Haus am Checkpoint Charlie

The House at Checkpoint Charlie stands in Berlin’s Friedrichstraße, a striking building designed by Peter Eisenman for social housing in the 1980s. Its bold façade combines red, grey and white bands that mark the 19th century, the 20th century and a globe’s Mercator grid. The site lies where two old city walls once ran, so the design echoes Berlin’s divided past. Inside, the Mauermuseum tells the story of the Berlin Wall and peaceful struggles for human rights. Founded in 1962 by resistance fighter Rainer Hildebrandt, it draws large crowds each year. Today Alexandra Hildebrandt directs the museum, continuing the work begun more than sixty years ago. Visitors find changing exhibitions of escape artefacts and photographs beside the original Checkpoint Charlie guardhouse. The building’s angled volumes and shifting grids create corridors and platforms that frame views of the busy street. Outside, the wide pavement and nearby monuments recall the border’s former presence.