Wall Museum - Checkpoint Charlie

Really interesting for the history but otherwise badly displayed and needs refreshing. The sequence didn’t make a lot of sense, I still have a lot of questions about the division of Berlin. The languages format isn’t great. It is a shame because there are some really cool original items on display. It was €18.50 for the tour which is a lot, especially compared to other museums in Berlin!

Loads of everything. This museum is overflowing with original items and fascinating information pieces. I would say this museum has some of the largest collections of original pieces of any of the Cold War themed museums in Berlin that I went to. Loads of items focusing on the Cold War. A lot of it focuses on the smuggling of people from the east to west of Berlin. There are also pieces up until modern times with areas on Ukraine and modern Russian conflicts. Nice museum with one of the best gift shops on my Berlin visit.

Checkpoint Charlie is a piece of history and worth a visit. Long line of visitors waiting to have their photo taken outside the replica checkpoint makes it feel over touristy. Worth taking time to walk round the square and read the history but didn’t go to the museum having read other reviews. There is a remaining piece of the wall in the corner by the museum but it’s rather sad and tatty. Large shop full of tourist souvenirs but didn’t go inside as again aimed purely at tourists.

Phenomenal. HUGE museum. First floor very small but the second level is absolutely massive. It would take you 12 hours to read everything. Amazing museum. It honestly has so many genuine artifacts in it it’s astonishing. Don’t forget to take your antidepressants before going though! After 2 hours and reading all of the stories, I felt my body getting heavier, starting to become filled with grief. I couldn’t take anymore for one day. The history of Berlin is filled with such brutality and this museum only covers the Soviet rein during the era of the Berlin Wall. We’re not even talking about the Nazi rein before it. The human race is despicable. But I suppose museums like this are important to ensure good people remember so that they resist such things happening again.

One of the most incredible museums I've ever had the opportunity to visit. I spent over 5 hours there, and history permeated the entire exhibition. Unmissable.

A bit disappointing. It’s badly organised, with huge tracts of text with barely any exhibits, no sense of a narrative you can follow. Very overwhelming and the equivalent of handing a visitor a thick book and saying, read this before you enter. There’s an interesting history here, but it’s not clearly or interestingly presented. The last museum I went to was the Memphis civil rights museum which is amazing. The museum curators should check it out for some inspiration of what makes an engaging museum. The price 75 euros for a family is expensive. On this note, Museums should provide free water to guests like they do in Australia and the USA. Upstairs, an interesting idea starts to emerge showcasing different nations of people who rise up against dictatorships. However it’s ironic that in a museum about oppressive regimes, they’ve left Palestine off their world map. (Someone has corrected the error with graffiti.) We learn in this museum that one reason genocide happens is when ordinary people are silent as horrors occur. Germany has as much, if not more, responsibility as any country to acknowledge the occupation and ethnic cleansing of Palestine, and include the nation on the map. Overall, the artefacts that they do have are interesting but they need to be better presented: the museum is a diamond in the rough that needs a robust cut and polish.

It opens even on Christmas Eve. I really appreciate that. This is quite informative with many materials and records. There’re translations with different language everywhere, and even for the words on some photos. The ticket is not cheap but worth it. If you want audio guide you could purchase it at 5 euro. But sometimes you need to Google when you read the descriptions, because sometimes the background or explanation are not there.

excellent history, multilingual text. much to read and see, even after 2 hours there was still displays on Ukraine and Korea to experience. it was also the weekend of 35 years of the wall coming down, with extra temporary exhibitions outside.