Berlin Wall Sites to Visit — Central

One of the very few surviving Berlin Wall watchtowers, this BT-11 type observation tower stands near Potsdamer Platz. Originally part of the border fortification system, it is now a small exhibition space documenting the construction and function of the wall’s guard towers.

This memorial for those who died at the wall consists of seven white crosses, each inscribed with the name of one of the wall’s victims that was shot or died trying to escape. Nearby: Berlin Wall History Mile, Reichstag

Two escape tunnels were dug on Zimmerstraße, close to Checkpoint Charlie. In summer 1962, a tunnel enabled an East German family to escape, but 20-year-old border guard Reinhold Huhn was shot dead by an escape helper during the attempt. In January 1972, three young East Berliners dug their own tunnel at Nr. 8–9 and reached […]