Berlin, April 1945. The Red Army captures Berlin. As World War II draws to an end and the echos from the artillery and street fighting slowly die out, Berlin meets its new fate: occupation and division amongst the victorious allied powers.

 

The tension in Berlin is escalating and the tank stand-off between the Americans and the Soviets in 1961 took us to the brink of a third world war. Khrushchev calls Berlin “the most dangerous place on earth.”

 

On this tour we will visit the frontline of the Cold War – Checkpoint Charlie.  We’ll learn about life under Stasi-controlled East Germany and pay a visit to the Stasi HQ: where the largest  - ever - secret police, led by Erich Mielke, had its headquarters.

 

We’ll visit the official Berlin Wall Memorial along Bernauer Strasse to cover the topography of the wall in-depth. We’ll walk on the streets above where tunnels were dug by Westerners in desperate attempts to get their families and loved ones out of the communist controlled East.

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We cover:

• Checkpoint Charlie

• The Palace of Tears

• The Berlin Wall Memorial

• Escape Tunnels

• Stasi HQ

• Ghost Stations 

• Life in a divided city