Accumulator Works (1899)
Mainstay of the Electrical Industry – Only two years after the power station and AEG Cable Works went into operation in Schöneweide, Ludwig Löwe set up the Accumulator Works. Portable batteries have been produced there ever since. Since 1904 they have been sold under the internationally recognized brand name VARTA, a German acronym that stands for “distribution, recharging, and repair of portable accumulators.” In 1922 the company was acquired by the Quandt conglomerate and developed into Europe’s leading supplier of lead batteries for electric automobiles and airplanes. During WWII the factory produced accumulators for submarines and V2 rockets. Battery production continued seamlessly after 1945 – in East Germany as a “publicly owned enterprise," and after 1993 under the name BAE Batterien.

Archenhold Observatory
Celestial Cannon and the Theory of Relativity – This was one of the main attractions at the 1896 Industrial Exposition of Berlin. Visitors raved about the observatory with the longest pointable telescope in the world. It was the only building left standing after the Expo ended; it was rebuilt in 1908. Another fascinating detail: in 1915 Albert Einstein gave his first lecture on the theory of general relativity here.

Documentation Center Nazi Forced Labor Camp Berlin
Witness to Infinite Injustice – The forced labor camp built in 1943 shines a light on the darkest side of Berlin’s industrial history. Of over 3,000 such camps in Berlin, this is the only one to be preserved almost in its entirety. Companies large and small profited from the cheap labor. After 1945, the barracks were used to store paper for the Red Army and later housed East Germany’s Vaccine Institute. Many of them are still used commercially. Since 2006, part of the complex has been home to the Nazi Forced Labor Documentation Center. It fulfils its educational mission with exhibitions, an archive, and a youth center. Two permanent exhibitions, a multimedia guide, and a restored barrack provide insight into the camp’s inhumane working and living conditions. They illustrate a history of racial discrimination, fear, and merciless oppression, but they also testify to the yearning for freedom and the will to survive.

Frister Lamp Factory | 1897–1916
Around 1900 this was the largest lamp factory in Europe. It produced novel electric lighting fixtures like chandeliers and table lamps. After WWII, the building was used by the VEB Institut für Nachrichtentechnik, an East German communications R&D center. It was rumored to be a “Stasi” operation, serving the needs of the Ministry for State Security. Telecommunications systems were produced for the entire Eastern Bloc. After German reunification the building became a home to artists, was sold several times, and then turned into a business center.

Funkhaus Berlin (1951–1956)
Center for Music and Art – Radio became an important tool in the Cold War contest between political systems. With its modern, functional design by Bauhaus architect Franz Ehrlich, this center for East German radio powerfully conveys the optimism of the postwar years. A “radio quarter” emerged here over the next several decades, with workshops, stores, and recreational facilities for several thousand employees. The recording studios are prized for their excellent acoustics and the distinctive “Nalepa sound.” Musicians from all over the world also still enjoy the facility’s 1950s architecture and proximity to the water.

Gaswerksiedlung (1926)
Hot Spot for Creative Work and Culture – The size and importance of the old gas works can still be judged by the apartment complex built for its employees. In 2015 the area was zoned for industrial use, which meant it could no longer be used residentially. A combined heat and power plant and new office space are projected to be built behind the complex. The 250-meter-long building, which recalls Hanseatic brick architecture, will be integrated into the new development. In 2018 creative studios and a coworking space opened there. Parties and events can be held behind the building. The neighboring Funkhaus Berlin is a magnet, as are Club Sisyphos (located in a former dog biscuit factory) and the nearby Spree riverfront. The Rummelsburg Power Station, located across the street, is also going to be integrated into Funkhaus Berlin’s location concept.

Industriesalon Schöneweide (2009)
Museum and Visitor Center – The Industriesalon opened in 2009. Its rotating exhibitions relate the history of the industrial zone and its transformation into a smart city quarter. The permanent collection focuses on the working conditions of the old Television Electronics Factory, once the largest production facility in East Berlin. Visitors can delve into Berlin’s industrial past on the “Electropolis Tour” (with a panoramic view of the city from the tower of the Peter Behrens Building), on a tour of the Transformer Works, and on a puzzlehunt. Also of note: part of the surrounding industrial area is being developed as an arts and culture center. Don’t miss the Reinbeckhallen and the Spreehalle. The Industriesalon is also actively involved in developing ideas for how Berlin’s landmarked industrial heritage can be put to modern use.

Klingenberg Power Station (1927)
Symbol of Modernity and Economic Might – When it was built in 1927, Berlin’s first large power station was the most modern in Europe and inspired a new generation of power plants. It provided 65% of Berlin’s energy, using novel techniques like grinding coal to dust before burning it. Three large steam turbines produced the electricity. A cable bridge connects the transformer house (190 meters long) to the 11-story office building. Boats delivered coal directly to the power station via a canal connected to the Spree. The river also provided the water that was heated to create the steam. The power station is named for engineer Georg Klingenberg, who built a total of 70 power plants including the Charlottenburg Power Station [site 10 on Route 4]. The Klingenberg Power Station was profiled at the 1929 World’s Fair in Barcelona and featured in advertisements for the city of Berlin in the 1930s. It survived WWII intact. An SS plan to blow it up was averted, as was a later effort to dismantle it. Since 2017 it has burned natural gas instead of lignite.

National Automobile Company
Multi-Story Automobile Factory – During WWI, AEG commissioned Peter Behrens to build a cutting-edge automobile factory. Its elaborate design was meant to proclaim the unbroken power of German manufacturing. Behrens also wanted to create a symbol for the social integration of all participants in industrial society. Workers and managers met at the center of the multi-story factory in an arcade-lined atrium. Chassis assembly began on the top floor. The various production floors were connected by 18 freight elevators, with finished automobiles rolling out on the ground floor and fueled up from a gas tank in the basement. The factory initially made trucks for the German army, then cars and buses until it was closed in 1934. Telefunken then used the site to develop television technology to broadcast the 1936 Olympics. After WWII it housed the Television Electronics Factory, which produced vacuum tubes for the East German television industry; its history is documented at the Industriesalon Schöneweide. Currently Deutsche Immoblien Entwicklungs AG is redeveloping the building and the entire Behrens wanterfront as a new neighborhood. The building's atrium was used as a shooting location for the television series Babylon Berlin.

Oberschöneweide Transformer Plant (1898–1996)
Global Market Leader for Large Transformers – Large transformers turn high voltage current from power plants into low voltage for domestic use. Demand for them spiked at the end of the 19th century, and the AEG factory expanded. New buildings mushroomed at the site: production halls, workshops, offices, and a cafeteria. Nationalized after 1945 as the Karl Liebknecht Transformer Works, it became the main supplier for the East German energy sector. AEG resumed production there in 1992 in the wake of German reunification, but stopped when the age-old company was suddenly dissolved in 1996. The Transformer Works facility, including the landmarked Rathenau-Hallen, was bought by BaseCamp in 2019. The current plan is to renovate the buildings, erect new structures, and develop an office park with cultural and recreational offerings.

Oberschöneweide Industrial Railway Service Station (1901)
From 1890 to 1996, freight trains rumbled slowly down busy Wilhelminenhofstraße and out into Berlin’s extensive rail network. The freight line served countless factories along the Spree. It was electrified in 1901, as befitted the “electropolis.” It is unclear where the name “Bull Train” (Bullenbahn) comes from – either because trains were initially pulled by horses and bulls, or because the heavy electric locomotives were nicknamed “bulls.” The former “Bull Train” service station is now used for streetcars.

Oberspree Power Station (1897)
Opened in 1897, Europe’s first alternating current power station was a technological sensation. The cooling water came directly from the Spree. Its design was inspired by the Palais des Beaux Arts, the “Palace of the Arts” at the 1855 Paris World’s Fair. The power station brought Oberschöneweide to the attention of engineers and urban planners. They traveled from far and wide to view this manmade marvel. The power station used state-of-the-art technology to transmit electricity over long distances with little loss, thus furnishing Berlin’s suburbs with power and light. It was also a magnet for new businesses. The first to make use of the new energy source was the AEG Cable Works. In 2013 the Knaak sculpture foundry moved into a portion of the complex. The turbine hall is now home to MaHalla, a gigantic open space for creative expression.

Palm Kernel Oil Storehouse (1885)
A Reminder of the Colonial Past – The only remaining building of what was once a gigantic factory complex is this storehouse (with its own dock). It was used to store palm kernels transported by ship from colonies in West Africa before they were turned into plant oil, an ingredient in margarine. The company went bankrupt in 1899. The complex was then used until the fall of the Berlin Wall as a mill, granary, and animal feed production facility. The monumental storehouse now contains maisonette loft apartments up to 1,000 square meters in size.

Protestant Church of Peace (1930/1952)
Church with Industrial Flair – The west tower of the church is reminiscent of the headframe of a mine. Indeed, in 1930 its architects Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer also designed the famous Zollverein Mine in Essen. A masterpiece of modern technology and aesthetics, it is a symbol of the Ruhr Valley.

Rathenau Family Tomb (1903)
Symbol of Solidarity – The growing industrial area became home to many people around 1900. AEG founder Emil Rathenau had the Forest Cemetery built for the fledgling community. His own family tomb is visible from the entrance gate. It was designed by an architect with a social bent: Alfred Messel. He built model social housing for “the common man” and became famous for his design of a Wertheim department store. The tomb contains the remains of Emil Rathenau (d. 1915), his wife Mathilde (d. 1926), and their son Erich (d. 1903). Erich took charge of the AEG Cable Works as a young man and was his father’s great hope. Yet he died on a trip to Egypt and was one of the first to be buried in the cemetery. Emil’s son Walther Rathenau (d. 1922), who served as German foreign minister, is also buried there. The Jewish politician was assassinated in the Grunewald district of Berlin, after the nationalist press called more-or-less openly for his death.

Stralau Bottle Factory Workshops (1921)
Co-op in a Classic Location – Bottled beer was the latest thing when the factory was built in 1889. Until 1909 hundreds of workers produced 20 million bottles a year in all shapes and colors, first by hand and later using fully automated machines. During WWI, prisoners of war made containers for poison gas grenades here. Massive damage was done to the factory during an air raid in 1945. Under East German rule, the Stralau Glass Works inhabited the historic building. Beer bottles continued to be made after German reunification, for Beck’s and other companies. The factory only closed in 1997, when a melting tank was damaged. A housing cooperative saved the industrial structure. Now it contains apartments, a hair salon, and a showroom for classic cars.