Checkpoint Charlie Chatter

 If you've ever been to Berlin (even just for a vacation)....one of the ten 'references' to the city and sites....is Checkpoint Charlie.  For reference, it's at Friedrichstrasse 43-45  Trying to find it the hard way?  It's between McDonalds, and the Checkpoint Charlie Souvenir Shop.  

After the Wall came down, there has always been this interest in the city of developing the block around this former Checkpoint. 

If you asked former US Army folks who did time in Berlin....most all would tell you that this is one of three-odd sites as their reference to the entire city (geographically).  

It came up in the news today....via RBB (Berlin public TV).  The continual chatter of doing something with the Checkpoint.....it's been going on for almost thirty years now.

For around sixteen years....it's been in this fluid state of development (insolvency from 2003 to 2015).

The chatter was mostly about building a combination museum, hotel complex, and two commerce/condo buildings.  

The current company holding the site?  They can't seem to get the city council on some script of agreement.  So there's some 'silent' new group being brought in....with people suggesting fresh new ideas.

The odds of another insolvency is in the making?  Well...the odd factor is that no one in the city council seems to want to discuss who the new developmental company is.  The odds that it's a Chinese group?  If you just look at the chatter and how no one seems to want to mention the name of the group.....it'd just make me wonder about this.

So to my final point.  Checkpoint Charlie came to exist in August of 1961, and continued to exist until 22 June 1990.  The purpose and necessity of the Checkpoint dissolved away.  Out of a 700-odd year history....this is an awful small piece of history, with no real bearing to life in the city today.  It's basically 29-year footnote.  The type of value that the city council or developmental folks are trying to attach to it?  Way over-hyped.  If you flew in and were asking locals for directions....they'd tell you it's out in front of the Checkpoint Charlie McDonalds.  That's the level of importance in 2021.