I've rated over 100 reviews today and so far have only got one rate back! :(
I've rated over 100 reviews today and so far have only got one rate back! :(
Member since:19.01.2007
Reviews:27
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The Checkpoint Charlie Museum is one of Berlin's main tourist attractions. It commemorates the Cold War period in Germany when Berlin was divided in two by the Berlin Wall, with East Germany being controlled by the Communist Russian regime while West Berlin was controlled by the combined control of the French, British and Americans.
Entry to the museum costs €12.50 for an adult and you can also buy an audio guide for an additional €3. Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more. The museum is open from 9am to 10pm daily as is the small coffee shop situated at the museum. The museum also houses a public reference library which focuses on post-war history and the Cold War. The museum is located in the centre of Berlin so transport links are good. It probably wouldn't be ideal for disabled visitors as there are a lot of stairs and rooms on different levels however.
The museum was opened in 1962, in a different location to its current position, and moved to the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie in 1963, nearby to one of the most famous border crossings on the Wall. From the house the escape helpers could view all movements at the border crossing, make escape plans and welcome recent escapees from the East. While the Wall was still standing the museum was a central point of the fight against the oppressive regime in East Germany.
The museum has exhibitions on the history of life on both sides of the Wall, the building of the Wall, the fall of the Wall and the attempted escapes from West to East Berlin. A large section of the museum is devoted to an art display of Cold War related art exhibits. Some specific artefacts include some of the weird and wonderful methods used by people to attempt to cross the border.
The entrance to the museum is a bit confusing. We knew from a friend who had previously been to the museum that audio guides were available, but this wasn't advertised very well at the main entrance. There is actually a separate entrance a few metres away from the main entrance where the audio guides can be purchased. When borrowing the audio guides you have to leave a piece of photo identification.
When we went to the museum at the start of June it was very crowded and overheated. But this was probably due to the group of 50 Japanese schoolchildren who were having a tour at the same time as us! We managed to find a spot on the floor where we could sit and listen to the audio guides which made the heat a bit more bearable. The layout of the museum is a bit confusing - it is not always clear which direction you are meant to be taking, but this adds to the authenticity of the museum which grew room by room.
The audio guides were also a bit confusing. You are meant to press the number on the guide whenever you see a number on the wall. The numbers are not always that easy to see and we found that we missed some out. The narrative on the guides was really good - there was a lot of information but it was difficult to tie the narrative to the artefacts in the room. There were around one hundred points on the tour and I have to say we only made it to about twenty before we gave up. The audio guides were very informative but did go on a bit, especially given that there was detailed narrative next to all of the artefacts. The artefacts contain plenty of personal stories as well as historical facts which really brought the history to life.
Overall, I would highly recommend this museum to anyone visiting Berlin. You really could spend a whole day there if you had the time and were interested enough. The price is probably in line with most other museums these days. The audio guides are very cheap at €3 and I would definitely suggest using these - they added a lot to my experience of the museum.
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