ABSTRACT
The strategy of using Checkpoint Charlie to point the way to other, "authentic" sites has had a quite disorienting effect on the place itself. The name "Black Box" was intended to emphasize the documentary and authentic character of the exhibition by recalling the black box of an aircraft, "the recorder of events for posterity". However, the exhibition, which has frequently been compared to the private Checkpoint Charlie Museum since it features original artifacts and documents along with media stations and a movie theater, is controversial in Berlin. The new Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse has thus adopted much of what once characterized the private victims' memorial at Checkpoint Charlie. The dispute about Checkpoint Charlie has not only led to an overall change in the public representation of the heritage of the Wall in Berlin in the long run, it also demonstrates that reconstructions may enhance authenticity as long as they don't resemble "the original" too much.
