Other Sights

Teufelsberg - "Devil's Mountain" in Berlin

The Teufelsberg (Devil’s Mountain) lies at the northern edge of Grunewald and is among the highest hills in Berlin.

How everything started with the Teufelsberg.

At the time when Emperors and Kings rode through this place, it was more mystical, covered with swamps and such. When the time of fairies and ghosts was over, around 1915, Berlin was a city with 3.8 million inhabitants. It still needed a recreational area. Thus, the magistrate decided to convert this area into a park. Trees and plants were supposed to grow, however, Adolf Hitler planned to build a college town at Heerstrasse, 1933 after the regime change. The architect Hans Malwitz planned to build the first faculty, and November 27, 1937, the first stone was laid, with Adolf Hitler and his favorite architect, Albert Speer, in attendance. World War II suddenly stopped this project. Everything connected to warfare was neglected 1940. The war turned Berlin to ashes, a landscape of ruins stretching across 100 million square meters.

The Teufelsberg as a debris and spy mountain.

It is unimaginable that until December 11, 1972, 26.181.310 cubic meter of debris amassed there. Disorganized at the beginning, but steadily forming into the shape of the mountain that we know today. The mountain grew and grew, and happening to lay within the administrative area of the allies; the mountain grew on interest to them as well. Not only the British but also the Americans became interested. The first antenna vehicles were positioned in the 60s, testing the possibilities of espionage from up there. It was successful. Thus various antennas, first from the Americans, then the British, were installed. When the last truck dumped the rubble, it was already clear that the dome was used solely for the purpose of espionage and interception. Until 1989, the end of the cold war, the Teufelsberg only served as a military station. The allies tried to intercept the radio communication of the GDR and the USSR at the Warsaw Pact. If it was successful, we will be able to know in 2020, when the archives are being made public. The disassembly of the station took until 1992.

What happened to the Teufelsberg in 1996.

Berlin decided to sell the land to private investors, the Teufelsberg GbR. This company planned to transform Teufelsberg into a resort area, with Hotels, apartments, garages and a new watchtower. However, their plans failed, and the financing crashed as well around 2000. On August 15, 2005, a new ordinance was issued, repealing former construction program. Since then, private construction work is not possible anymore. The area was declared abandoned in 2006, falling to vandalism and theft, which is a shame. Nonetheless, the former tenant succeeded to integrate an organized structure again and made it possible to visit it. Furthermore, he initiated Europe's biggest Graffiti-Gallery there.

The Teufelsberg today

2015 he left the “Field Station,” which was adopted by another tenant. Now you can join guided tours there, which are quite exciting.
A mountain, 120 meters high, the second tallest in Berlin, consisting of 25 million cubic meters of debris from 400.000 destroyed houses. This artificial mountain, planted with 1 million trees, no offers a rock climbing park, a mountain bike tour, and possibilities to fly kites or paragliding. In the winter months, chutes serve as tourist magnets. And who knows, maybe October 31 you will seek the Teufelsberg, and perhaps the myths become true.