A Piece of Berlin's Past
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| The new Potsdamer Platz business center — far from a barren no-man's land — stands on what was the Wall. |
By Rick Steves
No tour of Germany is complete without a look at its historic and reunited capital. Devastated by World War II, divided for 28 years by the Wall, Berlin's still rebuilding, psychically and physically.
While the emerging new city paves over much of Berlin's past, the fascinating Museum of The Wall at Checkpoint Charlie, featuring the famous border checkpoint between the American and Soviet sectors, throws a thoughtful searchlight on the country's troubled times.
During the Cold War, the House at Checkpoint Charlie stood defiantly — spitting distance from the border guards — showing off all the clever escapes over, under, and through the Wall. Today, while the drama is over and hunks of the Wall stand like victory scalps at its door, the museum still tells a gripping history, recounts the many ingenious escape attempts, and includes plenty of video and film coverage of those heady days when people-power tore down the Wall.
Where the checkpoint's gate once stood, you'll find a post with larger-than-life posters of a young American soldier facing east and a young Russian soldier facing west. The area has become a Cold War freak show. The rebuilt guard station now hosts two actors playing American guards who pose for photos. Across the street is Snack Point Charlie. The old checkpoint was not named for a person, but because it was checkpoint number three — as in Alpha (at the East–West German border, a hundred miles west of here), Bravo (as you enter Berlin proper), and Charlie (the most famous because it was where most foreigners would pass). In the museum, take a look at the shopping carts and ultra-compact cars and imagine yourself stashed away in one of those smuggling vessels.
A few yards away from Checkpoint Charlie, on Zimmerstrasse, a double row of cobbles marks where the Wall once stood. These innocuous cobbles run throughout the city, tracing the former Wall's path.
A very long block away is a surviving stretch of Wall on Wilhelmstrasse. When it fell, the Wall was literally carried away by the euphoria. What survived has been nearly devoured by more than two decades of persistent "Wall peckers." The park behind this chunk of Wall marks the site of the command center of Hitler's Gestapo and SS (explained throughout by English plaques). It's been left as rubble as a memorial to the tyranny once headquartered here.
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| What survives of the Wall is now the world's longest outdoor art gallery. Peace, baby! |
Along with the excavated foundation of the building, there's the Topography of Terror exhibit, which tells the story of National Socialism and its victims in Berlin. Across the street (facing the Wall) is the German Finance Ministry. Formerly the Nazi Luftwaffe (Air Force) headquarters, this is the only major Hitler-era government building that survived the war's bombs. The Communists used it to house their — no joke — Ministry of Ministries.
To see more of the Wall, walk along the East Side Gallery. The biggest remaining stretch of the Wall is now "the world's longest outdoor art gallery." It stretches for nearly a mile and is covered with murals painted by artists from around the world. The murals are routinely whitewashed so new ones can be painted. This segment of the Wall makes a poignant walk. For a quick look, take the S-Bahn to Ostbahnhof station (follow signs to Stralauerplatz exit; once outside, TV Tower will be to your right; go left and at next corner look to your right — the Wall is across the busy street). The gallery is slowly being consumed by developers. If you walk the entire length of the East Side Gallery, you'll find a small Wall souvenir shop at the end and a bridge crossing the river to a subway station at Schlesisches Tor (in Kreuzberg).
Although Americans remain intrigued by the Wall and Germany's communist past, Berliners have moved on — building stunning domes, grand covered squares, impressive museums...and a new future.
Wall Facts and Figures
The 100-mile "Anti-Fascist Protective Rampart," as it was called by the East German government, was erected almost overnight in 1961 to stop the outward flow of people (3 million poured out between 1949 and 1961). The Wall, which was 13 feet high, had a 16-foot tank ditch, a no-man's-land that was 30 to 160 feet wide, and 300 sentry towers. During its 28 years there were 1,693 cases when border guards fired, 3,221 arrests, and 5,043 documented successful escapes (565 of these were East German guards).
For up-to-date specifics, see the latest edition of the Rick Steves' Germany guidebook. We also offer free-spirited Germany tours.