Self-guided tour of the Berlin Wall
- Top 10 Things Not to Do in Berlin + Part 2
