Editing Checkpoint Charlie (section)

==Checkpoint==
[[File:Checkpoint Charlie2.jpg|thumb|right|Soviet Zone from Checkpoint Charlie observation post, 1982]]
Checkpoint Charlie was a crossing point in the [[Berlin Wall]] located at the junction of {{lang|de|[[Friedrichstraße]]}} with {{lang|de|Zimmerstraße}} and {{lang|de|Mauerstraße}} (which for older historical reasons coincidentally means "Wall Street"). It is in the [[Friedrichstadt (Berlin)|Friedrichstadt]] neighborhood. Checkpoint Charlie was designated as the single foot or car crossing point for foreigners and members of the Allied forces, who were not allowed to use the other sector crossing point designated for use by foreigners, the [[Berlin Friedrichstraße station|Friedrichstraße]] railway station.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The name "Charlie" came from the letter C in the [[NATO phonetic alphabet]]; similarly for other Allied checkpoints on the ''[[Autobahn]]'' from the West: [[Helmstedt–Marienborn border crossing|Checkpoint Alpha]] at [[Helmstedt]] and its counterpart [[Checkpoint Bravo]] at Dreilinden, [[Wannsee]] in the south-west corner of Berlin. The [[Soviet Union|Soviets]] simply called it the ''{{lang|de|Friedrichstraße}} Crossing Point'' ({{lang|ru|КПП Фридрихштрассе}}, {{lang|ru-Latn|KPP Fridrikhshtrasse}}). The [[East Germany|East Germans]] referred officially to Checkpoint Charlie as the {{lang|de|Grenzübergangsstelle}} ("Border Crossing Point") {{lang|de|Friedrich-/Zimmerstraße}}.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

As the most visible Berlin Wall checkpoint, Checkpoint Charlie was featured in movies<ref>{{cite web |last=Blau |first=Christine |title=Insider's Guide to Cold War Berlin |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/intelligent-travel/2014/11/06/insiders-guide-to-cold-war-berlin/ |website=National Geographic |date=6 November 2014 |access-date=2 November 2018 |archive-date=20 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020005044/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/insiders-guide-to-cold-war-berlin |url-status=dead}}</ref> and books. A famous cafe and viewing place for Allied officials, armed forces and visitors alike, {{lang|de|Cafe Adler}} ("Eagle Café"), was situated right on the checkpoint.

The development of the infrastructure around the checkpoint was largely asymmetrical, reflecting the contrary priorities of East German and Western border authorities. During its 28-year active life, the infrastructure on the Eastern side was expanded to include not only the wall, watchtower and zig-zag barriers, but a multi-lane shed where cars and their occupants were checked. However, the Allied authority never erected any permanent buildings. A wooden shed used as the guard house was replaced during the 1980s by a larger metal structure, now displayed at the Allied Museum in western Berlin. Their reasoning was that they did not consider the inner Berlin sector boundary an international border and did not treat it as such.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}