Black Box Checkpoint Charlie

Another exciting offer this week: in addition to the final copies of Berlin for Young People, the last few copies of Berlin in the Cold War are also on sale for only $1 on Amazon!

In honor of this auspicious occasion, I went over to Checkpoint Charlie to see the Black Box, a current installation on the Cold War. The multimedia exhibit includes an extensive timeline of the peaks and valleys of political tension between the end of World War II and the most recent NATO assembly. The scope of information leaves you with an excellent idea not only of the Cold War itself, but with a full sense of the events leading to it and its far-reaching implications. It’s refreshing to see such a comprehensive overview of the Cold War, which dominated the global political landscape for almost half a century.

Of course, Berlin was among the places most affected by that tension, and to see an installation here in Germany’s capital is an interesting experience. On one hand, the entire city is an installation of sorts, still bearing the scars of the division. Berlin is a city perpetually under construction, much more changeable than most other European metropolises. 

The photos of Cold War Berlin were the most striking for me; I recognized many of them from my own copy of Berlin in the Cold War. Seeing images of streets I’ve walked down myself during that period is almost surreal, particularly major centers like Potsdamer Platz and the Friedrichstraße area. You can see several photos from our book on our Pinterest page and click over to Amazon to get the full volume! If you get a chance, also check out the Black Box at Checkpoint Charlie, and look forward to the opening of the Cold War Museum on the same site, which is set to happen sometime next year!

Until next time, Vanessa