McDonalds breaks down Cold War barriers

The US restaurant chain McDonalds has announced that intends to open a new store at Berlin’s infamous Checkpoint Charlie, completing a stunning role reversal for a former symbol of the Cold War that is now a shrine to capitalism and tourism.

Checkpoint Charlie gained infamy as the primary crossing point for foreign nationals travelling between the formerly divided city of Berlin as the US and USSR fought for control of Europe in the aftermath of WWII.

The new store will likely open in mid next year and will be situated over the road from the Mauemuseum which is dedicated to the notorious wall that once divided the city. The site of the 600sqm McDonalds lays atop the ground where a famous standoff between US and Soviet tanks took place in 1961, now labelled prime real estate by German media. The fast food giant was forced to seek planning permission for the new venue due to the fact that more than any other company McDonalds has grown to symbolise American consumer capitalism.

The Berlin of today is unrecognisable from that of 1961, when authorities from East Germany built the ‘protection barrier’ against capitalism that would become known as the Berlin Wall overnight. Over time, the checkpoint grew and at one stage saw several lanes of traffic. Today, tourists struggle to recognise the difference between the east and west. The location has been dubbed ‘Snackpoint Charlie’ due to already established eateries such as Subway while McDonalds is no stranger to odd locations, with Guantanamo Bay being the most unlikely.