If you're interested in the Cold War, you may get a chance to see new remnants of the former East German border crossing in the heart of Berlin that were found unexpectedly during excavations.
Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known crossing point between East and West Berlin during the division of Germany. It was intended to be used exclusively by Western Allied military personnel, diplomats and people visiting from abroad.
In October 1961, it was the site of a menacing stand-off between US and Soviet tanks that made headlines around the world.
It is one of the most internationally recognised historical sites of the Cold War and one of Berlin's top tourist attractions.
Further parts of the crossing have just been discovered during excavations at the Checkpoint Charlie site, including sections of boundary walls, asphalt surfaces and the foundation of a command post used by East German border troops between 1985 and 1989.
Parts of a vehicle barrier erected after an infamous tank stand-off in October 1961 also came to light.
Given extensive changes made to the site since German reunification in 1990, the finds were "significant historical testimonies of the former border crossing," says Susanne Muhle of the Berlin Wall Foundation.
The remnants emerged during excavations over recent months on a plot by the former border crossing where a new education and memorial site is planned.
"People simply wanted to check once more whether anything was in the ground, and if so, what," says Berlin Wall Foundation spokeswoman Hannah Berger.
The foundation is now weighing how to preserve the latest finds and show them to the public.
Initially, the exposed areas are due to be filled in again, in a standard procedure to help conserve the remains, the foundation says.
Checkpoint Charlie has been featured in many thrillers and spy novels, from James Bond in Octopussy to The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.
Located on the corner of Friedrichstraße and Zimmerstraße, it is one of the city's most dramatic reminders of the former border crossing, the Cold War and the partition of Berlin.
The German capital was divided after World War II. The allies split Berlin into four sectors - France controlled the north-western, England the western and the US the south-western parts of the city. The Soviet Union as allocated to the eastern part of Berlin.
The name Checkpoint Charlie comes from the NATO phonetic alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie). After the border crossings at Helmstedt-Marienborn (Alpha) and Dreilinden-Drewitz (Bravo), Checkpoint Charlie was the third checkpoint opened by the Allies in and around Berlin.
Currently, visitors to the site see a replica border hut and souvenir stalls amid heavy midtown traffic, though this has often been criticised as a kitch rendition to attract tourists.
For many who come to the site, the first sight they see is a large photograph of a soldier. That is former US army tuba player Jeff Harper, and the image is part of a series of photographs, taken to commemorate the last Allied soldiers in Berlin in 1994.
If you are visiting the area, you can explore further Cold War sites nearby.
Checkpoint Charlie also witnessed numerous attempts to escape from East Berlin. There is an open air exhibition nearby, on the corner of Schützenstraße and Zimmerstraße which tells the story of those that failed and those that succeeded. There is also an installation by artist Frank Thiel marking the memorial. - dpa
