Who were in the transit system and during the bombing raid had to come somewhere. the people in here were lucky. as we go a few stops up the u8 line, athena takes me forward in time to a later shelter, a symptom of berlin s position on the fault line of the historic tensions between east and west. welcome. so this is the bunker, or there is a bunker nearby? there s actually. we re in the bunker already, because this entire station is the bunker. it was originally opened in 1977 to be a multi purpose facility. so it s both a train station, as you just saw, but also, in a 48 hour preparation period, it can be turned into an atomic fallout shelter. so this is some of our many, many dormitories. a big luxury here is that we actually all get our own bed, which is not standard
In time to a later shelter, a symptom of berlin s position on the fault line of the historic tensions between east and west. welcome. so this is the bunker, or there is a bunker nearby? there s actually. we re in the bunker already, because this entire station is the bunker. it was originally opened in 1977 to be a multi purpose facility. so it s both a train station, as you just saw, but also, in a 48 hour preparation period, it can be turned into an atomic fallout shelter. so this is some of our many, many, many dormitories. a big luxury here is that we actually all get our own bed, which is not standard for bunkers like this. we have several dormitories, but on top of that, about 2,000 people would have to be sleeping on the train platform itself. this is the pillow they would sleep on. that s the blanket and the pillow.
Getting on the u bahn, three stops in that direction, had to wait on board while they got safely four stops down that way. this was effectively a ghost station. they were manned, guarded, you definitely just could not get off. athena leads tours for a group called berlin underworld, which explores the tunnels and passageways underneath the city. so alexanderplatz would have been a ghost station. pretty airy. what would that have been like? for pretty airy. what would that have been like? pretty airy. what would that have been like? for the west berlin is coming have been like? for the west berlin is coming through, - have been like? for the west berlin is coming through, it l berlin is coming through, it would have been dark, a little bit airy, with just the glowing emergency exit signs, maybe a bit of light creeping in from the tunnel itself. for the east berlin as it would have been completely different, because they weren t allowed to know about this at all. if they knew that it was coming through here than they might be tempted to get into the train station or the tunnels and use them to
Left or right turn. a lot of people thought that it was against god, that it is too speedy, that it is too much metal over the river, that it looks ugly. 0ther metal over the river, that it looks ugly. other people who didn t have the vision that this will change the mobility in berlin completely. the next da , and in berlin completely. the next day. and the in berlin completely. the next day, and the ground in berlin completely. the next day, and the ground opening i day, and the ground opening attracts quite a crowd. applause. singing. how are you feeling? it singing. how are ou feelin: ? ., , how are you feeling? it was very emotional. how are you feeling? it was very emotional. and - how are you feeling? it was very emotional. and i - how are you feeling? it was very emotional. and i am i how are you feeling? it was - very emotional. and i am really happy that it is now open. bill happy that it is now open. all of our happy that it is now open. all of your hard work. i can feel the emotion! of your hard work. i can feel the emotion! the people that come here the emotion! the people that come here and the emotion! the people that come here and they -
With almost 40,000 kilometres of track, germany s rail network is the longest in europe, which makes it the perfect place to explore by train. but from berlin s vast central station, train. but from berlin s vast centralstation, i m train. but from berlin s vast central station, i m taking an even cheaperform of central station, i m taking an even cheaper form of transport for a spot of sightseeing. all right, we re doing it. we are crossing the tramway. fabulous. 0h, crossing the tramway. fabulous. oh, it s beautiful. i can see the tower on my left. and it s so cloudy, the tip of it is just unseen. alexander platts is these days the touristic heart of the capital. until 1989, it was the main public square in communist east berlin. i was born in 1990, which is a year after the berlin wall came down, so for
Myself and i m sure for a generation younger, there is no recollection of those news events. so being able to be here and just get a sense of what it might have been like is still quite special. by 1989, the berlin wall had forcibly divided the city for 28 years, with the communists controlling the eastern part of the city while the capitalist west controlled the west of berlin. travel between the two were strictly controlled, and in most cases forbidden. but i m heading down into the u bahn, berlin s underground rail network, which i can access with the germany ticket. 0k, u8 this way. now, alexanderplatz was in the east, so anybody
System and had to come somewhere. the people in here were lucky. figs somewhere. the people in here were lucky- were lucky. as we go a few sto -s were lucky. as we go a few steps up were lucky. as we go a few steps up the were lucky. as we go a few stops up the u8 were lucky. as we go a few stops up the u8 line, - were lucky. as we go a few. stops up the u8 line, athena takes me forward in time to a later shelter, symptom of berlin s position on the fault line of the historic tensions between east and west. so this is the bunker, or there is a bunker nearby? bunker nearby? there s actually- bunker nearby? there s actually- we re - bunker nearby? there s actually- we re in - bunker nearby? there s actually- we re in the l bunker nearby? there s - actually- we re in the bunker actually we re in the bunker already, because this entire station is the bunker. it was originally opened in 1977 to a multipurpose facility, so it s both a train station, as you just saw, but also, in a 48 hour preparation period, it can be turned into anatomic fallout shelter. so this is some of our many, many dormitories. a big luxury here is that we actually all get our own bed, which is not standard for bunkers like this. we have
Which makes it the perfect place to explore by train. but from berlin s vast central station, i m taking an even cheaper form of transport for a spot of sightseeing. alright, we re doing it. we are crossing the tramway. fabulous. oh, it s beautiful. i can see the tv tower on my left, and it s so cloudy, the tip of it is just about unseen. alexanderplatz is these days the touristic heart of the capital. until 1989, it was the main public square in communist east berlin. i was born in 1990, which is a year after the berlin wall came down, so for myself and i m sure for a generation younger, there is no recollection of those news events, so being able to be here and just
In time to a later shelter, a symptom of berlin s position on the fault line of the historic tensions between east and west. so this is the bunker, or there is a bunker nearby? there s actually we re in the bunker already, because this entire station is the bunker. it was originally opened in 1977 to a multipurpose facility. so it s both a train station, as you just saw, but also, in a 48 hour preparation period, it can be turned into an atomic fallout shelter. so this is some of our many, many dormitories. a big luxury here is that we actually all get our own bed, which is not standard for bunkers like this. we have several dormitories, but on top of that, about 2,000 people would have to be sleeping on the train platform itself.