Berlin day tour: Checkpoint Charlie
Continued from Berlin day tour: Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag
It was already evening in Berlin, nevertheless we decided to visit Checkpoint Charlie as part of our Berlin day tour itinerary. There were no spectacular views to behold, no imposing buildings or delicately carved monuments, instead we saw a simple guard house with sandbag barrier in the middle of the road and large back-to-back photos of two soldiers (American and Russian).
The visitors and tourists who know the background behind Checkpoint Charlie consider it as one of Berlin’s significant and historical attractions. During the Cold War, it was a crossing point in the Berlin Wall separating East Germany and West Germany. The name of the checkpoint came from the letter C in the NATO phonetic alphabet as designation for Allied checkpoints. For instance, other Allied checkpoints were Checkpoint Alpha at Helmstedt and Checkpoint Bravo at Dreilinden in Berlin.
On our way to Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie with the replica of the original guard house with sandbag barrier. Further right is a large photo of a German soldier who was stationed in Berlin in the early 1990s. A looming billboard ad strategically located at the sidewalk provided a colorful background to the otherwise gloomy area.
A closer view of the guard house with the stack of sandbags as barrier.
At the right side, a replica of the symbolic sign marking the border crossing which read, “You are leaving the American Sector.”
Below the symbolic sign was a smaller board which posted more information:
“During the time Germany and Berlin were divided by THE WALL, the sign which symbolizes world history was standing here. The victorious powers of World War II and the two Germanies confronted each other here, and the Western powers defended the fundamental rights of the special Berlin-Status until the confrontation between USA/USSR tanks.
This sign is a copy. The original sign still exists and can be seen in the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie – 40 meters from here.
The US Military Forces in Berlin – on the order of the US Chief of Staff, Coloner Baker – gave this valuable sign as present to the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie on February 22, 1991 in appreciation of its work.
When THE WALL came down, avalanches of freed people began to move. The separation of two worlds, East and West, ended without a bloodbath. Special thanks is therefore owed to the numerous victims of the resistance on the other side of THE WALL and to the protective powers for their commitment to West Berlin.”
After taking few photos and posing a bit, we decided to call it a day, Checkpoint Charlie being our last stop for our Berlin day tour. It was already past 9 PM and our tummies were grumbling, and then there’s the long drive back to Prague.
Next post will be a recap of our Berlin day tour.
Stopped in to say thanks for placing my ad, it’s appreciated. I do very much remember this time in history, always gave me such sad feelings knowing friends and family were separated. Some lost their lives trying to get to the other side.
Hi Sandy! You’re welcome and thanks too for advertising here. Yes, so many lives were lost during that time. Most notable was the death of the teenage Peter Fechter who tried to escape from the East Germany side and was shot by the guards, he slowly died and the Allied troops looked helplessly, they can’t rescue him as he was still on the Soviet side. 🙁
very crisp night pictures Carey, the sandbag barrier somehow adds more character to the street scenery.
In 1987, my family was returning from camping in the Eastern Block, driving our RV from Poland, across East Germany trying to reach West Berlin, when we took the wrong exit and ended up under arrest in East Berlin. We were eventually released through a remote checkpoint. We followed a serpentine path of bariers though no-mans-land while twin machine guns traced our path. The barrier was closed at the American side, so I had to pound on the door of the building. An American Staff Sergent came to the door saying that the barrier was closed and we were crazy to want to enter. I explained to his incredulous expression that we wanted out not in.
I don’t know which checkpoint we used. There were three American checkponts, Alpha, Beta and Charley. It wasn’t Charley, so it must have been one of the other two. Could someone send pictures of these checkpoints as they looked before the wall came down. I am certain I will recognize the one we used.
My stay in Berlin will be great if I book a cozy apartment Berlin and if I can visit all this beautiful places