Berlin is understandably forever connected to World War II and the Cold War. Although that no longer defines this dynamic city, the legacy is ever-present. We sought out some of the most famous border spots of the Berlin Wall: the East Side Gallery & Checkpoint Charlie.
The East Side Gallery is filled with what was originally considered “graffiti” and it now considered “art” – see how fluid the definition is! They are in the process of fixing up and (controversially) repainting certain sections of the wall here. There are a few very famous sections: Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker kissing as painted by Dmitri Vrubel & the East German Trabant car, which appears to be breaking through the concrete.
Read more: Berlin: The city of the Wall, Prussian power, & museums
Checkpoint Charlie is also a famous American-controlled border crossing. The items there now are a recreation (to see the original sign you have to pay for a museum entrance which we did not do).
JMF
P.S. I also had not really realized that the Berlin Wall actually enclosed West Berlin in because they were completely surrounded by the “East.” It didn’t really hit me until I was there actually staring at a map of the Wall.
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