Sledding Hill in Volkspark Friedrichshain

Two Flak Towers Beneath Berlin’s Oldest Public Park

Volkspark Friedrichshain is Berlin’s oldest municipal green space: resolved in 1840, for the hundredth anniversary of Frederick II’s ascension to the throne, laid out from 1846 on a former vineyard, and opened in 1848 with 46 hectares. Johann Heinrich Gustav Meyer provided the design. What makes up the hills today came much later and in a bitter way: in 1941, two flak towers were built here within half a year, for which about 120,000 cubic meters of concrete and approximately 10,000 tons of steel were used. The air raids and tower construction almost completely destroyed the old tree population. In 1946, both bunkers were blown up; the large one broke into two parts, the small one was completely destroyed. Around 2.1 million cubic meters of rubble were piled over the ruins, cleared by up to 3,000 Trümmerfrauen (rubble women) by 1950. This is how the Großer Bunkerberg (Large Bunker Hill) with 78 meters, popularly known as Mont Klamott, and the Kleiner Bunkerberg (Small Bunker Hill) were created. Today’s park paths essentially follow the railway lines of the former rubble trains.

From the Reputation of the Death Run to the Terraced Descent

Tobogganing in Volkspark Friedrichshain takes place on the eastern slope of the Kleiner Bunkerberg, where a run was built after the rubble was piled up. It was long considered one of the wildest in the city and was nicknamed ‘Todesbahn’ (Death Run). In 2021, the district terraced a section of the descent, making it noticeably shorter and safer – which is good news for families. Nevertheless, the slope is not supervised, and tobogganing is at your own risk. Since 2018, an ecological transformation of both hills has also been underway: the originally planted poplars and maples were no longer stable, many trees were felled and left as deadwood to hold the slopes; about 44,000 new trees and shrubs of oak, hornbeam, maple, ash, and winter linden are planned. Individual slope areas are fenced off for this purpose, but the main paths remain open. Both Bunker Hills have a viewing platform overlooking the city center. The park also features the Fairy Tale Fountain from 1913 with over a hundred stone sculptures, a bouldering rock, playgrounds, and a restaurant with a beer garden by the Swan Pond.