Checkpoint Charlie & Wall Museum
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Checkpoint Charlie - by Michael Fousert on Unsplash
Description
Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin after the wall was built in 1961. This is where the American and Soviet tanks faced each other during the Berlin Crisis that year. The name Charlie came from the letter C in the NATO phonetic alphabet, so the real name is actually "Checkpoint C". The checkpoint remained an official crossing for foreigners and diplomats until German reunification during October 1990. The original guardhouse is on display in the open-air museum of the Allied Museum in Berlin-Zehlendorf but a copy has been reconstructed and can be seen on Friedrichstraße in Berlin city centre. The Checkpoint Charlie Museum (Das Mauermuseum) is a private museum displaying photos, documents and apparatus relating to escape attempts from East Germany. It also contains exhibits about the history of the wall, events that took place at Checkpoint C and the history of a divided Berlin.
Access & Transport
Kochstraße station (U6) is next to the museum and checkpoint and there is a bus stop on Friedrichstraße.
Instructions & Recommendations
Checkpoint Charlie can be seen at any time of the day and is free of charge but not the museum. We suggest combining this activity with a discovery of the Kreuzberg district and a visit of the Jewish Museum of Berlin or the Topography of Terror documentation centre.
Environmental & Social
We deem this activity environmentally and socially neutral.
Conclusion
Checkpoint Charlie is, in our opinion, not a must see but is an interesting part of the city's history, so it is worth a detour for a quick picture if you are in the neighbourhood. As for the Wall Museum / Mauermuseum next to it, there are some sections of interest (those relating to espaces in particular) but if suffers from a disjointed flow of exhibits and mispricing.
Key positive
Another good opportunity to learn more about Berlin as a divided city during the Cold War
Key negative
The Checkpoint has little info and now looks out of place
The museum entry price is high
Suitability
Suitable for all ages. Checkpoint Charlie is accessible for visitors with reduced mobility but the Mauermuseum only partially: there are a few stairs involved and a lengthy detour to find a lift with access to each floor.
About this Rating
TYPE
Desktop
RESEARCHED IN
May 2024
PROVIDER
Koreval
av. transport time:0h 25m
est. visit time:1h 20m
Monday10:00 - 20:00
Tuesday10:00 - 20:00
Wednesday10:00 - 20:00
Thursday10:00 - 20:00
Friday10:00 - 20:00
Saturday10:00 - 20:00
Sunday10:00 - 20:00