The Partition of Berlin 1961-1989 SW CL-205 Checkpoint Charlie

Between 1961-1989 Berlin was partitioned into 4 sectors.  This postcard showing the 4 sectors came from Birgit (22 July 2015) Direct Swap Postcrossing.

In the days when Berlin was divided by the Berlin Wall into East and West Berlin, there were a number of crossings between the two sides.  The best known crossing is Checkpoint Charlie (or Checkpoint C) which was reserved for use by the military and members of the western allied forces as well as foreigners. The checkpoint which was active for 28 years, is located at the junction of Friedrichstraße with Zimmerstraße and Mauerstraße.

The Soviets simply called this checkpoint the Friedrichstraße Crossing Point (КПП Фридрихштрассе). The East Germans referred officially to Checkpoint Charlie as the Grenzübergangsstelle ("Border Crossing Point") Friedrich-/Zimmerstraße.

Present-day Checkpoint Charlie

The wooden barrack where visitors to the Russian Sector (East Berlin) were once obliged to pass through for vetting has been removed.  Reconstruction has included a US Army guardhouse and a copy of the original border sign. The original white booth which served as the official gateway between East and West can be seen in the Allierten Museum in Berlin-Dahlem. Cobblestones now mark the exact spot of the former border and the poignant photographs of an American and a Soviet soldier can be seen here.

This postcard came from Melanie (21 July 2014) Swap-bot.