Who founded the Checkpoint Charlie Museum in Berlin?

Rainer Hildebrandt founded the Checkpoint Charlie Museum in Berlin.

Hildebrandt established the museum, also known as the Mauermuseum, in 1962, shortly after the Berlin Wall was built. Its original purpose was to document the wall and support people seeking to escape from East Germany. The museum began in rooms near Checkpoint Charlie, the famous Allied crossing point in Friedrichstraße.

Its displays became known for showing the ingenious methods used in escape attempts, including modified cars, hidden compartments, aircraft, submarines, and tunnels. The collection also records the history of the Berlin Wall and the efforts of people who challenged the border regime.

The museum is often identified simply by its location, which can lead to confusion with the checkpoint itself or with the nearby open-air exhibitions. Checkpoint Charlie was a crossing point; the museum was a separate institution founded by Hildebrandt to tell the story of the wall and resistance to it.