Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie is a reminder of the Berlin Wall during the Cold War. Checkpoint Charlie is located south of the Spree river, in the middle of the Friedrichstrasse.
Checkpoint Charlie and the Cold War
During the Cold War Checkpoint Charlie was a control posts at one of the few passages in the Berlin Wall. The checkpoint was located on one of the few “Transit autobahns”. Here traffic from outside East Berlin was allowed to travel. And so, people, who did not belong to the allied countries, West Germany or West Berlin, could commute to East Berlin.
Checkpoint Charlie was the third control post on this Transit autobahn and therefore it got the third letter from the NATO phonetic alphabet (Charlie). The first two control posts were named: Checkpoint Alpha and Checkpoint Bravo.
After the Berlin Wall fell down, Checkpoint Charlie got demolished in 1990. In the year 2000 they decided to build a replica of the checkpoint at the same location.
Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie was a symbol of all the tensions during the Cold War. Most likely this was also the reason there is a museum devoted to it. The Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, as the museum is called, gives insight into these tensions and the effect of the Berlin Wall. It also shows how people tried to get to the other side of the Wall. For example, by funiculars, hot air balloons and even a surfplank with a double bottom.
Berlin Wall in brief
| Place | Friedrichstraße 43-45, 10117, Berlin |
| When | 1961 |
| Locally Known As |
Checkpoint Charlie |
| Admission |
Free |
Trivia
Did you know the original cabin was destroyed in 1990 and a replica is placed in 2000?
