Checkpoint Charlie
The most famous Cold War crossing between the Allies and East Germany, site of the 1961 tank standoff between US and Soviet forces. Today it has replica guard booths, open-air exhibitions and a Berlin Wall museum.
Checkpoint Charlie stands at the junction of Friedrichstraße and Zimmerstraße. From 1961 to 1990 it was the crossing between the American sector and East Berlin, reserved for foreigners, diplomats and Allied personnel. “Charlie” is the letter C in the NATO phonetic alphabet; the other crossings were Alpha and Bravo. In October 1961, American and Soviet tanks faced each other across a hundred meters for 16 hours, one of the moments when the Cold War came closest to open war. Many escape attempts followed here. In 1962, 18-year-old Peter Fechter was shot while trying to climb the wall nearby, and he bled for an hour without help, shocking the West. The checkpoint was dismantled in June 1990. Its original guard booth is displayed in the Allied Museum. The white booth on the street today, and the sign reading “You are now leaving the American sector,” are replicas. The sandbags in the middle of the road and the lightboxes with portraits of American and Soviet soldiers are photo spots. Dressing up as a soldier for photos with a paid performer was banned in 2019. The free open-air panels beside the booth explain the history of the Berlin Wall and stories of escape, and nearby is the free Black Box Cold War information center. On the street corner, the Checkpoint Charlie Museum (Mauermuseum, founded in 1963 by a West Berlin human rights activist, about €18.50) displays escape devices such as modified cars, hot-air balloons and diving equipment. The collection is rich but the displays are cluttered. A five-minute walk away are Topography of Terror, the former site of the Gestapo headquarters with free outdoor and indoor exhibitions and a preserved section of the Berlin Wall, and Gendarmenmarkt. Getting there: exit at Kochstraße/Checkpoint Charlie on the U6 line, or walk five minutes from Stadtmitte station on the U2 line. Crowds gather around the street booths, so keep an eye on your phone. Dining options nearby are mostly tourist-oriented.
Opening hours
Street open all day; Berlin Wall Museum 10:00–20:00
Nearby sights
- Gendarmenmarkt
- Jewish Museum Berlin
- Topography of Terror
- Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
- Potsdamer Platz
- Museum Island
- Brandenburg Gate
- Berlin Cathedral