Stories beneath the surface
Berlin history blog
Long-reads about the hidden, industrial and overlooked side of Berlin — the places most walking tours skip.
Alter Schlachthof Berlin: the hidden history of the central abattoir
The story of Berlin’s Alter Schlachthof (Zentralvieh- und Schlachthof) in Friedrichshain – from its 1881 opening to today’s neighbourhood, and how to read its industrial traces on a walking tour.
Mont Klamott: the buried WWII bunkers of Volkspark Friedrichshain
How two demolished flak bunkers became the Großer and Kleiner Bunkerberg – the artificial hills nicknamed Mont Klamott – in Berlin’s oldest public park, and what still lies beneath.
How the Ice Age shaped Berlin: the Urstromtal beneath the city
Why the Spree flows through the Berlin glacial valley, how meltwater and glaciers formed Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg, and how to see the Ice Age in the modern city.