Spree tunnel Stralau

A building of this kind can hardly be indicated in a better way: On the one side, there is the “Tunnelstraße” (Tunnel Street) and on the other you find the “Platz vor dem Spreetunnel” (Square in Front of the Spree Tunnel). Only the tunnel itself couldn´t be seen for a long time. It is the former tram tunnel connecting the Treptower Park to the Stralau peninsula, passing under the river Spree in doing so.

The river is almost 200 metres wide at this point. The tunnel itself, built between 1895 and 1899, is remarkable because it was the first one in Germany to be built with the new English “shield driving-method of construction”. The tunnel, 454 metres long, was built by a consortium in which the AEG company played a leading role. It can be seen as a trial run for the underground metro lines which followed.

The tunnel's original purpose, though, was a different one: In 1896, the “Treptower Gewerbe Ausstellung” (Trade Exhibition), one of the most important commercial fairs at the time, took place once again. It wasn´t as important as the great world exhibitions but at least came close to them in terms of size. In order to link the exhibition site to the tram system, the tunnel was constructed. This was a hazardous task because of the large amounts of silt in the river at that particular point. The delays resulting from such unfavourable conditions meant that the tunnel was opened three years later than originally anticipated – in December 1899.

The tunnel had a single track and because of its relatively small diameter, special tram cars were required to use it. The tunnel was in operation for only 30 years, being closed in 1932 because of the dwindling number of passengers. During the Olympic Games in 1936, it was still open as pedestrian tunnel. During the Second World War, a part of the tunnel was converted into an air raid shelter. After the war, the site was given up and the entrances were blocked. However, the tunnel had to be inspected again in late 1996 as part of construction work in the area.

Surprisingly, it was still in a relatively good condition. A large section of the tunnel, though, had been bricked up and only some 30, 35 metres were accessible. It is assumed that the rest of the tunnel is flooded. Consequently, only the two mentioned street names are there to remind people of this remarkable monument to building technology.