Checkpoint Charlie was an advanced military post on the border between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. Checkpoint Charlie was located at the junction of Friedrichstrasse with Zimmerstrasse and Mauerstrasse, connecting the American and Soviet sectors.
After the construction of the Berlin Wall, the West German authorities built this post to serve as a checkpoint to register the passage of Allied forces and foreign diplomats between West and East Germany.
History
Checkpoint Charlie was one of three checkpoints used by the Allies and its name indicates the third letter of the alphabet according to the international phonetic alphabet (Alpha for the letter A, Bravo for the letter B, Charlie for the letter C, …). The Alpha checkpoint was located at the border between Helmstedt and Marienborn and the Bravo checkpoint at the border between Dreilinden and Drewitz.
With the fall of the Wall and the reunification of Germany, the post was abolished in June 1990 and the original guard hut was removed and is now in the Allied Museum in the district of Zehlendorf. In the year 2000, however, a reproduction of the cabin was placed in the same location as the original.
Video
Today, Checkpoint Charlie is one of Berlin’s main attractions and is visited by tourists from all over the world. The huge sign with the phrase “You are leaving the American sector” is certainly one of the most photographed things in Berlin.
On the same street is the Checkpoint Charlie Museum (or in German “Mauermuseum – Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie”), which displays photos and documents about the escapes and attempted escapes from East Berlin. In this museum you can read many interesting stories and see devices that were used to escape, like a car and a balloon.
On the sidewalk in front of the museum you can also see a small piece of the wall.
How to get to Checkpoint Charlie
Address: Friedrichstrasse 43-45 – Kreuzberg, 10969 Berlin
U-Bahn: Line U6, station Kochstrasse
Bus: Line M29, stop U Kochstr./Checkpoint Charlie
https://goo.gl/maps/5XZgLKQgAjgJqDRY7
