Berliner Unterwelten

Do not miss a visit to Berlin’s underground tunnels that opened to the public in 1997. The tunnels were excavated by German brewers back in 1650 and were then used to keep the beer cold. Everything from burial-places and secret shelters to sewerage systems and an aircraft factory were found in the tunnels. You have the opportunity to join three different tours:

1. ‘Dark Worlds’ (recommended for school groups) This is the Classic Tour that will take you through several shelters used during the First and the Second World wars. You will get an unbelievable, and in many ways shocking, sense of what life was like in the shelters for the Germans who fled there to escape the bombing. Large photos contribute to give a vivid impression of the consequences of war for average Berliner citizens.

2. ‘Tour 2 – From Flak Towers to Mountains of Debris’ (Only from April to October) This tour will lead you through the ruins of the former aircraft towers in Humboldthain Park. You will get an idea of what life was like in these big fortifications during the Second World War. Today, more than 1400 cubic meters of scrap and rubble have been removed, and now populated by bats during winter. The tour starts at the lowest platform of the towers in Humboldthain Park. Please note that you must be at least 18 years for this tour. It is recommended to wear warm clothing as the temperature in summer is about 10 degrees. Wearing good shoes (no sandals or the like) is a condition for joining the tour.

3. ‘Subways and bunkers in the Cold War’ (Only from April to October) – This tour shows the traces of the Cold War in the subways. In preparation of a new nuclear war, civil shelters were re-activated in the western part of Berlin, and new bunkers were built. This tour includes a visit at a shelter from the Second World War that was renovated in the beginning of the 1980s. It gives an impression of how it would have been to live in a ‘modern nuclear bunker’ had the third world war broken out. Please note that Berliner Unterwelten has decided only to provide tours conducted in the mother tongue of the groups. You can book a German speaking guide in case German is your final subject. You are recommended to bring a warm jersey as it can be cold in the tunnels