The famous Berlin street Friedrichstrasse is one of the key streets in the city. It houses stores of the most famous clothing brands, as well as Mini, Opel and Volkswagen car dealerships. But the street attracts tourists not only with its boutiques and shopping centers. Here is the famous Checkpoint Charlie, or Checkpoint Charlie, which was established as a border checkpoint after the division of the city. From 1961 to 1990, he controlled the movements of allied troops from one part of the divided city to another.

In addition to this checkpoint, there were two more, which NATO gave names in alphabetical order: Checkpoint-A (“Alpha”) and Checkpoint-B (“Bravo”). But it was Checkpoint Charlie that became the center of the tank confrontation between the two powers in October 1961. With Soviet and American troops stationed here ready for battle, Checkpoint Charlie became a symbol of the Cold War and entered popular culture through literature and film. For example, James Bond passed through this checkpoint in the movie Octopussy.

You can learn about the history of the checkpoint, the fate of divided Berlin and the Cold War at the Berlin Wall Museum. It houses a permanent exhibition on the history of its construction and fall. Today it hosts exhibitions on discrimination, persecution, false imprisonment and human rights violations.

Checkpoint "Charlie"

Poster next to checkpoint "Charlie"

Opening hours: from 9:00 to 22:00. Ticket prices: 12.5 euros for adults, 9.5 euros for students, 6.5 euros for schoolchildren, children under 6 years old - free. How to get there: Kochstrasse / Checkpoint Charlie metro station is nearby. Address: Friedrichstraße 43-45, D-10969 Berlin-Kreuzberg www.

Checkpoint Charlie (Berlin): a symbol of confrontation during the Cold War

Checkpoint Charlie is a unique place in Berlin. It is often called a cult. Of course: after all, it is a symbol of the Cold War and the almost half-century division of Germany! Tragic events took place here for decades, and hundreds and thousands of Germans met their deaths in this historic place.

So what is Checkpoint Charlie? The site of armed clashes? Or maybe a prison for political prisoners? Neither one nor the other. This is a former checkpoint on the border between West Berlin and the GDR. This is where it was located - the ominous, unthinkable and intolerant Berlin Wall.

Checkpoint Charlie is the most famous of the three checkpoints under American control. It was installed on Friedrichstrasse after the division of the city by the 155-kilometer Berlin Wall. Officially, only high-ranking persons (for example, officials of the GDR and employees of the permanent mission of the Federal Republic of Germany in East Germany), as well as foreigners, could cross through it. Attempts by ordinary East Germans to illegally enter West Berlin were not only brutally suppressed, they were brutally suppressed. Armed soldiers of the GDR army serving at this checkpoint without warning shot anyone who tried to escape from the “socialist paradise” into “decaying capitalism.”

In addition to the fact that Checkpoint Charlie was the site of desperate attempts to escape to the West, which often ended in death, a direct clash between the USSR and the USA almost happened here. In 1958–1962, the Berlin Crisis erupted, becoming one of the most tense moments in the confrontation between the two world superpowers, the peak of which occurred in June–November 1961. And then in October an event took place here that went down in history as the “tank confrontation.” Soviet and American tanks stood opposite each other at the minimum possible distance - firing range. They were ready for a battle, which, fortunately, never began: it is unknown what tragedy this clash would have turned into. But from that moment on, the seemingly ordinary checkpoint became widely known.

The checkpoint performed its direct functions until 1990, that is, until the reunification of Germany. But only in the part that concerned the registration of troops of two states - Germany and the GDR - and control over their movement. Nowadays, it's not just Checkpoint Charlie itself that is a tourist attraction. At the former military checkpoint there is the Berlin Wall Museum, which is equally interesting for tourists to visit. It reflects the tragic history of the Cold War. The exhibits also reflect the totalitarian regime that existed in the former GDR. A lot of evidence has been collected about the attempts of East Germans to flee to the more prosperous West Germany.

What exhibits can be seen in the museum? Among them are various equipment and devices designed to help fugitives cross the border - armored vehicles, parachutes, paragliders and even scuba gear, small submarines and... balloons. A lot of photographs have been collected showing watchtowers, bunkers, and technical means of warning - that is, everything that the Berlin Wall was “famous for.”

It is impossible to pass by the famous exhibitions. One is with an image of Soviet and American soldiers looking at each other (portraits of soldiers are in light boxes), the author of the work is artist Frank Thiel. The second exhibition is dedicated to man’s struggle for his rights through peaceful means, without bloodshed. And the third is located in the open air, it tells about the history of the checkpoint. Comments on photographic materials are not only in German, but also in Russian.

Checkpoint Charlie was more than a checkpoint. Here, in the best detective traditions, an exchange was carried out of spies and military department employees detained on both sides of the border - that is, the Berlin Wall, which, by the way, was erected in just one night. Its length directly on the territory of Berlin was 43 km with a height of 3 meters. The museum will show you a documentary film about the destruction of this incredibly fortified border, as well as archival materials with photographs. They depict the stages of the destruction of the wall. The exhibition “From Gandhi to Walesa” is no less interesting. Its theme is the struggle for human rights around the world.

Address: Friedrichstraße 43-45, 10117 Berlin, Germany

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On August 13, 1961, the German capital was divided by the Berlin Wall, thus closing the possibility of free movement between residents of the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany. Initially, the wall was a temporary wire fence, then a stone one, and by the 1970s it turned into a real barricade structure with two almost 4-meter concrete walls, towers with armed guards, anti-tank hedgehogs and mines, a section of sharp nails, and a control strip .

Checkpoint Charlie is a famous checkpoint on Friedrichstrasse, established here on September 22, 1961, to register Allied personnel entering East Berlin. The checkpoint got its name not from the name of a certain American soldier, but from the NATO alphabet. In addition to “Charlie,” there were also checkpoints “A” (“Alpha”) and “B” (“Bravo”).

However, it was “Charlie” that became the most famous checkpoint in the world. A few months after the construction of the wall, Checkpoint Charlie became the scene of a tank confrontation. On October 27, 1961, the American side, wanting to destroy the constructed wall, sent a column of military equipment to the checkpoint: tanks, bulldozers and jeeps. After they crossed the border, Soviet tanks came around the corner and blocked the American equipment. So the parties stood with weapons pointed at each other all night and the world was on the threshold of the Third World War. Only after negotiations at the level of Khrushchev and Kennedy did the tanks of both sides retreat and the conflict was resolved.

On August 17, 1962, another tragic event occurred at this place. East German mason Peter Fechter decided to flee to West Berlin with his friend. While trying to climb over the wall, he was shot by German border guards. For more than an hour, the young man bled to death in full view of everyone before he was taken away from the checkpoint by border guards.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie was closed. Today there is a sign here reminding people of crossing the border, and “American soldiers” put “visas” in their passports for tourists, taking pictures with them as a souvenir. Nearby there is a small section of the Berlin Wall, an interesting photo exhibition and the Berlin Wall Museum, where you can get acquainted with the history of divided Germany from 1961 to 1989.

In interesting company, your walk around Berlin will be educational and exciting! You will not only see the most interesting places in the city, but also hear funny city stories, ancient legends and learn unusual facts that will surprise you!

Checkpoint Charlie- border checkpoint "Charlie" on Friedrichstrasse in Berlin.

Currently, Checkpoint Charlie operates as a tourist attraction.

Checkpoint Charlie was created in 1961 after the division of Berlin into West and East and became Berlin's most famous checkpoint. Dramatic events related to attempts to escape from the GDR to West Berlin unfolded at this checkpoint.

Charlie was not only a checkpoint, there were also exchanges of spies and officials detained in the territories of the Allies and the USSR. The famous tank confrontation took place here during the Berlin crisis of 1961.

Currently, Checkpoint Charlie is a copy of that checkpoint: a small one with flags of the USSR and the USA of different sides and a border guard inside. There are sandbags near the booth and 2 large shields installed. The first one reads in 4 languages: “You are leaving West Berlin.” On the second: on one side there is a photo of a Soviet soldier, and on the other, an American one.

Where is Checkpoint Charlie?

Checkpoint Charlie is located in Berlin on Friedichstrasse.

Is it interesting to look at the famous place of confrontation between two powers? The Germans kept it. This is Checkpoint Charlie, next to which there are 2-3 soldiers dressed in American uniforms (it costs money to take a photo with him), a piece of the Berlin Wall and a museum.

Checkpoint Charlie, photo fam_dax

Checkpoint Charlie (Checkpoint “C”) is a checkpoint on Friedrichstrasse, the only border crossing point from West Berlin to East Berlin from 1961 to 1990 for foreigners, East German officials and their allies. It arose after its construction on August 13, 1961 and became a symbol of the contradictions between the USSR and the USA.

Checkpoint Charlie, photo Friedrich_Berlin

The West was not happy with the appearance of the Berlin Wall. In the fall of 1961, the Berlin crisis broke out. Its culmination was the “tank confrontation.” For almost 2 days the world was on the brink of World War III.

On October 27-28, 1961, the Americans planned to cross the border and demolish the border barriers that separated. Germany and West Berlin were not involved in this action.

Military intelligence of the Soviet Union learned about the impending sabotage, and a Soviet tank company moved towards the Americans. And when American military equipment, consisting of 3 jeeps, several bulldozers and 10 tanks, moved towards the checkpoint, the jeeps were allowed through, and the Soviet tanks blocked the way for the American tanks. The bulldozers were blocked, and the tanks stood all night with their muzzles pointed at each other. In addition, Soviet fighters completely blocked the West Berlin Tepmelhof airfield. So the Americans no longer counted on outside support. Never before has the Cold War been so “hot”...

Tank confrontation, photo by Christopher John SSF

They say that the American command was amazed at the discipline of the Soviet tank crews, since during the entire period not one of them got out of the tank. In the morning an order came from Moscow, and the Soviet troops retreated back to the nearby streets. Half an hour later, American bulldozers and tanks retreated. The Berlin crisis was resolved by the West's de facto recognition of the GDR border.

Checkpoint Charlie Open Air Museum

Photo of a Soviet soldier, photo by Jeanne Menjoulet

Photo of an American soldier, photo by Michelangelo Delu

Today there is an open-air museum on this site. There is an American guardhouse in the middle of the street, sandbags lie nearby, and 2 large shields are installed. The first one says in 4 languages: “You are leaving West Berlin.” On the second: on one side there is a photo of a Soviet soldier (in Russian uniform); on the other - American. Next to the former checkpoint are two or three brave guys in American (or Soviet) uniforms. Tourists are happy to take pictures with them. Checkpoint Charlie has been depicted in many spy films and has been mentioned several times in spy novels. Photo exhibitions about the Cold War period are often organized at the intersection.

Berlin Wall Museum

Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, photo by Raimond Spekking

In one of the houses next to the checkpoint, historian Rainer Hildebrandt founded the Berlin Wall Museum (Mauermuseum) or the house-museum at Checkpoint Charlie on June 14, 1963. At first, the exhibition told about the struggle for human rights, and later it was supplemented with stories of successful escapes from the GDR to the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany and the attempts made.

Opposite the famous checkpoint there is the equally famous Adler cafe, which is present in many photographs. But during the season there are many tourists here.

How to get there

Take metro U6 to Kochstraße station.

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