Chronicles – The Year 2007 Our activities since 1997

Ehrhart Körting, Minister of the Interior in Berlin, visits Tour No. 3 “Subways, Bunkers and Cold War”. In connection with the visit, he signs the Associations' Guestbook.

A research team of Berlin Underworlds' Association explores what has happened to the deep-levelled shelter at Alexanderplatz after the completion of the foundation works at the 'Hines AG' areal. The positive result of these explorations: just a small part of ramp no. 1 has been truncated; but the installation itself still exists today. The pedestrian underpass has been closed and is meanwhile pretty much run-down.

Two workgroups of Berlin Underworlds are preparing a special Pre-Christmas event:

The first group cleanses “Carrier No. 12” at Klosterstraße U 2 Underground Railway station – in cooperation with members of the “Arbeitsgemeinschaft Berliner U-Bahn” (Study group Berlin Underground Railway, AGU). The interior of this historic carriage has been soiled over the years. Parts of the carriage were put on display at Klosterstraße on occasion of the 750th birthday of Berlin when the station was overhauled last time.

The other groups takes care of the Kreuzberg Fichtebunker historic equipment and doors which will be disposed in connection of the demolition of three entrance gates.

A new Photograph exhibition: “Subterranean Places in the heart of Berlin” by Reiner Janick has been opened at the micro-brewery “Brewbaker” at Bellevue S-Bahn (City Railway) station.

Dietmar Arnold, Chairman of the board, and Jürgen Wedemeyer, member of the guide crew, welcome “Visitor 'No. 100.000' of the year 2007” at the Underworld's Museum – the first time ever in the history of Berlin Underworlds this magical borderline has been crossed. Verena M. from Berlin-Zehlendorf gets a bunch of flowers and “Dark Worlds” – the standard work about Berlin's subterranean history.

The “documentary theatre berlin” participates in an International Theatre Festival at Jeriwan/ Armenia. It presents “Dancer behind barbed wires”. In the context of this guest performance, meetings and talks with veterans from WW I and WW II are organized. Here, memories of the tragic fates of the Genocide to the Armenian People during World War I and the similarly incredibly biographies of Soviet Prisoners of World War II are openly discussed.

Following a flashlight tour, the author Marcel Feige reads from his latest novel, “Wut” (Fury), a thriller taking place in tunnels and shelters beneath the streets of Berlin. This event within the facilities of Berlin Underworlds' Museum has been organized in cooperation with Goldmann Publishing House, the bookshop “Totsicher” (“As sure as death”) and Berlin Underworlds' Association.

Just as every year, several subterranean installations, protected by law as historic landmarks, can be visited by the public. Berlin Underworlds presents, exclusively, on the occasion of the “Tag des offenen Denkmals” (Heritage day) to many interested visitors. More than 350 of them take a look into the Air-raid-shelter Friesenstraße or into the Operation Bunker Teichstraße. Besides, they can join a guided tour into Humboldthain Park. We thank so much our guests for their generous donations, and, of course, our members for their constant and admirable commitment.

World premiere of a modern theatre spectacle: “Me-DE(A)-Fusion” (“theatre on your own risk”) by Mia Kaspari & Company within the facilities of the never-used Dresdener Straße Underground railway station at Alfred-Döblin-Platz in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

The local branch of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) at Bellevue (Berlin-Mitte) takes the initiative and reveals, supported by the Finance Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Peer Steinbrück, and by Berlin Underworlds' Association, a bilangual information tableau (German-English) at the historic spot of the former Kroll Opera – vis-à-vis of the Reichstag Building. This project has been made possible in cooperation with the Council of the Borough (Bezirksamt) and the Historical Commemorative Plague Commission, Berlin-Mitte. This long-due information tableau traces the ambivalant development of the authentic location in a chronological order.

August 31st, 2007
A prominent guest from Hollywood – the actor John Cusack – visits the Berlin Underworlds' Museum and signs, after the tour, the guestbook of the association.

On the occasion of the Jubilee of the “Long Night of Museums”, Berlin Underworlds' Association can proclaim another record-breaking result. Overall, 2.541 guests visit our museum during the 20th “Long Night”. No waiting time being recorded; the visitors are streaming in a constant flow. Many thanks to all participants for their commitment and their help to make this event very successful indeed.

The Humboldthain workgroup opens and explores a cable channel between the former Geschütz- und Leitturm of the Flak Towers at Humboldthain Park. Following the explorations, the workgroup invites all participants to a barbecue (“The Bergfest”) at the observation platform.

Internal visit of the archeological excavations at the site of the former Petrikirche (St. Peter's Church) at Scharrenstraße, Berlin-Mitte. Mrs. Claudia Melisch, the leading archeologist, presents the latest foundings and results from the mediaeval period of Cölln, the ancient twin city of Berlin. Many thanks to her and the whole team!

The “documentary theatre berlin” participates in the International Theatre Festival in Valka/Latvia and presents the spectacle “Dancer behind barbed wires”.

On the occasion of the “Tag der Unterwelt” (Day of the Underworlds), almost 1.500 guests are welcomed within the facilities of the Underworlds museum. It is the official ending of the Jubilee celebrations. The visitors are allowed, exceptionally, to explore the museum and the Flak Towers at Humboldthain Park on their own initiative.

Besides, historic trains are pendeling between 11.00 hrs and 16.00 hrs on the U8 Underground railway line and the North-South City railway lines from and to Gesundbrunnen station. A historic Series B II train (year of construction: 1929) serves on the U8 Underground Line between Gesundbrunnen and Hermannplatz, while a Series-167 train (year of construction: 1938) between Gesundbrunnen and Potsdamer Platz makes numerous City railway fans happy.

In cooperation with Berlin Transit Authorities (BVG) and the “Arbeitsgemeinschaft Berliner U-Bahn e.V.” (Study Group Berlin Underground Railway, AGU), a Jubilee tour on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the AGU and the 10th anniversary of Berlin Underworlds has been organized. A historic trainset from the A I Series (years of construction: 1924/1926) serves on the U2 and U8 Underground Lines. The tour includes a visit to the Berlin Underground Railway Museum at Olympiastadion, a passage into the “Klostertunnel” and a guided tour into the Berlin Underworlds Museum.

Berlin Underworlds' Association celebrates it's 10th Anniversary with an opulent Jubilee Ball at “Queens B.C.”, Königin-Elisabeth-Straße in Berlin-Charlottenburg.

“Metropolis from below – a symposium of subterraneans”. The offical opening of the Jubilee events of Berlin Underworlds takes place at the URANIA lecture hall, Kleiststraße, Berlin-Schöneberg. Julia Solis (New York), Dr. Marcello La Speranza (Vienna), Paul W. Sowan (South Croydon, United Kingdom), Dr. Ingo Kirsch (Hamburg) and other speakers deliver lectures about various underworlds. In the evening, the “documentary theatre berlin” presents the spectacle “Dancer behind barbed wires” and closes the whole event with a common Peace Concert, by both the participants and the audience.

Again, the participation of our association in the “Long Night of the Sciences” is a big success. From 18.30 hrs. up to 0.30 hrs. in the morning, four members of Berlin Underworlds lead a number of totally 477 visitors, divided in 14 groups, into the first Underground Railway tunnel ever built in continental Europe. The average of the guided tours: ca. 45 minutes.

Prelude to the 10th Anniversary of Berlin Underworlds. The association organizes a press conference “10 years Dark Worlds – 10 years Berlin Underworlds” at the former Haupttelegraphenamt (Central Telegraph Office, HTA), at Oranienburger Straße, Berlin-Mitte. It is the first time for many years that the main entrance is opened again. Also, the small stairway between the Sending and Reception Halls in the First Floor and the Machine Halls in the basement are cleansed and opened. Among the visitors: Dr. Christian Hanke, Municipal Mayor of the City Borough (Berlin-Mitte), Manfred Kühne (Historic Landmark Protection Commission) and Benjamin Liebhäuser (Ch. Links Publishing House).

Members of the association safe historic equipment, for instance air filters or electric distribution, from the former air-raid shelter at Elisabethstraße, Berlin-Lichtenrade. Many thanks to the TC Lichtenrade Weiß-Gelb Tennis Club for giving us the opportunity to safe these relics.

The Swiss Composer and Violist Charlotte Hug visits Berlin Underworlds. In the context of her project “Anderwelten” (Otherworlds), a project in which she uses unconventional places, the “House of detention”, an old prison from the 16th century in London, for instance, the catacombs of Paris or the subterranean galleries of the Rhone Valley Glaciers in Switzerland for her artistic premisses – Charlotte Hug continues her explorations within the facilities of the Humboldthain Flak Towers thanks to an art stipendium. (www.charlottehug.ch).

The “documentary theatre berlin” participates in the “Theatertagen Europäischer Kulturen” Festival in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia. The main focus of this festival is the topic of documentary theatre. No rewards are promised, but the performance of our company and their spectactle “Dancer behind barbed wires” is received very warmly.

On a beautiful Saturday morning, approx. 20 members come together to cleanse up ca. 12 m² of debris and 4 m² of special refuse within the new facilities at the northern entrance of Gesundbrunnen Underground Railway station. On the long term, new exhibitions shall be established on this location. Within four hours, the whole work has been done, thanks to the commitment of many busy volunteers. As a kind of reward to all of them: free pizza and cool drinks for all participants!

The “documentary theatre berlin” participates in the “Theatertage am See” Festival in Friedrichshafen at the Lake of Constance. As an outstanding performance of the spectacle: “And the name of the star is Tschernobyl”, the company is rewarded with the First Prize in the category “Non-Professional theatres”.

About 40 members take part in a tour into the never-used tunnel fragments for a never-built Underground Railway Line beneath Alexanderplatz. This route to Weissensee was planned in the 1920's but never completed. Also, a view into the building shells for a never-finished Underground Line to Lichtenberg (year of construction: 1908), changed into an air-raid shelter during WW II, can be glanced at, as well as the way is open into several other subterranean installations.

The annual “census of bats” in the Flak Towers of Humboldthain. Carsten Kallasch, a biologist from the “Arbeitsgemeinschaft Freilandbiologie” (Study group 'Open land biology'), demonstrates that this shelter is still an important location for the hibernation of these flying mammals. A most gratifying development, however: many species of bats have grown over the last years, even in Berlin. At the end of March, most of the animals leave their shelter in the Humboldthain to look for their out-door quarters during the summertime.

The world premiere of the latest spectacle of the “documentary theatre berlin”, “Gesichter des Krieges” (Faces of War), takes place within the facilities of the Berlin Underworlds' Museum.

Members of the association visited on the occasion of an internal tour several fallout shelters in the borough of Zehlendorf-Steglitz. First, Reiner Janick, the authorised representative, leads the way to the civil shelters in Heckeshorn and at Eiderstedter Weg (Photo). The second part of the tour, interrupted by an coffee break and a serenade of cats and dogs, leads to the air-raid shelters Nicolaistraße and Eiswaldtstraße.

Due to the construction of a complete new “Home & Garden Centre” at Gesundbrunnen, the whole areal in between our ticket office and the bridge at Swinemünder Straße has been demolished completely.

In 2006, more than 82.000 visitors, distributed on ca. 3.300 guided tours, have visited the facilities of Berlin Underworlds. On our website, more than 537.000 accesses have been registered. To all, who have been engaged and committed in producing such a remarkable result: thank you very much! At the turn of the year, the assocation counts more than 230 members.