Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin. © Andy Christiani
|
Checkpoint Charlie
|
When:
|
Daily
|
|
Where:
|
Checkpoint Charlie
|
| Costs: |
Free (Museum €9.50; concessions €5.50)
|
| Opening Hours: |
Daily 9am-10pm
|
Symbol of a once-divided city and former border crossing between East and West Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie now draws camera-toting tourists to its reconstructed guardhouse and soldier's post in the Mitte district. The adjacent Mauermuseum tells real-life stories of ingenious escape attempts.
Today, the checkpoint and Mauermuseum mark not only Germany's troubled past, but also its positive future. Checkpoint Charlie in Friedrichstraße was the only border crossing point for the Allies, foreigners and officials of the GDR (German Democratic Republic) between 1961 and 1990. br>
The onsite museum tells the history of the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall. A range of exhibitions and films explain why it was built, how many East Germans fled to West Germany during the 1950s and how Germany became a unified state after its fall.
|