{"id":16838,"date":"2025-04-25T16:00:37","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T14:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=16838"},"modified":"2025-06-12T11:43:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T09:43:41","slug":"tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/","title":{"rendered":"Tourism at Checkpoint Charlie: a blessing or a curse?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><strong>BERLIN \u2013 At a busy intersection in Berlin, people crowd around a small white guardhouse, searching for the best photo angle. The side of the road is filled with bright coloured fast-food restaurants and souvenir shops. If you were to go back in time 60 years, this would be a tense place. During the time of the Berlin Wall, it was one of the most important border crossings between East and West Berlin: Checkpoint Charlie. Now, Checkpoint Charlie seems to be reduced to a sheer backdrop for tourist pictures.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider has-arrows-inside has-dots-inside has-images-center has-cropped-images\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider__wrapper\" data-effect=\"slide\" data-slides-show=\"1\" data-slides-show-laptop=\"1\" data-slides-show-tablet=\"1\" data-slides-show-mobile=\"1\" data-slides-scroll=\"1\" data-autoplay=\"false\" data-pause-hover=\"false\" data-autoplay-speed=\"6000\" data-infinite=\"true\" data-animation-speed=\"800\" data-center-mode=\"false\" data-variable-width=\"false\" data-arrows=\"inside\" data-dots=\"inside\" data-spacing=\"none\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider__item\">\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1705\" class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider__image wp-image-16855\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-scaled.jpg\" data-id=\"16855\" data-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?attachment_id=16855\" data-original-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-scaled.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-1080x719.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-1280x852.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-1250x832.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3590.2-1-400x266.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider__caption\"><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider__item\">\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1981\" class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider__image wp-image-16853\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-scaled.jpg\" data-id=\"16853\" data-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?attachment_id=16853\" data-original-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-scaled.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-1024x792.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-768x594.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-1536x1188.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-2048x1585.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-1080x836.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-500x387.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-800x619.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-1280x990.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-1920x1486.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-1250x967.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3574.2-1-400x309.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider__item\">\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1673\" class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider__image wp-image-16857\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-scaled.jpg\" data-id=\"16857\" data-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?attachment_id=16857\" data-original-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-scaled.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-1024x669.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-768x502.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-1536x1004.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-2048x1339.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-1080x706.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-500x327.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-800x523.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-1280x837.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-1920x1255.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-1250x817.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3564.2-1-400x261.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider__item\">\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1681\" class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider__image wp-image-16854\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-scaled.jpg\" data-id=\"16854\" data-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?attachment_id=16854\" data-original-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-scaled.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-1024x673.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-768x504.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-1536x1009.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-2048x1345.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-1080x709.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-500x328.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-800x525.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-1280x841.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-1920x1261.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-1250x821.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3562.2-1-400x263.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider__item\">\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1705\" class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-slider__image wp-image-16856\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-scaled.jpg\" data-id=\"16856\" data-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?attachment_id=16856\" data-original-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-scaled.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-1080x719.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-1280x852.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-1250x832.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3573.2-400x266.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Tourists que in front of the guardhouse at Checkpoint Charlie to take a picture.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Many organisations and residents are frustrated by the commercial and touristic situation around the site, saying that it doesn\u2019t reflect the weight of the history.A group of tourist standing in the que for a picture in front of the guardhouse confirm this idea. \u2018This had something to do with the Berlin Wall right?\u2019, one of them says questioningly. The Berlin Senate came to action and made plans for renovation to improve the situation in 2019. It raises a question that many historical sights face; is mass tourism a blessing, or a curse?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-grid wp-container-core-group-is-layout-9649a0d9 wp-block-group-is-layout-grid\">\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" class=\"wp-image-16859\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-1080x719.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-1280x852.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-1250x832.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3556.2-400x266.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"772\" class=\"wp-image-16860\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-1024x772.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-1024x772.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-768x579.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-1536x1158.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-2048x1544.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-1080x814.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-500x377.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-800x603.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-1280x965.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-1920x1447.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-1250x942.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3576.2-1-400x301.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" class=\"wp-image-16861\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-1080x719.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-1280x852.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-1250x832.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3560.2-400x266.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>A replica of the original guardhouse and the \u2018You are leaving the American sector\u2019 sign.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>While there are multiple traces and historical sites of the Berlin Wall found around Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie has become one of the most famous and significant ones. When the wall was built in 1961, Checkpoint Charlie became the most important and most heavily guarded border crossing between East and West Berlin. Only diplomats, foreign tourists and military personnel were allowed to pass, but many other people attempted to escape through the checkpoint. At least 138 people have lost their lives trying to escape via barricades, tunnels or by hiding in secret compartments of crossing vehicles.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Dr. Susanne Muhle, head of project at the Berline Wall Foundation explains how Checkpoint Charlie became a big touristic hotspot. \u2018In comparison to other Berlin Wall memorial places, like the Bernauer Strasse, Checkpoint Charlie is more internationally known. It was also redeveloped to be a touristic spot earlier. This Wall site hasn\u2019t lost its appeal, also thanks to the private Wall Museum next to it\u2019, Muhle adds.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The private Wall Museum is located on the American side of Checkpoint Charlie. It is there now, and it has been there since 1963, 2 years after the build of the Wall. \u2018Our museum is not only telling the history of the Berin Wall; it has lived through the history itself. The museum grew up with the Wall\u2019, says Alexandra Hildebrandt, director of the Wall Museum. The iconic image of Checkpoint Charlie in combination with the museum have made the site that attracts 4 million visitors annually.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis: 100%\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"736\" class=\"wp-image-16866\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-1024x736.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-1024x736.png 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-300x215.png 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-768x552.png 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-1536x1103.png 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-2048x1471.png 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-1080x776.png 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-500x359.png 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-800x575.png 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-1280x919.png 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-1920x1379.png 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-1250x898.png 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1-400x287.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis: 100%\">\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery alignfull has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"743\" data-id=\"16865\" class=\"wp-image-16865\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-1024x743.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-1024x743.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-768x558.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-1536x1115.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-2048x1487.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-1080x784.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-500x363.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-800x581.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-1280x929.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-1920x1394.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-1250x908.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3595.2-2-400x290.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"651\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"16863\" class=\"wp-image-16863\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-651x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-651x1024.jpg 651w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-191x300.jpg 191w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-768x1207.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-977x1536.jpg 977w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-1303x2048.jpg 1303w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-1080x1698.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-500x786.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-800x1258.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-1280x2012.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-1920x3019.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-1250x1965.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-400x629.jpg 400w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3571.2-1-scaled.jpg 1628w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 651px) 100vw, 651px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"703\" class=\"wp-image-16864\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-1024x703.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-1024x703.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-300x206.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-768x527.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-1536x1055.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-2048x1406.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-1080x741.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-500x343.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-800x549.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-1280x879.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-1920x1318.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-1250x858.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3598.2-2-400x275.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Shops and tourist attractions in the Friedrichstrasse. <\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>However, for years there has been critique on the site for being too commercial and touristic. The Friedrichstrasse is lined with souvenir shops, fast food restaurants and attractions like a Mirror Maze. Muhle explains the cause of this. \u2018The state of Berlin wanted to create a memorial site in the area, but the investor that owned the plot of the GDR former border crossing went bankrupt. This left the plot undeveloped for many years. However, the place became more and more popular for tourists and private providers saw an opportunity to fill the gaps in the area. Some were more; some were less reputable.\u2019<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-grid wp-container-core-group-is-layout-9649a0d9 wp-block-group-is-layout-grid\">\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"606\" class=\"wp-image-16870\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-1024x606.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-1024x606.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-300x177.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-768x454.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-1536x908.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-2048x1211.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-1080x639.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-500x296.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-800x473.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-1280x757.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-1920x1136.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-1250x739.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3543.2-2-400x237.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-container-content-69bc4bdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"wp-image-16869\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3542.2-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3542.2-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3542.2-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3542.2-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3542.2-1-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3542.2-1-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3542.2-1-400x267.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" class=\"wp-image-16874\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-1080x719.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-1280x852.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-1250x832.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3540.2-400x266.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" class=\"wp-image-16875\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-1080x719.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-1280x852.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-1250x832.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3547.2-400x266.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"910\" height=\"1024\" class=\"wp-image-16868\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-910x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-910x1024.jpeg 910w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-267x300.jpeg 267w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-768x864.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-1366x1536.jpeg 1366w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-1821x2048.jpeg 1821w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-1080x1215.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-500x562.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-800x900.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-1280x1440.jpeg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-1920x2159.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-1250x1406.jpeg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3548.2-2-400x450.jpeg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 910px) 100vw, 910px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"645\" class=\"wp-image-16876\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-1024x645.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-1024x645.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-1536x968.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-2048x1291.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-1080x681.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-500x315.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-800x504.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-1280x807.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-1920x1210.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-1250x788.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3545.2-400x252.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Berlin Wall souvenirs that are found in the shops on Friedrichstrasse. The pieces of Berlin Wall are original, according to the shopowner.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>It\u2019s not only the shops that bother people. The replica of the guardhouse is the focal point where tourists que for a selfie or a picture behind the stacked sandbags. Until 2019 there were actors playing military personnel that exploited tourists for a picture. It has been described on Tripadvisor as \u2018disappointing\u2019, a \u2018tourist trap\u2019 with \u2018tacky souvenir shops. When asking people around the site why they are visiting this place and what they know about its history, they confirm the idea of a cheap touristic picture opportunity. \u2018I think like most people, we are here for a picture. I think people want to show that they have been here on social media\u2019, says a boy visiting the site with his parents. According to the CEO of the tourist organisation of Berlin visitBerlin, Checkpoint Charlie has become a thorn in the eye and the CEO spoke out the wish for more quality tourists, rather than the fast food and selfie tourists.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-stack alignfull\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-stack__wrapper\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-stack__chunk\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-stack__media-wrapper\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-stack__media-inner-wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1656\" height=\"2560\" class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-stack__media wp-image-16873\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-scaled.jpg\" data-id=\"16873\" data-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?attachment_id=16873\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-scaled.jpg 1656w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-662x1024.jpg 662w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-768x1187.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-994x1536.jpg 994w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-1325x2048.jpg 1325w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-1080x1669.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-500x773.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-800x1237.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-1280x1979.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-1920x2968.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-1250x1932.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3569.2-1-400x618.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1656px) 100vw, 1656px\" \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-stack__media-wrapper\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-stack__media-inner-wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2458\" class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-stack__media wp-image-16871\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-scaled.jpg\" data-id=\"16871\" data-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?attachment_id=16871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-300x288.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-1024x983.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-768x738.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-1536x1475.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-2048x1967.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-1080x1037.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-24x24.jpg 24w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-500x480.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-800x768.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-1280x1229.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-1920x1844.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-1250x1200.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3601.2-1-400x384.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-stack__media-wrapper\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-stack__media-inner-wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2367\" class=\"wp-block-getwid-images-stack__media wp-image-16872\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-scaled.jpg\" data-id=\"16872\" data-link=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?attachment_id=16872\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-300x277.jpg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-1024x947.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-768x710.jpg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-1536x1420.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-2048x1893.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-1080x999.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-500x462.jpg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-800x740.jpg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-1280x1183.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-1920x1775.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-1250x1156.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3608.2-1-400x370.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Every few minutes, a hop-on hop-off bus arrives at Checkpoint Charlie.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Not everyone is on the same page about the mass tourism being a negative. Alexandra Hildebrandt is one of them. \u2018I think it\u2019s stupid that people are critical about the tourism around Checkpoint Charlie. Everywhere in the world you have places like this. In Paris people crowd before the Sacre Coeur or the Eiffel tower. It\u2019s a natural thing and that doesn\u2019t mean it is bad. I see it as something positive that tourists still visit Checkpoint Charlie. It is necessary to keep the memory alive. People can come into our museum and learn all about Berlin during the Cold War and what happened at the border crossing. You can tell from their faces that the story leaves an impact.\u2019<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Dr. Muhle also doesn\u2019t only see the negative sides of the touristic rush around the Wall site. \u2018In a sense, the visitors are the only reason the checkpoint is still there. In 1990, Checkpoint Charlie was initially overlooked by West Berlin as a memorial site. Obviously, its historical significance was not properly assessed or was subordinated to economic interests. However, the visitors who continued to come to the site from all over the world, and in increasing numbers, made those responsible for politics realise in the 1990s that the site could not simply be allowed to disappear from the cityscape.\u2019<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The Berliner Wall Foundation does agree that there should be changes made to make sure visitors really learn about the history and significance of the place, rather than it just being a selfie spot. Since renovation plans have been announced in 2019, the Berlin Wall Foundation has been occupied with the plans for the project. Muhle: \u2018As part of the redesign, the historical site is to be made more visible again in the cityscape, especially the GDR border crossing point, which has been almost completely erased. In addition, a modern memorial site is to be created here, where the history of the site and the Cold War as international dimension will be visualised. In order to increase the quality of stay, places of retreat are to be created on the two squares and traffic at the crossroads is to be calmed.\u2019 The aim of the renovation is to create a space for different perspectives, connection between visitors and where they can talk about their experiences during the Cold War and its effects until the present day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>As long as the iconic guardhouse stands, the tourists will probably keep visiting. Dr. Susanne Muhle hopes that after the renovation, Checkpoint Charlie\u2019s image will change and that it will be an appealing and, in a positive sense, lively place that illustrates the history of the place to the still numerous visitors, teaches them the value of freedom and democracy and at the same time sensitises them to the consequences of the Cold War.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-nk-awb nk-awb is-layout-constrained wp-block-nk-awb-is-layout-constrained\">\r\n<div class=\"nk-awb-wrap-content\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BERLIN \u2013 At a busy intersection in Berlin, people crowd around a small white guardhouse, searching for the best photo angle. The side of the road is filled with bright coloured fast-food restaurants and souvenir shops. If you were to go back in time 60 years, this would be a tense place. During the time [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2567,"featured_media":16821,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cbj","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Tourism at Checkpoint Charlie: a blessing or a curse? - International Journalism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tourism at Checkpoint Charlie: a blessing or a curse? - International Journalism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BERLIN \u2013 At a busy intersection in Berlin, people crowd around a small white guardhouse, searching for the best photo angle. The side of the road is filled with bright coloured fast-food restaurants and souvenir shops. If you were to go back in time 60 years, this would be a tense place. During the time [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"International Journalism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-25T14:00:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-12T09:43:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1024x736.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"736\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jesse Wagenvoord\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jesse Wagenvoord\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/16838\\\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/16838\\\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jesse Wagenvoord\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c57ae542fccaa57d25378a8d8727cdea\"},\"headline\":\"Tourism at Checkpoint Charlie: a blessing or a curse?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-25T14:00:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-12T09:43:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/16838\\\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1249,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/16838\\\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/378\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/IMG_3559-scaled.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Cross-Border Journalism\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/16838\\\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/16838\\\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\\\/\",\"name\":\"Tourism at Checkpoint Charlie: a blessing or a curse? - International Journalism\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/16838\\\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/16838\\\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/378\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/IMG_3559-scaled.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-25T14:00:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-12T09:43:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c57ae542fccaa57d25378a8d8727cdea\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/16838\\\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/16838\\\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/16838\\\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/378\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/IMG_3559-scaled.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/378\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/IMG_3559-scaled.png\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1839},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/16838\\\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Tourism at Checkpoint Charlie: a blessing or a curse?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/\",\"name\":\"International Journalism\",\"description\":\"HU School voor Journalistiek Nieuwssite\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c57ae542fccaa57d25378a8d8727cdea\",\"name\":\"Jesse Wagenvoord\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b029c54b060380602df78a42e41d36fa239709cf4dac26f4e4b6623602e9a900?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b029c54b060380602df78a42e41d36fa239709cf4dac26f4e4b6623602e9a900?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b029c54b060380602df78a42e41d36fa239709cf4dac26f4e4b6623602e9a900?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jesse Wagenvoord\"},\"description\":\"Ik ben Jesse Wagenvoord (2005) en ik ben heel gemotiveerd om een goede journalist te worden. Geboren en getogen in Lopik groeide ik op als een nieuwsgierig en creatief meisje. Na mijn schooltijd op het Schoonhovens College heb ik getwijfeld over Psychologie maar uiteindelijk gekozen voor de School van Journalistiek in Utrecht. Toch lijkt het me wel leuk om dit vakgebied te verwerken in mijn journalistieke carri\u00e8re. Ik wil graag bijzondere verhalen maken en erachter komen waarom bepaalde mensen bepaalde keuzes maken.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/svjmedia.nl\\\/internationaljournalism\\\/author\\\/jesse-wagenvoord\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Tourism at Checkpoint Charlie: a blessing or a curse? - International Journalism","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Tourism at Checkpoint Charlie: a blessing or a curse? - International Journalism","og_description":"BERLIN \u2013 At a busy intersection in Berlin, people crowd around a small white guardhouse, searching for the best photo angle. The side of the road is filled with bright coloured fast-food restaurants and souvenir shops. If you were to go back in time 60 years, this would be a tense place. During the time [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/","og_site_name":"International Journalism","article_published_time":"2025-04-25T14:00:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-12T09:43:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":736,"url":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-1024x736.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Jesse Wagenvoord","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jesse Wagenvoord","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/"},"author":{"name":"Jesse Wagenvoord","@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/#\/schema\/person\/c57ae542fccaa57d25378a8d8727cdea"},"headline":"Tourism at Checkpoint Charlie: a blessing or a curse?","datePublished":"2025-04-25T14:00:37+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-12T09:43:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/"},"wordCount":1249,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-scaled.png","articleSection":["Cross-Border Journalism"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/","url":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/","name":"Tourism at Checkpoint Charlie: a blessing or a curse? - International Journalism","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-scaled.png","datePublished":"2025-04-25T14:00:37+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-12T09:43:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/#\/schema\/person\/c57ae542fccaa57d25378a8d8727cdea"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-scaled.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/04\/IMG_3559-scaled.png","width":2560,"height":1839},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16838\/tourism-at-checkpoint-charlie-a-blessing-or-a-curse\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tourism at Checkpoint Charlie: a blessing or a curse?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/#website","url":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/","name":"International Journalism","description":"HU School voor Journalistiek Nieuwssite","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/#\/schema\/person\/c57ae542fccaa57d25378a8d8727cdea","name":"Jesse Wagenvoord","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b029c54b060380602df78a42e41d36fa239709cf4dac26f4e4b6623602e9a900?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b029c54b060380602df78a42e41d36fa239709cf4dac26f4e4b6623602e9a900?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b029c54b060380602df78a42e41d36fa239709cf4dac26f4e4b6623602e9a900?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jesse Wagenvoord"},"description":"Ik ben Jesse Wagenvoord (2005) en ik ben heel gemotiveerd om een goede journalist te worden. Geboren en getogen in Lopik groeide ik op als een nieuwsgierig en creatief meisje. Na mijn schooltijd op het Schoonhovens College heb ik getwijfeld over Psychologie maar uiteindelijk gekozen voor de School van Journalistiek in Utrecht. Toch lijkt het me wel leuk om dit vakgebied te verwerken in mijn journalistieke carri\u00e8re. Ik wil graag bijzondere verhalen maken en erachter komen waarom bepaalde mensen bepaalde keuzes maken.","url":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/author\/jesse-wagenvoord\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2567"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}