Checkpoint Charlie Museum

Directions
Reviews
Gallery

A main tourist attraction in Berlin is Checkpoint Charlie. The western allies gave Checkpoint Charlie its name using the NATO phonetic alphabet C during the Cold War.

After WWII Berlin was split into two sections East and West. The Eastern portion was communist run by the Soviet Union and the west Capitalists, controlled by Great Britain, America and France. Within a few years it was obvious that both countries became quite different. More and more people evacuated to the west, having far greater opportunities and a much better economy.

During the Cold War in 1952 the German border was officially closed. Checkpoint Charlie separating West and East Berlin became well known for having a better chance at escaping Eastern Germany. This border was more accessible than the others and became a “loophole” for the east side.

This was a problem for eastern Berlin because many of those migrating to the west were young professionals. This left the country with what was called the brain drain.

August 13th 1961the eastern side closed access by erecting a temporary barb wire fence . Two days later a concrete wall was built by the German Democratic Republic to keep their residents confined behind the wall. This was finely brought down November 9th,1989.

Learn history from the open-air exhibit. This gallery wall opened in 2006 displaying escape attempts and successes on the western gallery wall. The eastern gallery wall displays articles about the October 1961 close encounter between the Americans and the Soviet Union resulting in a stand-off. Ten army tanks each side of the border were ready to fire at each other. As well as giving those visiting an overview of important memorial sites on the adjacent gallery wall.

The Black Box exhibit is a 200 square metre information pavilion displaying large format photo and multi-media stations. They tell stories about the Cold War and the evident impact the Berlin Wall had on Germany’s history and the international importance of the division of both Germany and Europe. The external black represents -the Black Box recording events for descendants, the red on the column represents the Soviet Union and the blue colour on the window represents the United States.

The Mauermuseum -Haus am at Charlie Checkpoint is situated metres from where the guard house once stood. This unique museum opened October 1962 as a small two room building designed for showcasing information about the newly constructed Berlin Wall. After being extended greatly over time it now displays several accounts of Germany’s division and the history of the Wall of Berlin. It has the best documentation attainable describing escape attempts and successes. There’s a wide variety of original tools displayed with descriptions of methods used by those who desperately tried to break free from East Germany’s repression.

Tourists may have their photos taken at no cost with actors dressed as military border patrol policemen standing in front of the guard house -one US and one Soviet.

There’s a replica of the Checkpoint Charlie booth and sign that read like a dire warning to those wanting to leave east Berlin. They are situated at the original border check booth spot.

There are lots of gift shops, shopping, food vendors and sit down restaurants.

See the complete line of Berlin Experiences on Viator

Facts For Your Visit

Fee: Yes

Checkpoint Charlie Museum Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays

Monday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Address: Friedrichstraße 43-45, 10969 Berlin, Germany

Phone: 030 2537250

Official Website: Checkpoint Charlie Museum

Checkpoint Charlie Museum Reviews

Rated 3.5 out of 5 Star Rating

2 Star Rating This museum failed to select and curate its collection. Instead, it just dumped everything it could find about the WW2, Soviet Union, East Germany, and people who escaped GDR. The result is an overwhelming amount of texts cramped on panels all over the museum. I got really tired of reading and left after 1 hour. I could have easily spent 5 hours or the whole day. It doesn't exhibit anything significant and perhaps tries to make its lacking collection with all the explanations it can possibly offer. Anyways, you wouldn't miss much if you skipped here.
HJLee - 6 months ago

Show Less

5 Star Rating This museum probably isn't for everyone, but if you are a history buff and don't mind doing a lot of reading, you'll love it. The price is a bit steep (18.50 Euro currently), but we all enjoyed it very much. We spent about 2 hours before we had to leave, but could easily have spent another hour or so--there is so much content. It isn't a glitzy interactive multimedia museum--there are photos and some videos and lots and lots of text to read. But the history is fascinating and is very well documented here.
Greg Kondrasuk - 6 months ago

Show Less

4 Star Rating Very interesting museum detailing the Cold War period, and the stories of many people from East Berlin. I’m not sure why people can’t follow the order of the exhibits - it’s very easy to follow. Only downside is the museum is somewhat small & can get quite cramped, so I’d suggest going at a quiet time.
Jake U - 6 months ago

Show Less

2 Star Rating I was not keen on this museum. Firstly, I found it very cramped. The museum is set out in lots of small rooms and you spend a lot of your time trying to trying to get past other people. I also found that 95% of the museum is just reading. I get that museums tend to have lots of reading but at this level, I might as well have just read an article online. Finally, I found that the museum almost stopped going on about the wall but for some reason the Korean War. There are a few scenarios where the museum goes off topic. However, I found the passages interesting and what they did have was interesting.
Finley Jacobs - 2 weeks ago

Show Less

Read all Reviews Powered by Google Logo