The u bahn undergroundsubway system is easy to use if you are used to the subway systems in other major cities such as london or paris. Berlin history berlin travel guide my guide berlin. A striking visual compendium of all of berlins subway. The term u bahn was created at the beginning of the 20th century in berlin, where the hochbahngesellschaft elevated railway company, operating elevated and suburban lines, decided they required an equally short and memorable name for their system as the s bahn, and chose to call it u bahn with the u standing for untergrund, german for underground. Big and formally bold, this is the mother and father of berlin novels, up there with ulysses as a cornerstone of modernism. Book berlin secret food tours a few customers have experienced their cards being declined, if this happens dont worry just contact your bank or email us with the city, date and time of the tour, and how many adultchildren tickets at email protected and we can send you another payment link. U55 is an ubahn line in the german capital city of berlin. Okay, so this isnt entirely a berlin novel, but a lot of it is set in berlinand what a gripping, vivid berlin it is. Berlins history is incredibly varied, from the height of prosperity as the capital of prussia, to the utter devastation of world war two. From the authentically german typography used by the nazis, to the boogying octopuss lettering of the late 70s, the fonts of berlins transport.
Fiction paperbacks normally cost between 5 and 7 euro, fiction hardbacks between 5 and 12 euro, nonfiction between 5 and 15 euro. The novel is about an ss officer who encounters people such as himmler, speer and eichmann and is present during significant events such as the babi yar massacre in ukraine, the battle of stalingrad and the battle of berlin. The sbahn system is a local railway system with 15 lines that connect most of the city. The underground in berlin is maintained by the berliner verkehrsbetriebe bvg and is part of the transport association berlinbrandenburg vbb. In the nine years after the founding of the german empire, the inhabitants of berlin had risen by over a third, causing increasing traffic problems. Aug 24, 2016 the platform at potsdamer platz, which was one of the ghost stations during the berlin wall era. Anthony beevor, in his book berlin, points the finger at ssbrigfh gustav krukenberg as most likely having issue the order to flood the sbahn tunnels. Berlinbased writer madhvi ramani rounds up ten of her favourite books about berlin book of clouds by chloe. Book flights to berlin and discover a hive of creative types doing creative things. List of books and articles about berlin history online. I thought i should share my experience taking the u bahn in berlin.
The book is a photographic documentary of the entire ubahn network. The sbahn has a very extensive network and covers both. Now you can journey through berlins colourful history at the flick of a page. The route maps reflect the dramatic development of the ubahn and world politics. With a valid ticket, ticket holders have access to all public transport in berlin. Berlin has a highly integrated transport system comprising ubahn underground, sbahn commuter rail, bus and tram services, with easy connections to regional and mainline rail services. Its just 10 minutes walk from the berliner u bahn museum to olympiaparks sports museum.
Currently, it has only three stations, does not connect to any other ubahn line, and is operated as a shuttle line using a single train. Sep 19, 2015 deze video gaat over u bahn and s bahn berlin. There are 4 ways to get from stadtmitte berlin u bahn to berlin by train, bus, taxi or foot. The berlin book nooks are cosy and stylish if we do say so ourselves. The s bahn and u bahn have different operating companies, but they both share the same tariffs and travel tickets and cards, making it easier for passengers to get to all parts of berlin and the citys top attractions. The city has one of the oldest and most extensive metro networks in europe. It became the capital of the margraviate of brandenburg in 1417, and later of brandenburgprussia, and the kingdom of prussia. It runs from alexanderplatz in mitte eastwards through friedrichshain, lichtenberg and friedrichsfelde, surfaces in biesdorfsud to pass kaulsdorf and hellersdorf above ground and finally reaches city limits at honow. The route maps reflect the dramatic development of the u bahn and world politics.
There were talks with the berlin hochbahngesellschaft ubahn operator. Berlin history compared to many other major cities around the world and even throughout germany, berlin is a relatively young city with initial records of the town of berlin dating from 1237. Below berlin, tours of another world the new york times. Not just a city living on the contemporary edge though, berlin is at the centre of european history and has twice been rebuilt from the ashes of war. Jul 24, 2011 the incredible ibex defies gravity and climbs a dam forces of nature with brian cox bbc duration. Together with the s bahn, a network of suburban train lines, and a tram network that operates mostly in the eastern parts of the city, it serves as the. The s bahn system is a local railway system with 15 lines that connect most of the city. A portrait of its history, politics, architecture, and society 1999 richie, alexandra. The history of the berlin ubahn took its origins in 1880 with an excitation of the entrepreneur werner siemens in berlin to build a high and subway. History of the berlin ubahn news newspapers books scholar jstor october 2015. These are elaborately decorated, providing a stark contrast with the post1945 look of many of the citys districts. Statistical and historical annual of the states of the world for the year 1950 87. A still from rainer werner fassbinders film of berlin alexanderplatz.
If youre traveling with your smartphone, download berlins local transport app here. The incredible ibex defies gravity and climbs a dam forces of nature with brian cox bbc duration. Visit berlin and buy your cheap train tickets from deutsche bahn. I thought i should share my experience taking the ubahn in berlin. One of her jobs is typing for a reclusive old historian. Book berlin secret food tours a few customers have experienced their cards being declined, if this happens dont worry just contact your bank or email us with the city, date and time of the tour, and how many adultchildren tickets at email. It comes as no surprise, considering the wide array of sites and activities the german.
Tickets, tariff zones and route maps of public transport in berlin. A few minutes later two guys in very casual dress started asking for tickets from everyone. Mar 11, 2015 from the authentically german typography used by the nazis, to the boogying octopuss lettering of the late 70s, the fonts of berlins transport system spell out the chequered past of. Prussia grew rapidly in the 18th and 19th century, and formed the basis of the german empire in 1871, which went on to become the nazi party in ww2 after 1900 berlin became a. The ubahn and the sbahn the transportation system of berlin is very comprehensive, clean, reliable and affordable. Support the guardian available for everyone, funded by readers. Visit berliner ubahn museum on your trip to berlin or germany.
Service depots only handle minor repairs and maintenance like changing the windows or removing. This museum is run by volunteers and only open the second saturday of every month, but it is definitely worth a visit for anyone interested in berlins u bahn or transportation history in general. This is the oldest and largest museum of its kind in germany and everything is sports related. Discover timetables, route planners, tickets, leisure tips, and more.
In front of me was the entrance to the ubahn station, stadmitte on the c. If you ever wanted to travel back in time to relive berlins richly chequered history, you just need to immerse yourself in the pages. Stadtmitte berlin ubahn to berlin 3 ways to travel. A photographic documentary of the entire ubahn network, the book narrates the. An underground journey of typography and colour a photo book of all 173 ubahn stations. Tatiana is a mexican in berlin who flits from one job to another. Its just 10 minutes walk from the berliner ubahnmuseum to olympiaparks sports museum.
The ubahn undergroundsubway system is easy to use if you are used to the subway systems in other major cities such as london or paris. The system works well, and with just a bit of preparation, is quite easy to use. The fare depends on the tariff zone and the tickets period of validity. Since the sbahn connected all major parts of the city in the east and west, it was often a political battlefield. Thus subway tickets are also valid for trips with buses, the sbahn, trams and vice versa. Together with the sbahn, a network of suburban train lines, and a tram network that operates mostly in. This is an alphabetical list of berlin u bahn stations.
Jul 23, 2003 anthony beevor, in his book berlin, points the finger at ssbrigfh gustav krukenberg as most likely having issue the order to flood the s bahn tunnels. The sbahn and ubahn have different operating companies, but they both share the same tariffs and travel tickets and cards, making it easier for passengers to get to all parts of berlin and the citys top attractions berlin local railway. A few minutes later two guys in very casual dress started. The depot is located in the vicinity of the tierpark u bahn station.
It connects the new berlin hauptbahnhof, or main railway station, to an interchange with the sbahn at brandenburger tor. This book is very much about the city, where the past seeps into the present and the story unfolds in a dreamlike sequence. A visit to berliner ubahn museum represents just the start of the adventure when you use our berlin holiday builder tool to plot your vacation. Formerly divided into east berlin 156 sq mi404 sq km and west berlin 185 sq mi479 sq km, the city was reunified along with east and west germany on oct.
Berlin was restored as the german capital right after the unification of the two german states in 1990 and has about 3. Top 10 books about weimar and nazi berlin books the. Alongside the construction of the berlin u bahn line e now u5, the service depot friedrichsfelde was built from 1927 to 1930. The rapid transit network actually comprises two separate systems, the ubahn with 9 lines, and the sbahn. Bargain berlin the cost of food and lodging in berlin is usually lower than in other european capitals such as london, paris and rome. Depots on the berlin ubahn are split, just like its trains, into two profiles. Dec 31, 2009 the association does, however, offer tours through cold warera bomb shelters, abandoned ubahn lines and subterranean escape routes from east to west berlin. Unlike the u bahn the s bahn in berlin was run as part of the dr deutsche reichsbahn, german imperial railways of the soviet zone and later the gdr, legal successor to the pre1945 reichsbahn, as the allies agreed that the berlin railways were to be done by the east germans as they surrounded the city anyway. Visitors to berlin quickly realize that the city offers a wide range of efficient and reliable public transportation options.
I particularly enjoyed the authors description of the illfated weimar republic, the rise of hitler and life in east berlin after the war. Contemporary history in route maps from 1902 to 2017. This two hour journey through the underground of berlin is a truly unique and exciting experience. Whether it be art, nightlife, history, or culture that intrigues you, find it all in germanys bustling capital city, berlin. The strength of the fall of berlin 1945 is an irresistibly compelling narrative, of events so terrible that they still have the power, more than half a century on, to provoke wonder and awe. With its ten lines, the ubahn underground, subway berlin runs along a network of approximately 146 kilometres and includes 173 stations. The buildings i and ii, built in 1930, were among the most modern in the u bahn system at that time. Berlin wedding, s bahn, germany, europe, history, book, places, cartography, funny pics. The platform at potsdamer platz, which was one of the ghost stations during the berlin wall era. The association does, however, offer tours through cold warera bomb shelters, abandoned ubahn lines and subterranean escape routes from east to west berlin. Most metro lines operate underground, but some run on above ground tracks. The u bahn berlin is known for its yellowcolored trains. Oct 25, 20 friday and saturday nights, reduced s and ubahn service continues all through the night, with the same limitations noted above.
With its ten lines, the u bahn underground, subway berlin runs along a network of approximately 146 kilometres and includes 173 stations. The structure, located on a quiet residential street in kreuzberg, has served various. The rapid transit network actually comprises two separate systems, the u bahn with 9 lines, and the s bahn. The elevated and underground railway began its service in 1902. The underworlds newest tour explores the fichtebunker, one of europes oldest gasometers. This book charts the history of berlin from its medieval origins as a wendish village to the german capital that emerged from the ruins of hitler germany, the berlin wall and the gdr. We were in berlin and decided to take the subway instead of a taxi so we went down, bought tickets and hopped on the train. It stands for underground railway in german and was built in 1902. Its also easy and inexpensive to get around using berlins excellent bvg public transportation network of buses, street cars, sbahn local rail and ubahn metro. The city of schoneberg wanted to increase growth, and so decided in 1903 to build an ubahn line. The history of the berlin u bahn took its origins in 1880 with an excitation of the entrepreneur werner siemens in berlin to build a high and subway.
This is an alphabetical list of berlin ubahn stations. Berlin ubahn by claudio galamini the kulturspace foundation. In this, the first of two articles covering berlins public transportation, well be looking at ticket options. The history of berlin starts with its foundation in the th century. The ubahn berlin is known for its yellowcolored trains. The citys underground played an important role during world war i, world war ii and the cold war, suffering great damages during these years, and was rebuilt numerous times. The people working there seem very enthusiastic to share their knowledge of trains. Select an option below to see stepbystep directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in rome2rios travel planner. Compared to many other major cities around the world and even throughout germany, berlin is a relatively young city with initial records of the town of berlin dating from 1237. The u bahn and the s bahn the transportation system of berlin is very comprehensive, clean, reliable and affordable.
A century of berlin ubahn in network maps and photos 80 pages, jaron vlg. The name was soon adopted for hamburgs cityowned independent mass transit tram lines. During the tour, you are giving information on the metro system, its history, architecture, and operations through headphones. The history of berlins sbahn and ubahn networks between 1945 and 1989 reflects the cold war relations between the east and west.