The real thing..., a photo from Berlin, East

Photographer's Note

This is the real thing - not a replica! This is the actual building that was standing at "Checkpoint Charlie", located at the junction of Friedrichstra絽 and Zimmerstra絽 in Berlin, when the Berlin Wall was opened in November 1989. It was removed on June 22, 1990

The building is now on display at the Allied Museum (AlliiertenMuseum) in the former American sector of postwar Berlin. The address is Clayallee 135 in Dahlem, Steglitz-Zehlendorf.

Today a copy of the guard house and the sign that once marked the border crossing are standing where Checkpoint Charlie once was. It resembles the first guard house - erected during 1961 - including a sandbag barrier facing the former border.

Although this was a considerably larger building it did not match the Eastern side, which included not only the wall, watchtower and zig-zag barriers, but a multi-lane shed where cars and their occupants were checked. This was the single crossing point reserved for foreigners and members of the allied forces.

The name 鏠harlie� came from the third letter 鏠� in the international phonetic alphabet.