Checkpoint Charlie Friedrichstrasse, Berlin, Germany (photo)

Berlin cold war Checkpoint Charlie Friedrichstrasse notorious border crossing American Soviet sectors east west wall. Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the Western Allies to a crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War. Other Allied checkpoints on the Autobahn to the West were Checkpoint Alpha at Helmstedt and Checkpoint Bravo at Dreilinden, southeast of Wannsee, named from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's phonetic alphabet. Many other sector crossing points existed in Berlin. Some of these were designated for residents of West Berlin and West German citizens. Checkpoint Charlie was designated as the single crossing point (by foot or by car) for foreigners and members of the Allied forces. (Members of the Allied forces were not allowed to use the other sector crossing point designated for use by foreigners, the Friedrichstraße railway station. ) Checkpoint Charlie was located at the junction of Friedrichstraße with Zimmerstraße and Mauerstraße (which coincidentally means 'Wall Street') in the Friedrichstadt neighborhood, which was divided by the Berlin Wall. The Soviets simply called it the Friedrichstraße Crossing Point. Checkpoint Charlie became a symbol of the Cold War, representing the separation of east and west, and for some East Germans a gateway to freedom. It is frequently featured in spy movies and books, such as those by John le Carré. The famous cafe and viewing point for Allied officials, Armed Forces and visitors alike, Cafe Adler ("Cafe Eagle"), is situated right on the checkpoint. It was an excellent viewing point to look into East Berlin, whilst having something to eat and drink. checkpoint was curiously asymmetrical. During its 27-year active life, the infrastructure on the Eastern side was expanded to include not only the wall, watchtower and zig-zag barriers, but a multi-lane shed where cars and their occupants were checked. Photographed in 2013