AEG Appliance Factory (1890)
The Allgemeine Elektricitäts Gesellschaft (AEG), founded by Emil Rathenau, rose to become a world leader in the electrical engineering industry. This history is still reflected in its magnificent factory buildings. Starting in 1890, trend-setting appliances and electrical parts were produced here. The facade along Ackerstraße, designed by Franz Schwechten (Kaiser Wilhelm II’s chief architect), features the floral ornamentation typical of historicist architecture as well as a rising sun, symbolizing the great expectations for electric power. The factory was soon too small to meet the company’s needs. Thus in 1894 AEG bought a portion of the neighboring stockyard. The former AEG appliance factory now houses the Technical University of Berlin’s Institute of Food Technology.

AEG at Humboldthain (1894–1941)
Motors, machines, and electrical appliances – the range of products made at the new AEG location around 1900 was enormous. Although constructed only a few years apart, there is an unmistakable aesthetic difference between the AEG appliance factory and the New Objectivity architecture of the buildings created by world-renowned industrial designer and architect Peter Behrens. The monumental assembly hall for large machines is especially impressive. In 1984 the works closed and numerous buildings were demolished. Those left intact are now landmarked and comprise the Humboldthain Technology Park, home to departments of the Technical University, commercial businesses, and media companies. The historic main entrance is around the corner, at 107a Brunnenstraße. The so-called “Beamtentor” (Clerks’ Gate), design ed by Franz Schwechten, features a cogwheel as a symbol of industry.

AEG Tunnel (1897)
First Subway Tunnel in Germany.A 295-meter tunnel connected the AEG appliance factory with the AEG Humboldthain Works. Electric trains transported both materials and workers between the two locations. The construction was surely useful, but it also served to demonstrate that a subway system like the London Underground could be built in Berlin. In World War I the tunnel was used for munitions production. In World War II it was an air raid shelter for the company’s employees.
Tip: The tunnel can only be viewed on tours offered by “Berliner Unter-welten.” Guides tell the exciting history of the AEG locations and their underground connection. berliner-unterwelten.de/en

Berlin Mitte Power Plant (1964) Kraftwerk Berlin (2010)
When the Berlin Wall went up, the capital of East Germany needed its own energy supply. Thus the Berlin Mitte Power Plant went online in 1964. It was closed in 1997 when the Mitte Combined Heat and Power Plant opened. In 2006 the legendary techno club Tresor moved into the southern tract of the old power plant. Since 2010 Kraftwerk Berlin has been using the 100-meter-long turbine hall for exhibitions and events. The new energy facility is a modern combined-cycle power plant. It produces both electricity and district heating at the same time. Thanks to its historic location, the power plant is remarkably close to residential buildings.

Buchhändlerhof Substation (1928) E-Werk (1993–1997)
Berlin’s second power plant (1885) was constantly expanded, and it quickly filled the limited space of the cramped courtyard in which it was built. The new three-phase technology allowed electricity to be generated on the edge of the city and transmitted downtown with almost no loss of power. Substations were now necessary to transform that high voltage electricity into lower voltage and distribute it to a local network. Thus in 1928 the power plant became a substation, providing electricity to Potsdamer Platz and other locations. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the oldest power generating facility in Germany was repurposed as E-Werk, a birthplace of the global techno movement. It now serves as an event venue under the name ewerk.

Courtyards at Südstern (1908)
The Höfe am Südstern are an example of courtyards with upscale commercial space flanked on both sides by elegant apartment buildings facing the street. The posh building on Hasenheide has a front yard. Each floor has a six-room apartment with a maid’s room and separate servant access. The apartment building on Körtestraße is much more modest. In between are four courtyards dedicated to commercial space, suitable for different kinds of businesses. This complex marks the final stage in the development of Kreuzberg Mix architecture. It is characterized by rear buildings with large windows and courtyards with vehicle access to both streets. Today, the courtyard commercial spaces are a prestigious location for businesses of all kinds. An old villa in the second courtyard, once home to a manufacturing family, is now used by an advertising agency.

Elevated railway structure Schönhauser Allee
It is strange to think of a subway running over a viaduct. To avoid the technical difficulties involved in digging a tunnel under the Spree and local buildings in the early 20th century, the Berlin government opted for a cheaper alternative: an elevated railway. The elegant construction by U-Bahn architect Alfred Grenander was given the nickname “municipal umbrella,” as it protected strolling city residents from the weather. When it was built, the viaduct was opposed by property owners concerned their buildings would shake, shop owners worried about falling profits, residents dreading the noise, and passengers shocked by the proposed ticket prices. Today it is designated as a historic landmark.

Fichtestraße Gasometer (1884)
Illuminating gas for Berlin’s streetlights started being stored here in 1884. The city’s last remaining brick gasometer was once one of four such structures. The changeover to electric streetlights in 1937 made the gasometer superfluous. In late 1940 it was converted into an air raid shelter. The old brick structure served as a mere casing for the shelter’s massive walls. Mothers working for the war effort could take cover there with their children. After the war the gasometer offered windowless bunks to refugees passing through the city (down to the 1950s), after which it served as a nursing home and a homeless shelter. After the blockade of West Berlin (1948/49) it was used as a warehouse for the Senate Reserve. The gasometer was once again repurposed at the end of the Cold War; this time high-end apartments were built on its roof.
Tip: “Berliner Unterwelten” explains the rich history of the location on tours through the so-called “Fichte-Bunker.” berliner-unterwelten.de/en

German Museum of Technology (1983)
Innovative technology paired with elegant form—one has always inspired the other. Steam engines were decorated like ancient temples, locomotives were transformed into streamlined marvels, and cars became style icons. Each of these inventions had a practical purpose, but in order for people to truly love them, they also had to look good. At the Technikmuseum, you can see many great examples of how function and form drive each other.

Goterjan Brewery (1897) Groterjan Villa (1907)
The malt beer specialties patented by Christoph Groterjan were the main attraction of the small brewery that opened at 4 Milastraße in 1897. A typical Berlin banquet hall with a nine-pin bowling alley and a beer garden with room for 1,500 guests were meant to boost beer consumption. Right down the street, at 1 Milastraße, the brewmaster built an ornate villa in 1907 as his private home and business headquarters. In 1914 Groterjan merged with the Gebhardt wheat beer brewery and moved the operation to Wedding. A chocolate and sugar factory moved into the production hall. The banquet hall first accommodated the “Mila-Lichtspiele” movie theater and then, until 1990, a rehearsal stage for the Volksbühne on Rosa- Luxemburg-Platz. The space is now occupied by a furniture store, and the villa is home to a restaurant.

Historic Harbour Berlin
For centuries, waterways were the most important transport routes to and from Berlin. Traditional steam tugs, historic barges, and nostalgic passenger boats moored at the historic harbor near the Mühlendamm Lock evoke this history. This location is the historic core of Berlin, which in medieval times was a mere island in the Spree. The city was first mentioned in written sources in 1244. The harbor first appeared in a charter in 1298. It was closely connected to the city’s development and is the source of the saying, “Barges built Berlin.” Around 1900, loads of bricks so desperately needed for residential buildings were brought from Brandenburg to Berlin by steam tugs and barges. Coal was shipped from Lusatia and Silesia to the energy-hungry metropolis. Today, the harbor is run by around 100 volunteers from the Berlin-Brandenburg Schifffahrtsgesellschaft e.V., a society devoted to local shipping history. They maintain the historic boats and organize events. Proceeds from the Lotto Foundation are currently being used to revamp the exhibitions and information boards. Future plans include reopening the restaurant boat and creating a terrace along the lock to provide more space for visitors on Fischerinsel.
Tip: There is an exhibition in the cargo hold of the barge “Renate Angelika.”Steamboat cruises mark the beginning and end of the season. Historic steamboats take passengers to Köpenick and back. historischer-hafen-berlin.de

Humboldt Substation (1927)
Hans Heinrich Müller took over the building division of Bewag in 1924. He designed substations all over Berlin that were reminiscent of castles. For he was fascinated by Marienburg Castle, the largest Gothic brick construction in Europe, located in what is now the Polish city of Malbork. The aesthetic inspiration Müller took from Marienburg Castle and the way he incorporated variations of its structural details can be seen in many of his buildings. But nowhere as clearly as here. The building is currently the headquarters of Get Your Guide.

KulturBrauerei, former Schultheiss Brewery (1878)
Brewhouse, horse stable, restaurant – these labels are still to be found on the buildings that Franz Schwechten began erecting in 1878 for one of the largest breweries in Europe. Workshops for disabled people, childcare facilities, and bath areas attest to the progressive social mindset of the successful owner. The brewery was nationalized after the creation of East Germany and stayed in business until 1968. Today the KulturBrauerei is a place to eat, drink, and dance. It is also home to a movie theater, a bicycle rental agency, and a museum devoted to everyday life in East Germany.

Museum for Communication Berlin (1898)
The Museum for Communication was originally founded in 1872 as the world’s first postal museum. The historic building opened to the public in 1898. From the bullroarer and smoke signals to Morse code and the smartphone, the museum traces the fascinating development of communications media. It also shows how electricity revolutionized communication. One very special exhibit is the first telephone in the world, invented by Philipp Reis. And the museum is interactive, offering the opportunity to operate a pneumatic tube system, an optical telegraph, and a typewriter. You can also meet friendly robots in the atrium.

Pfefferberg Brewery (1844)
This brewery was built on empty fields right outside the city gate by Bavarian brewmaster Joseph Pfeffer, a pioneer of industrial beer production who brought the recipe for bottom-fermented lager beer to Berlin. The affiliated beer garden thrived until World War I. Schultheiss acquired the brewery in 1919, and beer production ceased in 1921. The production facility was later home to a chocolate factory, a wholesale bakery, and, after World War II, the publisher Neues Deutschland. After 1990, the Pfefferwerk Verein zur Förderung von Stadtkultur, an organization devoted to revitalizing urban spaces, developed ideas for a social and cultural center. And they proved successful. Today the brewery is a hub of arts and culture and also boasts various accommodation and nightlife options. A new brewpub is once again serving up beer brewed on the premises. And the architecture of the beer garden still reflects the atmosphere of the once idyllic location.
Tip: The Stiftung Pfefferwerk offers tours upon request: info@stpw.org
Two other former breweries are located nearby:
Königsstadt Brewery (1850) | Saarbrücker Straße 24 | gidak.de
Bötzow Brewery (1876) | Prenzlauer Allee 242 | boetzowberlin.de/en

Scharnhorst Substation (1927)
This substation has a special feature: a glass observation post 25 meters high for supervising the city’s streetlights. Down to the 1940s, an employee decided the right time to turn the lights on and off. Hans Heinrich Müller, chief architect for the Berlin electric company Bewag, developed a modern style of architecture that venerated electricity as if it were holy. His “cathedrals of electricity” symbolize the great importance substations had for the city’s rapid urban and industrial development. Scharnhorst substation is currently known as the Vattenfall Building, after the power company that now occupies it, and houses central administration and the customer service department.

The birthplace of Siemens (1847) The headquarters of Siemens (1901)
For Steve Jobs and Apple, it was a garage. For Siemens, it was a small workshop in the back courtyard. It was here, in the shadow of Anhalter Bahnhof, that “Siemens & Halske – Telegraph Construction Works” began its journey toward becoming the global industrial conglomerate we know today. The company established its headquarters here in 1901; today, the Tagesspiegel newspaper’s editorial office is located here.
When the headquarters were moved to the newly established Siemensstadt district in Spandau, the company still wanted to maintain a presence at the historic location, close to the government district. That is why a prestigious building (now the Mövenpick Hotel) was erected here in 1915.”

The ruins of the portico at Anhalter Bahnhof
Anhalter Bahnhof is a former railway station in Berlin, Germany, located about 600 meters southeast of Potsdamer Platz. Once one of Berlin’s most important railway stations, it was severely damaged during World War II and finally closed to traffic in 1952, when the East German Deutsche Reichsbahn rerouted all rail traffic between Berlin and towns in East Germany, bypassing West Berlin. The station’s name lives on in the S-Bahn station of the same name, which opened in October 1939 as part of the North-South S-Bahn line and remains in operation today.”