Chronicles – The Year 2004 Our activities since 1997

Beginning of the first clearance works at the Teichstraße Air raid shelter, Berlin-Reinickendorf. This installation shall be made accessible to the public in the foreseeable future.

Internal visit to the Electric rectifier of the Berlin Transportation Authorities (BVG) at Hallesches Tor Underground railway station.

The “Building activities & Technics” Workgroup explores the ruins of the Flak Towers in Friedrichshain Park. It is the first official exploration into these subterreanean landscape since it's hermetic sealing in 1950.

First public tours of the association in the deep-levelled air-raid shelter at Alexanderplatz. Due to a basic change in the ownership structures on the surface, these tours have to be stopped again already in December – despite an enormous public demand. But it has not been to possible to clarify the new competences and responsibilites in a satisfying way.

In October 2004, the ambitious and noted “Wu Wei Theatre” (Frankfurt-on-the-Main) gives a guest performance in the Bunker at U 8 Gesundbrunnen Subway Station. They play “The Jazz Conductor” by Wolfgang Sréter, a drama about people in Nazi Germany who did love Jazz Music a little bit too much, but did they really? This guest performance will be repeated at Gesundbrunnen, probably in November 2005.

The Section ”Guided Tours for members” leads the participants of a special Underground tour once again into the uncompleted building projects of the so-called ”cross of the axis” – the central traffic junction in the heart of Nazi-Germany's Capital, beneath the Tiergarten Park. These tunnels – two of them would have been used by cars, the third one by a Subway line – were to become an essential part of the future Nazi Capital “Germania”. And they are still to be found, if you know where to look at, beneath the Boulevard “Straße des 17. Juni”. After a thorough explanation about the “why?#8221; and the “where?#8221;, all the participants of this particular tour dare to delve into the abysses of these forgotten traffic tunnels.

Release of the movie “The downfall” (directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, produced by Bernd Eichinger). Several members of the association are involved in the substantial historical consultations in the run-up to and during the production. For instance, the so-called “Fuehrer Bunker” has been emulated on a scale of 1:1 in the Bavaria Studios, Munich.

Heritage Day in Berlin. “Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society” welcomes more than 700 Berliners and their guests visit in a former Air Raid Tunnel in Friesenstraße and at the “Schwerbelastungskörper” (load testing device building) – an Experimental Construction of the late 1930s to explore the effects of heavy weights on the Berlin underground. Both structures are situated close to Tempelhof Airport. There are also at least as many visitors coming to our facilities at U 8 Subway Station Gesundbrunnen and to the Flak Towers in Humboldthain Park.

Waltraud Süßmilch presents her second book in the deep-level air-raid shelter at Stresemannstraße: “In the Bunker – How to survive the air raids in Berlin 1943-1945”. This presentation has been organized in cooperation with Ullstein Publishing House and Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society.

“À la recherche pour le Grand Murin (Greater mouse-eared bat , Myotis Myotis)” – there are for the very first time Special Bat Tours leading into the interior halls of the Flak Towers (Anti-Aircraft Towers) at Humboldthain Park. These tours are organized in cooperation between "Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society" and the biologist and bat expert, Carsten Kallasch. They can be offered in summer time only. The dates of the next tours will be announced here in good time.

“Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society” participates in the Open Tunnel Day of the Berlin Transportation Company (BVG) at the future U 55 Subway Station “Reichstag”. There are many informative discussions between visitors and members, many copies of our leaflet find their ways into the public and, quite astonishing, our book-store is sold out.

Arne Keilmann, a Social Scientist from Offenbach/ Hesse, delivers a lecture about the German electrical engineer Eberhardt von der Trappen (1899-1964) within the facilities of the Light Tower Oberbaum City, close to U 1 Subway Station Warschauer Brücke in Berlin-Friedrichshain. In cooperation with our association, he presents to the public two experimental lights which had been used in the 1930s in some experimental series within the facilities of the former Lindentunnel - tramway tunnel. These tests should help to find out how to illuminate the highway tunnels of the so-called North-Southern Axis, an extensive Traffic Junction planned by the Nazis within the inner districts of Berlin. “Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society” is very grateful for the help and assistance of Zumtobel Staff, Berlin and Info Line “Licht” of the Baunetz Company, in making this event possible.

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Berlin's “S-Bahn” (City Railway), “Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society” presents itself to the Public at Friedrichstraße Railway Station. Photographs by Michael Richter invite the passers-by to stay for a while and have some interesting conversations with some of our members about the hidden passages of the subterranean parts of the S-Bahn.

Jörg Friedrich, Author of the controversial book “Der Brand” (literally: The Fire) addresses the association in form of a Lecture and a Panel Discussion for Members and Guests within the facilities of the Flak Towers Ruins in Humboldthain Park. He speaks about his own long-term research concerning the air combats of World War Two and asks whether there might be a direct connection to the tensions and struggles of today.

For the first time after more than four years, another Special Excursion for members & interested parties into the Pumping Station of the BEWAG Energy Supply Tunnel at Mierendorffplatz in the district of Charlottenburg takes place. This event has been organized in cooperation with the “Energy Museum Berlin – Registered Society”.

“Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society” organizes the “First Night of the Bunkers” within the neighbourhood of Gesundbrunnen Railway Station. All these facilities are open to the public the whole night during this evening, accompanied by lectures, exhibitions and other interesting events, which are appropriate in each case to the historic character of the individual locations. More than 3.500 visitors come to see our new-established exhibition halls, to watch the movie “The Bunker – the last days” or to enjoy the theatre performance “Eastern workers”.

Due to the big success, another season of “OST-Arbeiter”, directed by Marina Schubarth, is going to be performed within the facilities of Blochplatz Civil Shelter. Many positive reviews are published in the local newspapers and magazines.

A big party celebrates the publication of a catalogue: “Paradise – An exhibition in the deep-levelled bunker beneath the Alexanderplatz”, at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

This catalogue – with a 276 pages volume, accompanied by a DVD with approximately 70 minutes playing time – documents most of the fantastic installations and artistic works which have been displayed in the celebrated autumn 2003 exhibition at the Alexanderplatz Air Raid Shelter. This exhibition has been become possible in cooperation of “Berlin Underworlds' Association - Registered Society” and Nina & Thorsten Römer (members of our association). To order this catalogue, please take a look at our book-table, in the book-shops, or you may order it via internet, by calling at: www.paradiesprojekt.de.

Members of “Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society” have the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of Berlin's future Central Station “Lehrter Bahnhof – Hauptbahnhof”. An expedition which gives the participants also some very interesting insights into the most ambitious project of Deutsche Bahn AG (German Railways) at the time – the so-called “Tiergarten Tunnel”.

A Special Excursion for members & interested parties to the former transformer station at Dresdener Straße in Berlin-Kreuzberg. There is a Ghost Station which was never ever been used by any train of “our” Subway Line U 8 where you will find today some relics of electric installations by the Berlin Electric Company “BEWAG AG”. Besides, the participants have the chance to take a look into the former Air raid shelter which connects Dresdener Straße with today's U 8 Subway Line, and to learn a little bit about a long forgotten siding of the BVG.

A Memorial Plaque in Honour of the victims, especially of the forced workers, of the National Socialist Regime in Germany is inaugurated at the Protestant Waldkrankenhaus (literally: Forest Hospital) in the district of Spandau. There are many participants in the ceremony: first, the initiators of this movement, then representatives of many other associations as well. The former “Forced Prisoners' Camp” – which was the forerunner of the today hospital – was to be used as a Propaganda Institution in the 1930s.

The imprisoned workers had to work on a project which should have become the Imperial City of Germany (formerly known as Berlin) – the gigantic “Hall of The People” (max. 125.000 visitors!). In addition, these poor people had to work under terrible conditions in ammunition factories in Berlin-Spandau. More about these tragic histories you will find in our seminaries (currently in German Language only).

For the very first time there are Tours leading into the interior halls of the Flak Towers at Humboldthain Park. Approx. about 110 visitors come to see the results of what some of our members have undertaken during the last two years to prepare this historic spot for public tours.

To ensure that there are still public tours in the so-called “Schwerbelastungskörper” (load testing device building) Area at General-Pape-Straße, there is a great deal of work to be done, voluntarily, to make such a tour possible, by our association's members.

Press Conference of Bien & Giersch Publishing Agency (Edition Panorama) together with the Ilse Balg Foundation on the occasion of the first publication of “Berlin – GERMANIA” – an illustrated map of Berlin's Darkest Years. “Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society” takes the chance to present its' work in the field of education and documentation of the utopian National Socialistic Urban Planning.

“Berlin Underworlds' Association – Registered Society” participates again time in the tourism fare “POW WOW” (at the Arena Hall in Berlin-Treptow). Many Travel Agencies and other tourism companies are invited to study our revised and expanded version of Underground Tours.

A Special Excursion for Members of “Berlin Underworlds' Association - Registered Society” to Sondershausen/ Thuringia, into a former Salt Mine. During our tour, we can visit some big halls where occasionally some concerts or other cultural activities take place. On our 5,3 Kilometres Subterranean Tour, the participants have the pleasure to drive some very interesting, but rather strange and peculiar small transport cars.

2003 has been another successful year since more than 26.000 visitors have come to our facilities, which have been extended to more than 15.000 Square metres.