Checkpoint Charlie

After WWII, Germany was divided into different sections run by the Americans, British, French and Russians. On the border of the American section of West Berlin and the Russian section of East Berlin was Checkpoint Charlie. A small museum is located on the site and the intersection that is now known as Checkpoint Charlie has turned into a trashy tourist mecca. The checkpoint gate is situated in the middle of a street with men dressed up in soldiers uniforms standing there waiting for people to come and pay to have their photo taken with them. Maccas and KFC are on opposite sides to the checkpoint and there are souvenir shops by the dozens, crowds of people trying to take photos and tourist buses jostling for room on the street.

'Photo opportunity' with a piece of wall

Museum with the Checkpoint Charlie documentation surrounded with souvenir shops, photo opportunities and take away food vans

Photo opportunity, at a cost, with 'soldiers'

Sign stating the change in sections

Same sign and checkpoint during the war

Division of Germany after the war

The distance between the two outer walls

Part of the Checkpoint Charlie intersection

We walked down to the Mall of Berlin, a block away from Checkpoint Charlie and close to Potzdamer Platz. The interior of the shopping complex had a metal slide that dropped from the 3rd floor next to Toys R Us to the ground floor. Being school holidays, it was very popular.