On November 9, Germans will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Wall. It was at Checkpoint Charlie, the main entry point between the East and the West, where once walled-off citizens broke through to the other side. Of course, this is just one of many global events that happened at this historic place.
So what else happened here? In October 1961, 10 Soviet tanks stared down 10 American tanks just a few hundred feet away in a tense standoff that had the world on the brink of war. The following year, teenager Peter Fechter was shot dead trying to climb the wall to get to West Berlin, which ignited fierce student protests. It was near this spot that President Kennedy proclaimed “Ich bin ein Berliner” and President Reagan yelled, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev — the only Soviet leader born after the October Revolution of 1917 and from the first generation that was too young to fight in World War II — eventually allowed the 28-year-old wall to come down.
Today, only a few pieces of the wall remain (see photo at right). Most of it was ground down and used for other industrial purposes, while some pieces were painted and sold as art mementos. Still, to remind the people of the line that once kept Berlin apart, the city installed a double row of bricks (see photo on left) to remember everyone where the wall once divided.
The Checkpoint Charlie Museum — which includes a large, free outdoor exhibit illustrating the history of the wall and this intersection — is a reminder of a time when the world was truly on the edge. For many decades, this very spot, Checkpoint Charlie, was the epicenter of the Cold War. This is a great place to visit, whether you’re a student, an activist, enlisted, or just interested — and yes, you can still pick up pieces of the original wall at the gift shop!
