Chronicles – The Year 2003 Our activities since 1997

Second resumption of the Theatre Production: “Mein zuckersüßer Adolf” Fanpost an den Führer – “My sweet Adolf – Love letters to the Fuehrer” (Eight performances).

A Special Excursion for members & interested parties into the tunnels-under-renovation of U 5 Subway Line.

“Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society” participates in the “Open Tunnel Day”, organized by the Berlin Transportation Company (BVG) at the construction side of U 5 Subway Line in the eastern districts of the German Capital. Our book-store has been established within a blind Tunnel beneath Alexanderplatz Subway station. And we can offer to our visitors a slide projector show, telling the history of this unique traffic junction.

The Berlin-based Newspaper “Berliner Morgenpost” reports: “The forgotten skyscraper at Alexanderplatz” – A Group of Berlin Tunnel experts has discovered some long-lost sketches by the noted German Architect, going back to the year 1933 and concerning the urban development of Berlin's Alexanderplatz. This group was undergoing some cleaning-up work in its' new-established archive facilities where they discovered these plans and several other assessments, some of them being created by other celebrated architects from the 1920s and 1930s, simply in between administration files of the Berlin Public Transportation Authorities BVG. Meanwhile, these documents have been handed over to the Municipal Archives of Berlin.

A topping-out ceremony or “Bergfest” within the facilities of the flak towers in Humboldthain Park. 150 special guests and friends have been invited to celebrate the ending of the first epoch in the repair work concerning these huge bunkers. The Mayor of Berlin's central district Mitte and other honourables drink a toast to the members of Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society who have carried away so far more than 700 cubic metres of debris within ca. 5.000 voluntary working hours. The participants of this celebration are invited to watch a short documentation by Eva Demmler about how all this construction work in Humboldthain Park has been undertaken, and they are invited as well to listen to an acoustic installation by Ulrike Vetter laying the focus on the time of the air-raids in Berlin.

Dietmar Arnold, Reiner Janick, Ingmar Arnold, Gudrun Neumann and Klaus Topel present the illustrated book “Sirens and packed luggage- bunker life in Berlin” within the facilities of the deep-level bunker Stresemannstraße in the district of Kreuzberg. A cooperation with Ch. Links Publishing House. This publication documents the long-term research work of Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society.

“Paradise – a project”. More than 150 artists from about 32 countries are involved in a multinational project organized by Torsten and Nina Römer within the facilities of the deep-level air-raid shelter beneath Alexanderplatz. A crowd of estimated 20.000 art lovers enjoys an unusual encounter with Berlin Subterranea. Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society has been involved decisively in realizing this project.

For more information, please go to www.paradiesprojekt.de

Presentation of a new Berlin thriller “Berlin Fidschitown”, written by Detlef B. Plettenberg, within the facilities of Blochplatz Civil Shelter. Some elements of the plot play out in Berlin's subterranean worlds. The author refers to a so-called Study Group “Hades”. By doing so, he erects a literary monument to Berlin Underworlds' Association - Registered Society, because we have supported him during his research work a few years before very actively.

First presentation of a new series of educational leave seminaries (in German Language only to this time!): "The historic development of Public Transportation Technology in Berlin -the subterranean network", directed by Jürgen Müller and Dominic Poncé, and in a close cooperation with the Berlin Public Transportation Authority (BVG). The programme includes, for instance, a visit to many blind tunnels, former ghost stations, a Subway workshop in Ruhleben, a historic power regulator, the Berlin Subway Museum at U 2 Olympia Stadium Station or the Traffic Guidance System at U 9 Subway station Turmstraße.

First resumption of the “OST-Arbeiter”, Underground Theatre Production at the Blochplatz Shelter. The Theatre Company has been supported by “Kontakte – Registered Society” as well as by the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future”.

Berlin Heritage Day (Tag des Offenen Denkmals): Berlin Underworlds' Association – registered Society opens the deep-level air-raid shelter beneath Alexanderplatz to the public. (Approximately 500 visitors).

A special motor-cycle cruise for members & interested parties to Peenemünde on the island of Usedom at the Baltic Sea. A visit to the former Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht Experimental Plants and the Museum is a very essential part of the program.

Temporary opening of a hitherto unknown blind subway tunnel beneath Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße in the district of Mitte. This section has been built already in 1913 – 1914, it should have become part of the current U 8 Subway line but was forgotten in the years to come. This opening has become possible due to a cooperation with the Berlin Public Transportation Authority (BVG).

A second, extended and revised application to grant historical protection has been handed over to the City of Berlin's Institution for the Protection of Historic Landmarks. Our intention is to have the so-called Zombeck Tower (a high-level bunker) situated on the area of some former German Railway Workshops in the district of Friedrichshain be listed as a historic monument. The first application, it is said, has been lost within the never-ending mills of bureaucracy. Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society proclaims on September 4th, 2003, it's reservations about development plans at the District Council Hall of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. These would realize de facto a demolition of this unique monument.

Official Inauguration of Berlin Underworld's Association – Registered Society's Office at the new facilities within the southern entrance hall of U 8 Gesundbrunnen Subway Station.

A Visit to Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society by a prominent political und cultural delegation from Kiev, Ukraine in recognition of the merits of the Theatre Production “OST-Arbeiter”.

First night of an unconventional Underground Theatre Production: “EASTworkers”, put on stage and directed by Marina Schubarth, a former Ukrainian dancer and choreographer. This stirring performance deals with the fate of so-called forced labourers from the former Soviet Union who where kidnapped from their home countries and to work as slaves in the Third Reich. But their suffering did not stop with the End of World War II at all. The first season of “EASTworkers” is going to be played within the facilities of the Civil Shelter beneath the Blochplatz at Gesundbrunnen Railway Station until the end of July, 2003.

Extraordinary meeting of Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society's Members. Important structural changes concerning the future of our association have been decided: a fundamental revision of our statutes and articles combines the four major departments: research, home department, logistics and distribution with the former workgroups (section). A new board is elected as well.

The repair works dealing with the Flak towers at Humboldthain Park continue. The Association maintains Berlin's highest subterranean construction site. A former central stairway has to be restored and sealed with a concrete ceiling. Thus, a special pit, 8 metres in depth, has had to be dug.

The French Newspaper “Le Figaro” (Paris) publishes a cover story by Jean-Paul Picaper about the activities of Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society. Picaper's focus of attention lays on the spectacular discovery within the facilities of the Gesundbrunnen Subway Bunker of a Passport issued to a French forced labourer. This Frenchman had to spend some years in Berlin during the Second World War, and Jean-Paul Picaper could track down this family just a few weeks after the publication of this article.

First resumption of the Theatre Production: “Mein zuckersüßer Adolf” Fanpost an den Führer – [“My sweet Adolf – Love letters to the Fuehrer”] (Eight performances), directed by Oliver Nitsche.

First night of the Documentary “Bunker – the last days” (Germany 2003, 88 Minutes), directed by Gavin Hodge und Martina Reuter in the Urania Halls (the World Première has been taken place on March 29th at Hackesche Höfe Cinema in the district of Mitte. Many members of our association have been involved heavily in making this film possible.

Regular Meeting of Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society's Members. Many important structural changes concerning the future of our association are going to be discussed.

A Special Excursion for members & interested parties to the high-level Air Raid Shelter in Heckeshorn at the shores of Lake Wannsee, in Berlin's south-western district of Zehlendorf. During the Second World war, this bunker has been used as a special training centre by the German Luftwaffe. Later, when the Cold War dominated the political climate, there has been established in 1985 an Emergency Underground Hospital which never ever has seen a patient, though.

“Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society” organizes the “Third Night in the Bunker” within the facilities of the Underworld Museum at U 8 Gesundbrunnen Subway Station. More than 900 visitors come to see our new-established exhibition halls.

A Special Excursion for members & interested parties to the “Schwerbelastungskörper”(Special Maximum Capacity Loading Experimental Building) at Monumentenstraße in the district of Schöneberg-Tempelhof.

First presentation of a new series of educational leave seminaries: The World Capital “Germania” – how Berlin should have been transformed dramatically by the Nazis (in German Language only to this time!), directed by Jürgen Müller and Michael Richter. The programme includes, for instance, a visit to the hidden Tiergarten Tunnels and the subterranean installations beneath Tempelhof Airport.

In 2002, more than 17.000 visitors have participated in the regular Guided Tours of our Association. Meanwhile, the membership of Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society has grown up to a size of 130 members.