90 years young she is:
The Siemens Railway (Siemensbahn).
First urgently needed. Then forgotten.
Now ready for a new beginning.
Industrial heritage meets traffic monument.
The Viaducts of the Siemensbahn.
| NEW ! | Group tours only. |
| Duration: | 2.5 hours |
| Distance: | Approx. 1,4 Km |
| Meeting point: | Spandau – Siemensstadt, near Underground Station “Rohrdamm” (details at the end of this description) |
| This tour covers the so-called Siemensbahn, as well as the exciting traffic situation and creative development between 1897 and 1930. Added, of course, with the latest news on the status of the reactivation. |
| The development of the Siemensstadt itself, its industrial heritage, as well as the residential and recreational buildings are dealt with intensively on the tour “Siemensstadt 1.0“. |
| I also offer a special tour to the sacral buildings of Siemensstadt. |
No rejection fronts had emerged among the district, the senate, the railway operator, political parties and environmentalists.
Holger Kirchner
Everyone “wants it”
„Special representative of the Senate Chancellery for major projects“
on the recommissioning of the Siemensbahn
in November 2019
That is to say:
Spandau, and with it Siemensstadt, will get its Siemens railroad back.
For Spandau – Siemensstadt it was and will again be an important part of the traffic and industrial heritage.
During this tour you will learn many details about the Siemens traffic history and the great difficulties that had to be overcome:
The long way to the Siemensbahn.
From the settlement of Siemens in what was then nowhere to the very creative solutions to the traffic problem.
Housing construction and early plans for the subway.
But we can hope that by creating this railway we have not only given our workforce a considerable advantage, but that it will also serve to further develop the whole area and this district.
Carl Friedrich von Siemens during the opening 1929
The decision in favor of the Siemensbahn.
- The planned, first course
- Construction stop before it even started
- Weimar Republic, new route & “confused spirits”
- Viaducts instead of a railway embankment
- Winter 1929
- Sale & Operation
- Factory traffic & excursion line
Postwar period
- Dismantling & preservation
- A new beginning
- East Berlin in the West
- The end
- Lost place
- Dreams, plans, ideas
Future
- Reactivation
- Traffic planning scenarios
- Difficult end points
Please note:
We’re not gonna walk the tracks!
The tour takes us along the route. With many pictures to explain the history and to show how it looks like “above”.
An inspection of the actual route, i.e. on the tracks, has never taken place, even on the very rare tours by Deutsche Bahn!
For one thing, there is no “easy” access to the railway embankment. The stairs are walled up, the few – illegal! – access paths are very steep and unpaved. The track itself is mostly overgrown with vegetation, walking on it – especially in groups – is very difficult.
On the other hand, the first rehabilitation works on the line are now beginning. This means that the site is now a construction site with corresponding, further increased access restrictions.
Details:
| Meeting point: | Underneath the former Bridge Railway Station “Siemensstadt”. Approx. 270m north of Underground station “Rohrdamm” |
| Address: | Rohrdamm 83, 13629 Berlin |
| Public transport: | U7 Station “Rohrdamm”, exit “Rohrdamm / Verwaltungsgebäude” Bus lines 123 & 139, stop “U-Bhf Rohrdamm” |
| End of tour: | At the former S-Station “Wernerwerk” From there it is less than 200m to U7 station “Siemensdamm” or Bus lines 123 & 139. |
| CarSharing: | Journeys with WeShare & ShareNow can be finished along Nonnendammallee at the underground station “Rohrdamm”. The business territory of the above-mentioned operators is also located directly at the end point. |
| Bicycles | Directly at the Siemens Memorial, at the entrance to the underground station “Rohrdamm”, there are bicycle parking lots. Although this is not a circular walk, the end point is only a subway station, two bus stops or a few minutes walk from the parking lot. |
| Important | Participation in the guided tours is at your own risk. Photo or video recordings can be made which may be used for publications related to “Man With Hat Tours”. By participating you agree (legal explanation HERE). Of course I am always happy about photos/videos sent to me by participants. Please tell me the name that should appear next to the photo in case of use: info@mannmithuttouren.de or Hashtag #MmhtBln Many thanks |
Text and all photographs: © ChristianFessel.de