Barracks of the Prussian Railway Regiments (1893–1906)
Troops and Trains – Prussia was quick to recognize the military importance of railroads, which could rapidly transport troops and equipment to where they were needed. In 1875, a line was finished that connected the military train station in Berlin, located here, with the shooting range in Zossen. In 1892, construction began on three barracks and a utility building. After WWI, the railway regiments were disbanded. In 1933, the utility building briefly served as a Nazi prison run by the SA Field Police. Since 2011, it has been open to the public as the Memorial SA Prison. The other buildings are used as workshops, office space, and a location of the Robert Koch Institute.
TIP: Geschichtsparcours Papestraße. PDF booklet and map available at:

Berlin Soil Load Testing Facility
Concrete Megalomania – This concrete cylinder testifies to Nazi architect Albert Speer’s plans to radically remake Berlin as a monumental world capital called “Germania.” To test the feasibility of building a massive triumphal arch on the sandy ground here, Speer had the Schwerbelastungskörper, or “heavy loadbearing body,” set up to simulate the weight of the gigantic structure.
The cylinder weighs nearly 13,000 metric tons, is 14 meters high, and reaches a depth of 18 meters. By 1948 it was clear that the cylinder had sunk, and thus that the ground could not bear the load. Due to its proximity to nearby apartment buildings, it could not be demolished with explosives.
It was used for geological studies by the German Society for Soil Mechanics until 1977. Since 2009 it has been open to the public.
TIPS:
Open from April 1 to October 31
Entrance, stairs to the platform, and tours are free.
The Schwerbelastungskörper is part of the Geschichtsparcours Papestraße.

Freight Street at Anhalter Goods Station (1872–1880)
The Belly of Berlin – The Ladestraße, or “freight road,” was the heart of the Anhalter Bahnhof freight depot (finished in 1880). The two multistory buildings at the front housed offices. The two long, narrow warehouses were used for the transshipment and temporary storage of cargo. Originally, only 210 meters long, the warehouses were extended to about 320 meters in 1907 to accommodate increased freight traffic. About 400 laborers worked together to load and unload crates. The east warehouse was used for incoming goods, the west warehouse for outgoing shipments. The tracks run along the outside of the buildings, whereas vehicles were waiting on the inside to take incoming cargo and distribute it throughout the city. The freight depot lost its significance after World War II. Since 1990, the one remaining office building has housed the Deutsches Technikmuseum’s Science Center Spectrum. The warehouse behind it is home to the “On the Move” exhibition. The outgoing freight warehouse on the other side of the Ladestraße has been mostly a ruin since 1945. Those parts that can still be used provide space for the Technikmuseum’s Junior Campus and a practice stage for the Berliner Ensemble theater.

Malzfabrik Berlin
Malt, Basil, and Culture – You can’t miss the distinctive hoods on the roof of the malting plant, opened in 1921. To make malt, barley is moistened and regularly turned until it sprouts. Then the barley is heated until it dries. The hoods, which turned with the wind, extracted the moisture. Trains delivered grain and picked up the malt. Schultheiss closed the plant in 1996. In 2005, Real Future AG bought the location and turned it into a venue for creativity, culture, and sustainability. ECF Aquaponik also uses the space to breed fish and grow basil. A small constructed wetland and a recreational pond round out the picture.

Monumentenhallen (1938/39)
A Home for Flying Trains – In the 1930s, rapid transit was revolutionized by the introduction of “flying trains.” These streamlined diesel locomotives departed fromAnhalterBahnhof[see 2 onRoute1].Theywerestoredand maintained in these engine sheds, now called the “Monumentenhallen” (Monument Halls) after a nearby street: Monumentenstraße. Today the sheds are used by the Deutsches Technikmuseum to store large objects belonging to the Rail and Road Transport exhibitions. The largest is the Museum Train, which on open house days runs between the Halls and the museum.
TIP: Open House days are in September

Old signal box at Park am Gleisdreieck
Open Space, Train Tracks, and Urban Flair – Gleisdreieck Park, named after the nearby “Gleisdreieck” U-Bahn station, is located where the Anhalter Bahnhof and Potsdamer Bahnhof freight depots used to be. When Berlin was divided, the train stations ceased to service long-distance routes. Although located in West Berlin, the buildings were under East German control. They fell into ruin. In 2011/13, Berlin’s most modern park opened there, with recreational offerings interspersed with architectural traces of the past. The only active tracks running through the park today belong to a long-distance train line and the Museum Railroad.

Opelhalle – Adam Opel AG (1918)
Monumental Hall of the Automobile Industry – The repair shop was built in 1918 by the Adam Opel bicycle and motorcar factory. Originally with five bays, it was a symbol of the burgeoning car industry. The sales and office building, a typical postwar construction, opened in 1961. The ovular porter’s lodge reflects the zeitgeist of the 1960s. In 1993, AVAG Holding SE took over the location, which it has run since 2006 under the name KADEA Berlin GmbH. KADEA stands for “Kaufhaus des Autos,” or “Automobile Emporium”. The sales room is located in the historic hall, separated from the repair shop by a glass partition.

Papestraße Station (1901) Südkreuz Station (2005)
Transport Hub and Train Station of the Future – Papestraße Station, built in 1901, was the predecessor to the current Südkreuz Station. It is where the Dresden and Anhalt lines intersected with the Ringbahn, or Circle Line, which was completed in 1877. The transport hub lost significance after 1945. In 1992, the Berlin Senate approved a plan for the railway and S-Bahn lines of the reunited city. Südkreuz became the second-most-important station in Berlin. It is now one of 16 “train stations of the future” where Deutsche Bahn tests concepts for sustainable mobility.

Subway (U-Bahn) Station – Gleisdreieck (1901/1913)
U-Bahn Intersection – Gleisdreieck was built in 1901 as a triangular junction for Berlin’s first U-Bahn lines. After an accident involving several deaths, Gleisdreieck was rebuilt in 1913 as a multilevel interchange station.
This also made the U-Bahn run more efficiently. Since then, passengers have been able to enter, exit, and change trains at this station.

Tempelhof Airport (Central Airport Berlin)
Berlin’s First Central Airport – Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin circled the Tempelhof parade ground in 1909 in his airship. In 1923, the location opened as an airfield with a small passenger terminal. By the 1930s, Berlin already had more passengers than Paris or London. In 1936, under the Nazis, construction began on the current airport building designed by Ernst Sagebiel. It has more than 7,000 rooms and is 1,200 meters long, making the bow-shaped hangar as large as a small town. The building was never finished. In 1939, arms manufacturers moved in. Forced laborers housed in a barrack on the field assembled military equipment. Air traffic continued to go through the 1923 terminal. After WWII, the Americans used Tempelhof as a military airfield but also opened parts of it to civil aviation. The Airlift made the airport a world-famous symbol of freedom. It was closed to air traffic in 2008. Europe’s largest landmarked building is now home to major events and is also used by the Berlin Police and as a control center for the city’s traffic. In the future, an arts and culture center will open there, with a 1.2-kilometer History Gallery on the roof. Starting in spring 2023, visitors will be able to go onto the roof of the western main building, where the air traffic control tower is located, and enjoy the breathtaking view of the city.
TIP: CHECK-IN Visitor Center: exhibition on “Tempelhof Airport and Its History” | starting point for tours of the building check-in.thf-berlin.de/en

Tempelhof harbor
From Transport Hub to Marina – Tempelhofer Hafen (Tempelhof Harbor) opened on the Teltow Canal in 1906. It was equipped with the latest mechanical transport and weighing systems and outfitted with a customs office. The large storehouse testifies to the amount of grain, sugar, tobacco, and other cargo stored there. The harbor was damaged in WWII and rebuilt in 1951. The storehouse was used for the Senate Reserve, provisions stored in case of a renewed blockade. After the end of the Cold War, businesses and a scrapyard moved in. A new era began in 2009, with the opening of the marina and its restaurants and shops.

Tempelhof Marshalling Yard (1891/1931)
From Train Station to Urban Wilderness – This marshalling yard was built to support the Anhalter Bahnhof freight depot at the end of the 19th century. It was then regularly expanded. At its most active, 130 freight trains were assembled and disassembled there each day. All that now remains of the yard’s massive locomotive depot are the engine shed and the 50-meter-high water tower. The yard was closed in 1952 by the East German State Railway, after which it was reclaimed by nature. In the early 1980s, a citizens’ initiative blocked the building of a new freight depot, instead proposing the area become a park. In 1993, the last train passed through the largely overgrown site.

The former Parcel Station (1913), converted into the STATION Berlin event center (2005).
Parcel Hub – The Postpaketbahnhof, or parcel station, was built in 1913, as passenger stations could not keep up with increasing parcel traffic. For more than 90 years, this train station handled packages from all over the world for city residents. Half of all parcels entering or leaving Berlin, up to 400,000 per day, were processed here. Postal cars were shunted by electric locomotives made by AEG and Siemens. An O&K diesel locomotive was introduced later; it is now used on the Deutsches Technikmuseum’s Museum Railroad. In 1997, the postal service closed the train station, switching to surface roads for parcel distribution. In 2005 it was converted into STATION Berlin, a noted event location.

UFA factory (1921) ufaFabrik (1979)
From Film Factory to Dream Factory – Berlin’s reputation as a film city is closely connected with Universum Film-AG (UFA). The studio on Viktoriastraße opened in 1921 to support filming in Babelsberg. For over 50 years, UFA produced silent movies like Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. Technical editing took place at this location here. It was closed in 1956, after which it stood empty for years. In 1979, environmentalists occupied the property and started an alternative lifestyle and work initiative. The result was the ufaFabrik International Culture Center. Today 30 residents and 200 staff members are engaged there in social, environmental, and cultural projects. The ufaFabrik has provided inspiration for many likeminded endeavors.

Ullstein Printing House (1927)
The Most Modern Publishing Company in Europe – Berlin’s newspaper quarter [ see 19 on Route 4 ] grew too cramped in the 1920s. The Ullstein family moved its printing operation to Tempelhof, in 1927 opening this building which embodied the company’s size and modernity. The upper levels contained color etching and printing plate production. Underneath were the printing rooms and book bindery. Distribution was at street level. A lower floor with access to the water provided space for common areas and a cafeteria with a terrace. During the Nazi period, the company was Aryanized and confiscated. It was returned to the Ullstein family after 1945. The building was sold several times but continued to be used for media and publishing purposes. In 1985 the media center was converted into an office building, marking the end of an era.

VAUBEKA Gantry Crane (1935)
The Largest Historical Crane in Berlin – This crane was used to load coal from 1935 to 1991. Composed of two bridges, the steel construction is 122 meters long and 22 meters high. A rotating trolley crane with a hook hangs from the loading bridge. The crane could be moved over 230 meters of track along the Teltow Canal. This made for the efficient loading of coal: from boats to the storage yard to the freight railway, whose tracks run along Teilestraße. The crane was built by the Vereinigte Berliner Kohlenhändler (VAUBEKA), or United Berlin Coal Dealers. Its proximity to Tempelhof Airport made the crane decisive for the success of the Berlin Airlift in 1948. The coal flown into Tempelhof Airport was transported here and thence distributed throughout the city.