Berlin to bring renewed historical dimension to Checkpoint Charlie

A reshaping of the Checkpoint Charlie area

But both of those attractions are set to disappear. Their plots—two parcels of 1,150 square meters each—were recently repurchased by the state of Berlin, securing the land for a new memorial project. Oversight will fall to the Berlin Wall Foundation (Stiftung Berliner Mauer), already responsible for five Wall-related memorials.

“We will not take over the Asisi Panorama or the BlackBox exhibition,” said Dr. Susanne Muhle, who heads the Checkpoint Charlie project at the foundation. “Instead, a new memorial will be created, covering both sites. The goal is to highlight the history of the location and the Cold War as an international dimension of the Berlin Wall.”

The Asisi Panorama building itself will eventually give way to new private construction. The land belongs to an investor planning a mixed-use complex of apartments, offices, and retail space.

Construction on the new memorial is tentatively slated to begin in 2028, with completion by 2030. The reconstructed guardhouse will remain, though Muhle stressed it will be more clearly identified as a replica.

The privately run Mauermuseum, founded in 1963, will also continue to operate independently. “It attracts many visitors. We then cannot simply remove it,” Muhle noted, though cooperation with this institution has so far proven difficult.

A design competition is expected in 2026, encompassing not just the two plots but also Friedrichstraße and Zimmerstraße. Planners hope for a full transformation of the area, including reduced car traffic.

Highlighting the Berlin Wall in the Cold War global context

Content-wise, the outdoor exhibition will move beyond dramatic standoffs and focus more on the daily realities of the Cold War. It will cover the 1961 tank confrontation, escapes and protests, but also the functioning of the border crossing itself. “It was an awkward showcase for the GDR, torn between iron-fisted control and the desire to project sovereignty under constant international and tourist scrutiny,” explained Suzanne Muhle.

The foundation also aims to place Checkpoint Charlie in a global context, linking the Berlin conflict to other Cold War flashpoints worldwide. “We want to show that the Cold War was not only a European affair. And that while it remained ‘cold’ in the northern hemisphere, it was hot elsewhere,” said further Muhle.

Costs have yet to be announced. But according to Prof. Dr. Axel Klausmeier, director of the Berlin Wall Foundation, the redevelopment will move the site away from its current somewhat tacky theme-park feel. “Checkpoint Charlie will be transformed into a place that offers not just photo opportunities, but real historical depth,” he said.