8 Nazi and Cold War Sites Near Checkpoint Charlie

The Topography of Terror in the centre of Berlin lies just a few kilometres from Checkpoint Charlie. It’s the former site of the Gestapo headquarters, and today, is an archive of photography and information documenting the horrors of the Nazi regime. A brutal but moving experience not to be missed on any visit to Berlin.

A stone’s throw from Checkpoint Charlie sits the Haus of the same name. This museum is housed in the last building standing on the west side of the border. Established in 1963 by human rights activists, the museum hosts exhibitions that relate to the topic of freedom and human rights.

This arresting memorial to Jewish victims of the Holocaust lies roughly 1.5 km (0.93 miles) away from Checkpoint Charlie. The monument, made from enormous concrete blocks, is simple yet powerful.

Not far from Checkpoint Charlie lies this small museum dedicated to the preferred vehicle of the East German state during the GDR-era, the Trabant – it was the only make of car you’d find on the streets of East Berlin.

Located on the Bürgersteig, this memorial site is honours Peter Fechter, the 18-year-old construction worker who was shot and killed on 17 August 1962, when he and a friend tried to escape over the Berlin Wall.