Some sites in this city are not surprising. Anyone visiting can expect to see the TV Tower or the Brandenburg Gate at some point in their trip. But the things that make Berlin really special are those that are unexpected.
A thin sliver between the Priesterweg and Südkreuz S-Bahn stations, the Naturpark Südgelände wasn’t originally intended as an urban oasis. The site was one of the busier switchyards for Berlin’s railway system, having been completed in 1889. After the Second World War, the area was slowly abandoned and finally shut its doors in 1952. What happened in those 60 years since has been a gradual transferral of industry back to nature. Birch, oak and lime trees have sprung up; vines have wound themselves round nooks and crannies; animals, birds and insects nest and meadows have flourished. Thanks to some investment and the eventual state ownership, the park has been open since 2000, and exists as a strangely foreign place located right in the middle of a city.
In and amongst the natural habitats that have thrived in the Naturpark Südgelände, you can still see the old signs of the past. From a steam engine sat stationary near the water tower that used to power it to a cavernous locomotive hall that now houses exhibitions and concerts to the tracks that run throughout the park. The Naturpark Südgeläande is one of those uniquely Berlin sites. It is a relic perfectly preserved - and yet left to run wild.
Naturpark Südgelände
S-Bahn: Priesterweg
Opening Hours: 9am – Nightfall
Admission €1.00 pp (age 14 and over)
Tours available – look for information at the Brückenmeisterei Building
Copyright: Nick Simpson