Five years ago, controversial crosses disappeared from Checkpoint Charlie

Berlin / Prague - Five years ago, on July 5, 2005, a controversial private memorial to the victims of communism was removed from the center of Berlin near the so-called Checkpoint Charlie. More than 1,060 large crosses were erected on rented land at the site where the Berlin Wall once stood by the director of a nearby private Wall Museum, Alexandra Hildebrandt. The crosses at the former crossing from the Soviet to the American military zone were meant to remind people of those who died while trying to escape from the then German Democratic Republic to West Germany.
    The crosses and part of the Berlin Wall's remains were removed from the private land by a hired company with the assistance of the police and considerable interest from the media, Berliners, and tourists. This occurred after Hildebrandt had refused to vacate the site after the lease expired despite repeated requests from the land administrator. Supporters of the memorial and former prisoners of the East German communist regime loudly protested against the dismantling. Some even chained themselves to the crosses. In contrast, the project's opponents welcomed the action, criticizing it for trivializing history and accusing Hildebrandt of turning the site into Disneyland, seeking only to increase the attendance of her museum.