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Checkpoint Charlie (or "Checkpoint C") was the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War (1947–1991), as named by the Western Allies.
Learn about the former border crossing between East and West Berlin, the scene of espionage, escape attempts and tank confrontation. Find out how to get there, what to see and do, and where to find more about the Cold War.
Checkpoint Charlie, the best known official crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War. It is located on the corner of Friedrichstrasse and Zimmerstrasse and was the designated crossing point for foreign tourists and dignitaries and for members of the Allied armed forces.
- Adrian Gilbert
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- Only foreigners were allowed to cross through it. Checkpoint Charlie was first set up in August 1961, when communist East Germany erected the Berlin Wall to prevent its citizens from fleeing to the democratic West.
- It sat just a few feet away from a much larger East German checkpoint. Despite remaining in operation for nearly three decades, the Allied side of Checkpoint Charlie consisted of only a tiny prefabricated shack and a few sandbags.
- It was the site of several daring escapes by East Germans. Since Checkpoint Charlie was one of the few gaps in the maze of barriers, barbed wire and guard towers that made up the Berlin Wall, it attracted many desperate East Germans looking to flee to the West.
- It was the scene of an infamous showdown between the United States and the Soviet Union. One of the most nail-biting chapters of the Cold War began on October 22, 1961, when U.S. diplomat Allan Lightner attempted to cross Checkpoint Charlie to attend the opera in East Berlin.
Learn about the history and stories of Checkpoint Charlie, the most famous border crossing between East and West Berlin. Visit the museum, see the original hot-air balloon used for an escape, and support the preservation of history.
1 day ago · Checkpoint Charlie captured the world‘s imagination as few other places did during the Cold War. Daring Escapes and Tragic Deaths. For East Germans trapped behind the Wall, Checkpoint Charlie represented both hope and danger – a potential pathway to freedom in the West, but also risk of arrest or death if an escape went wrong.
Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known border crossing between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. Learn about the historical events, the Wall Museum, the Panorama Berlin and more at this site.
