Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
has become a Cold War freak show and—as if celebrating the final victory of crass capital-
ism—is one of Berlin's worst tourist-trap zones. A McDonald's stands defiantly overlook-
ing the former haunt of East German border guards. You can even pay an exorbitant €10
for a full set of Cold War-era stamps in your passport. (For a more sober and intellectually
redeeming look at the Wall's history, head for the out-of-the-way Berlin Wall Memorial at
Bernauer Strasse, north of here near the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood and described on
here
.Localofficials,likelyputoffbythetouristycrassnessoftheCheckpointCharliescene,
have steered local funding to that area.)
▲
Checkpoint Charlie Street Scene
Where Checkpoint Charlie once stood, notice the thought-provoking post with larger-than-
life
posters
of a young American soldier facing east and a young Soviet soldier facing west.
The rebuilt
guard station
now hosts two actors playing American guards who pose for pho-
tos. (Across the street is Snack Point Charlie.) A
photo exhibit
stretches down the street,
withgreatEnglishdescriptionstellingthestoryoftheWall.Whileyoucouldgetthisinform-
ation from a book, it's poignant to stand here in person and ponder the gripping history of
this place.
A few yards away (on Zimmerstrasse), a
glass panel
describes the former checkpoint.
From there, a double row of
cobbles
in Zimmerstrasse traces the former path of the Wall.
These innocuous cobbles run throughout the city, even through some buildings.
Farther down on Zimmerstrasse, before Charlottenstrasse, find the
Memorial to Peter
Fechter
(set just off the sidewalk, barely inside the Wall marker), who was shot and left for
dead here in the early days of the Wall.
While the famous border checkpoint between the American and Soviet sectors is long gone,
its memory is preserved by one of Europe's most cluttered museums. During the Cold
War, the House at Checkpoint Charlie stood defiantly—spitting distance from the border
guards—showing off all the clever escapes over, under, and through the Wall. Today, while
the drama is over and hunks of the Wall stand like trophies at its door, the museum survives
as a living artifact of the Cold War days. The yellowed descriptions, which have scarcely
changed since that time, tinge the museum with nostalgia. It's dusty, disorganized, and over-
priced, with lots of reading involved, but all that just adds to this museum's borderline-
kitschy charm. If you're pressed for time, this is a decent after-dinner sight.
Cost and Hours:
€12.50, assemble 20 tourists and get in for €8.50 each, €3.50 audi-
oguide, discount with WelcomeCard but not covered by Museumspass, daily 9:00-22:00,
