Teufelsberg, Germany –Have a Great Holiday in Germany

Teufelsberg meaning the devil’s hill is situated on one of Berlin’s hills and can be seen from quite a distance. The Teufelsberg was a result of the cold war between the western powers and the communist forces. It was located in West Germany to pick up on signals and messages from East Germany.  Teufelsberg is a unique structure as there is a Nazi college meant for military and technical purposes buried underneath it.

Albert Speer who held a ministerial position under the Nazi regime had designed the building. After the Nazis were defeated and West Berlin was taken over by the allied forces attempts were made to demolish the building but it was extremely sturdy therefore they chose to cover with rubble instead. Such artificial hills were not very uncommon after the Second World War came to an end.

Once West and East Berlin became one, the station was no longer required therefore it was closed down and the equipment used for the purpose removed but the radar domes as well as the buildings are still in the same place. After the reunification of Germany there were long discussions on utilization of the listening station on top of the hill. Many proposals were considered including turning the station into a spy museum but that project never took off. However since nothing could be decided for a long while the buildings lay abandoned and were vandalized over a period of time.

Berliners would visit the hill even though it was legally trespassing but since February 2011 this has changed and there are guided tours held in Teufelsberg. This gives one the opportunity to experience an important part of modern history – the cold war. The cold war had divided the world into two parts – the western powers on one hand and the USSR on the other. Each part was very suspicious of the other and went to great length to spy on one another. A guided tour in Berlin can take you inside the building and provide you with more details about the Teufelsberg and its purpose.

The tour is conducted by Andreas Juttemann and the tour is offered in English.  To travel to Germany and not know about the cold war experience of Berlin and Germany would mean an incomplete travel experience. The guided tour usually costs 15 Euros and takes roughly around two hours. One has to climb more than 200 steps to reach the top of the facility. The structure is in a state of deterioration but those who have visited it have found it worth the money, time and effort since Andreas provides a very informative as well as intriguing tour of the facility.