Posted by Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous border crossing between the GDR and the FRG during the Cold War until 1989. It was not a public border crossing, but a transition point for diplomats. Prisoner exchanges and the like also took place here during the Cold War. Checkpoint Charlie was the best known crossing point between East and West Berlin and became a symbol of the division of Germany and Europe.
Checkpoint Charlie Berlin
When the wall was much, at the beginning of the 90s almost all the remains of the dividing line were removed. At Checkpoint Charlie, however, a lot was left standing. A small wooden house of the American border guards still stands in the middle of the street. Also one of the well-known multilingual signs “They leave the American sector” still stands at the roadside.
Wall Museum Checkpoint Charlie
Next to the former border crossing is the Museum House at Checkpoint Charlie, today’s name is Mauermuseum.
As early as 1963, shortly after the Wall was built, a small museum was opened here on the theme of divided Germany and the Berlin Wall, naturally on the West Berlin side of the border. Today’s larger Wall Museum deals with topics such as the border and the border fortifications in the middle of Berlin. The reports on the flight of people from the GDR to the West are particularly exciting for the visits.
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Some escape attempts from the GDR with homemade balloons or a small submarine are so famous that some of them have even been filmed. Of course there are also many sad stories. Many people were killed or seriously injured while fleeing over the Wall. Others were arrested and sentenced to several years in prison for attempted republic escape in the GDR.
Entrance fees 2022 Mauermuseum Berlin (Wall Museum): Adults pay 14,50 Euro entrance fee. Students, larger groups and disabled persons with a severely disabled pass will receive a reduced admission fee of 9.50 euros, children pay 7.50 euros for admission to the Berlin Wall Museum, small children under 6 years do not need a ticket to the Museum am Checkpoint Charlie (as of January 2020).
Opening hours 2022 Mauermuseum Berlin (Wall Museum): The opening hours are long and very regular, without exception the museum is open for the German division every day from 9 am to 10 pm. The exhibition is right next to Checkpoint Charlie.
Some souvenir shops nearby offer various things about the Berlin Wall and German division. The Checkpoint Charlie is nowadays a very important tourist attraction in Berlin. There is often a lot going on in the museum – for example, in summer and at weekends the number of visitors to the Wall Museum is several thousand a day.
Approach Checkpoint Charlie
The former border crossing is located between the underground stations Stadtmitte (U2,U6) and Kochstraße (U6). From Kochstraße station it is closer to Checkpoint Charlie.
Other sights nearby include the Berlinische Galerie (Modern Art) and the Museum für Kommunikation Berlin.