Back to Berlin Index

Checkpoint Charlie

Image

Checkpoint Charlie: leave your guns at home.

This is a short page. The place made me sick. So if you want a backgrounder Wikipedia is your man.

There were a number of crossing points through the wall between east and west Berlin. The principal one, and the only one crossing directly into the eastern sector which was available to non-Germans, was Checkpoint Charlie. It was a serious place. US and east German tanks squared up to one another there at the beginning. Some amazing escapes took place there and I'm sure many of those attempting to escape to the west who were unsuccessful returned to a horrendous life in the east.


Image

Two franchises and a world policeman

So it was not a trivial place. Not then it wasn't. But today it is.



Image

Freedom Fries?

Pride of place goes to McDonalds, that universal symbol of high American culture.

Image

Charge sheet

You can have your photo taken with uniformed military policemen, no less, for the family scrap book for a mere €2/$3 to cover their outlay.



Image

Small change

Provided, of course, you don't spend too much time objecting to the charge or haggling over the price.



Image

The Black, the White, the Milliner and the Chipper.

Surely the tourists know these guys are just actors.

It was suggested to me that they might be real MPs on punishment detail, but that was just wishful thinking.





No tower

Casting a glance back towards the eastern sector. You can compare it with how it looked from here in 1982. And the Inchicore version also gives a better view of the reality.



Image

Circus in Town

And, in case you hadn't noticed, there's no wall. Others did and have stepped into the breach. According to them, you can see the wall as big as this building. Must be Texas.



Image

Pure tourism

Anyway, we can't really get out of here because it is all western sector now.



Image

The Benevolent Sector?

Or is it? Here's another sector. Let's give it a go.

Back to Berlin Index