The Checkpoint Charlie Museum (German: Das Mauermuseum â€" Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie) is a private museum in Berlin. It is named after the famous crossing point on the Berlin Wall, and was created to document the so-called "best border security system in the world" (in the words of East German general Heinz Hoffmann). On display are the photos and related documents of successful escape attempts from East Germany, together with the escape apparatus: hot-air balloons, getaway cars, chairlifts, and a mini-U-Boat. The museum researches and maintains a list of deaths at the Berlin Wall. It is operated by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft 13. August (August 13th Working Group), and the director is Alexandra Hildebrandt.
History
Berlin, Germany: The Wall and Checkpoint Charlie - More info on travel to Berlin: http://www.ricksteves.com/europe/germany/berlin The Berlin Wall Memorial and Museum House at Checkpoint Charlie educate visitors about Berlin's tumultuous 20th...
The Arbeitsgemeinschaft 13. August is an association named after the date the Berlin Wall was constructed. It was formed with the purpose to fight against human rights violations as a result of the wall, and to create solutions through activities such as press conferences, publishing, and exhibitions. The museum project began as an exhibition by founding director and human rights activist Dr. Rainer Hildebrandt. According to Hildebrandt: "The first exhibition opened on the 19 October 1962 in an apartment with only two and a half rooms in famous Bernauer Straße. The street was divided along its whole length; the buildings in the east had been vacated and their windows were bricked up. We suggested that tourists be thankful to those border guards who do not shoot to kill".
On 14th June 1963, the museum opened in its permanent location on Friedrichstraße, known as Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. The Arbeitsgemeinschaft 13. August e. V. was formally registered with the city as a Verein (association) on 16 July 1963.
The museum in its early days, in the view of sociologist Sybille Frank, "was famousâ€"or infamousâ€"for its chaotic jumble of everyday objects, relics of all types, "hands-on" displays of items used for escapes, and artworks of debatable quality." It was also a political center, and actively involved in planning and assisting escapes. It featured a library, films, lectures, and a publishing operation. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the corresponding considerable reduction in its public grant money, under the leadership of Alexandra Hildebrandt the museum evolved into a private undertaking, which "reinvented the former political center as a 'place of experience.'" It operated, in the words of Hildebrandt, "according to business principles", soon earning seven-digit profits and becoming the most commercially successful museum in Europe. In 2002, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft 13. August gave up its charitable status and thus its remaining grants and tax breaks.
It is now one of the most frequently visited museums in Berlin, with more than 850,000 visitors annually.
In 2004, Alexandra Hildebrandt installed the Freedom Memorial to the victims of the border forces, in a nearby empty lot. The memorial was removed the following year, after the lease on the land was terminated by the owner. Both the memorial and its removal were the subjects of some criticism and controversy.
Main Exhibitions
The wall from 13th August 1961 to its fall
An exhibition of photographs, writing, and objects, documenting the Berlin Wall and escapes across it, during the time it stood.
Berlin from front-line city to bridge of Europe
A history of divided Berlin, following World War II to its reunification.
It happened at Checkpoint Charlie
The many historical events that took place at Checkpoint Charlie are presented.
Inventive Escapes
A focus on various contraptions and ingenious vehicles, used to successfuly evade the East German border security.
Further exhibitions and events
From Gandhi to Walesa Non-violent struggle for human rights
Portrayals of non-violent protest around the world, and how similar methods were used in Germany.
NATO Mission for Freedom
An new permanent exhibtion focussing on international and dimplomatic contexts opened in March, 2012. NATO General Secretary Anders F. Rasmussen visited the exhibition in May, 2012.
Ronald Reagan
A celebration of President Reagan's life and work, and his contribution to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.
Raoul Wallenberg lives
In 2012, a new permanent exhibition on the life and work of Raoul Wallenberg opened.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky
Mikhail Khodorkovsky held his famous press conference upon his release in December 2013 at the Mauermuseum. He gave thanks to former German foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Guido Westerwelle, German chancellor Angela Merkel and Chairwoman of the Mauermuseum, Alexandra Hildebrandt.
Nadiya Savchenko
The museum installed an exhibition of the works of Nadiya Savchenko in 2016, and helped in the efforts to secure her release from prison.
Quotation
We can also call ourselves the first museum of international nonviolent protest. Our exhibits include: The Charta 77 typewriter, the hectograph of the illegal periodical "Umweltblätter" ("Environmental Pages"), Mahatma Gandhi's diary and sandals and from Elena Bonner the death mask of her partner Andrei Sakharov.
Notes
External links
- Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie
- Checkpoint Charlie Museum on Architectuul
- Documentary video by Deutsche Welle Euromaxx
