Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie was the most well-known crossing point used during the Cold War. In it you could get the daytime visa to cross East Berlin from West Berlin.

Checkpoint Charlie History

The name "Charlie" has a much simpler meaning than it might seem since it comes from the third letter (C) of the NATO phonetic alphabet.

After the construction of the Berlin Wall, there were few frontiers through which citizens could move between the two Germans. The mayor of West Berlin got his citizens to visit the eastern part with some restrictions and Checkpoint Charlie was the place of access.

In addition to the people who crossed the border with permission, there were many citizens who fled from East Berlin by deceiving the military who controlled Checkpoint Charlie. Some were lucky and escaped the most skillful forms, but some others were intercepted and killed without mercy.

One of the most well-known cases of attempted failed escape was that of Peter Fechter who, when he was about to attain liberty, was shot by GDR soldiers, who let him die bled before the impotent gaze of the military and citizens of West Berlin who wanted to help him.

Checkpoint Charlie today

Since 2001, Checkpoint Charlie has installed a replica of the poster that years ago warned citizens: "It is abandoning the American sector."

Apart from the poster, there is a small border in which tourists are photographed without stopping, as well as a long collection of photographs and texts from the time, where you can see the aspect that came to have that point.

Right next door is the Checkpoint Charlie Wall Museum, a place where you can learn a lot about the events that took place during the Cold War.