Berliner Innenstadt in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany — Northeast German Plain (The European Plain)
Checkpoint Charlie Site
[Panel 1:]
During the time Germany and Berlin were divided by THE WALL, the sign which symbolizes world history was standing here: The victorious powers of World War II and the two Germanies confronted each other here, and the Western powers defended the fundamental rights of the special Berlin-Status until the confrontation between USA/USSR tanks.
This sign is a copy. The original sign still exists and can be seen in the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie – 40 meters from here.
The US-Military Forces in Berlin – on the order of the US-Chief of Staff, Colonel Baker – gave this valuable sign as present to the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie on February 22, 1991 in appreciation of its work.
When THE WALL came down, avalanches of freed people began to move. The separation of the two worlds, East and West, ended without a bloodbath. Special thanks is therefore owed to the numerous victims of the resistance on the other side of THE WALL and to the protective powers for their commitment to West-Berlin.
[Photos: (1) Soviet and American tanks at the checkpoint in 1961; (2) Overhead view of the Friedrichstraße-Zimmerstraße intersection in 1977]
[Panel 2 - U.S. Army signage at Checkpoint Charlie:]
Carrying Weapons Off Duty Forbidden.
Obey Traffic Rules."
[Translations of the text: Russian, French and German]
Erected 1991 by Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Museum and U.S. Army.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Notable Places • War, Cold • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Berlin Wall series list. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1820.
Location. 52° 30.449′ N, 13° 23.423′ E. Marker is in Berliner Innenstadt, Berlin, in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. Marker is on Friedrichstraße just south of Zimmerstraße. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Berliner Innenstadt BE 10117, Germany. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Baudenkmal Berliner Mauer (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Topography of Terror (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Remains of the Berlin Wall (approx. half a kilometer away); a different marker also named Baudenkmal Berliner Mauer (approx. half a kilometer away); The Legend of Hitler’s Bunker (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); Max Planck (approx. 1.1 kilometers away); Pariser Platz (approx. 1.3 kilometers away); Soviet War Memorial (approx. 1.6 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berliner Innenstadt.
Also see . . .
1. Checkpoint Charlie. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on June 9, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
2. Berlin Crisis of 1961. C-SPAN Video Library website entry (Submitted on June 10, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
3. "Ich_bin_ein_Berliner" - JFK Speech, June 25, 1963. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on June 10, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
Additional keywords. Military Police; Check Point "C" for Charlie; Friedrichstrasse; Deutsche Demokratische Republik (the German Democratic Republic) - i.e. the former East Germany, a state in Europe, 1949–90; Berlin Wall; John F. Kennedy.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 28, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 9, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,091 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 9, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.