Local authorities have revoked permission for actors to dress like US soldiers and take pictures with tourists. Police had reportedly requested the ban, saying some actors pressured tourists into paying for the photos.
Image: picture-alliance/J. Arriens
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Authorities in the German capital have barred reenactors from posing for tourist photos at the iconic Checkpoint Charlie, the US control station that marked the crossing point between East and West Berlin.
The Civil Enforcement Office withdrew public performance permission from casting agency "Dance Factory," which represented the roughly 10 actors who dressed like American soldiers and took pictures with tourists, the mass-circulation Bild reported Monday.
Checkpoint Charlie was a renowned crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold WarImage: picture-alliance/dpa
Under pressure
Citing local authorities, the report said some reenactors had pressured tourists — and at times even followed them — if they refused to pay a €4 fee ($4.5).
Following multiple reports, police had consequently requested Berlin's Civil Enforcement Office formally withdraw their license to perform in public.
Reenactors had performed at Checkpoint Charlie for nearly two decades.
Berlin TV tower and more: the top 10 landmarks in the German capital
Berlin's broadcast tower, the Fernsehturm, is turning 50. The iconic tower is Berlin's tallest landmark, but it is just one among many. Here are the top 10 most distinctive sights in the German capital.
Image: picture-alliance/robertharding/M. Lange
Berlin television tower
The GDR authorities opened the television tower on Alexanderplatz on October 3, 1969. At 368 meters (1,207 ft), it was visible from afar and meant to bear witness to the "triumph of communism." Now the tower is one of the most popular landmarks in the city. Every year about 1 million visitors enjoy the magnificent view of a borderless and reunited Berlin from up there.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Brandenburg Gate
When the Brandenburg Gate was inaugurated in 1791, it was only one of many city gates, admittedly a particularly beautiful one. Today it is probably the most famous landmark of the city. The gate was surrounded by the Berlin Wall for almost 30 years. When the Wall fell on November 9, 1989, images of the Brandenburg Gate were seen around the world. Today it is symbolic of German unity.
Image: Fotolia/sborisov
Reichstag building
Magnificent and sublime — this is how the Reichstag building stands in the heart of Berlin. During the German Empire, members of parliament met here. Since 1999, it has been the seat of the German Bundestag. The 23-meter-high (75.5 ft) glass dome of the Reichstag is a major tourist attraction.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Kumm
Berlin Cathedral
At 98 meters high (321.5 ft), the main dome of Berlin Cathedral is the tallest in the capital. It offers a fantastic view of the historic center of Berlin, but to enjoy it, visitors have to climb 270 steps. Also worth seeing is the Hohenzollern Crypt, which contains around 100 coffins of the Prussian royal family.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Kahnert
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie on Friedrichstrasse was probably the most famous border crossing between East and West Berlin during the Cold War era. Soviet and American tanks confronted each other here, but now it's a tourist hotspot.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Sommer
East Side Gallery
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, artists from all over the world came to Berlin and painted a 1.3-kilometer-long (4,265 ft) section of the wall along the Spree River — and the longest open-air gallery in the world was created. Some of the motifs have become photographic icons, such as the Brezhnev-Honecker "Bruderkuss" or "Brotherly Kiss" by Russian artist Dimitrji Vrubel.
Image: DW/T. Kakareko
Victory Column
In the middle of Tiergarten and surrounded by traffic stands the 60-meter-high (197 ft) Victory Column (Siegessäule). It was decorated with 60 cannons, which were taken during the German unification wars 1864-1871. On top of it sits the goddess of victory, Victoria, who is popularly known as "Goldelse" ("Golden Lizzy").
Image: imago/J. Tack
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
The old church tower stands as a reminder of the destruction during the Second World War; the new tower recalls the effort of reconstruction. The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (Gedächtniskirche) at Breitscheidplatz is one of the landmarks of West Berlin.
Image: Colourbox/V. Voennyy
The New Synagogue
The New Synagogue on Oranienburger Strasse was inaugurated in 1866 and was regarded as the largest and most magnificent in Germany. It burned down during the Second World War. In 1995 the reconstructed synagogue was consecrated a second time. Since then, the golden dome has once again shaped the silhouette of Berlin.
Image: Renate Pelzl
Molecule Man
These gentlemen are probably the newest landmarks of Berlin. In 1999, the 30-meter-high (98 ft) sculpture by American sculptor Jonathan Borofsky was placed in the Spree River between the districts of Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain and Treptow as a symbol of the reunited city.
