Unterführung Messedamm

Why does Hollywood film here of all places?

The Messedamm underpass is located beneath the intersection of Masurenallee, Neue Kantstraße, and Messedamm in Berlin, directly north of the ICC. Anyone descending here for the first time inevitably asks themselves: What makes this place so special? The answer lies in the walls. The orange-tiled walls and pillars of the Messedamm underpass, illuminated by cylindrical ceiling lights, earned it the nickname “Tunnel of Horrors” in the Tagesspiegel newspaper. For directors, such an image is irrelevant, or perhaps just right. In fact, the combination of orange tiles and columns is the ultimate film motif from Berlin, even more so than the Brandenburg Gate or the Reichstag.

The origin story of the place itself is already cinematic. In the 1970s, the U2 subway line was planned to be extended from Adenauerplatz to Messedamm. The shell of the track and station system beneath Messedamm is now used as a museum depot. Thus, beneath Berlin’s most famous film set lies an unfinished subway station, defying its very own Sleeping Beauty slumber.

Which films were shot here?

The list of productions that have utilized the orange charm reads like a best-of of action cinema. In 2004, scenes for “The Bourne Conspiracy” were filmed in the taxi lane at the northern entrance. These scenes depicted the area outside Moscow Airport. Then came the next big franchise: In the 2015 film “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2,” the pedestrian underpass represents the underground of the Capitol, where Katniss must fight her way through her opponents on her path to President Snow. That’s not all: in 2016, footage for “Captain America: Civil War” was shot in the tunnel, and in the 2017 film “Atomic Blonde,” Charlize Theron as Lorraine Broughton engages in a car chase in the tunnel.

However, visitors should temper their expectations for a real-life visit. While the Messedamm underpass is famous from numerous film productions and is considered one of Berlin’s best-known photo spots, what looks really cool in pictures is actually quite a mess in reality. Furthermore, the city of Berlin apparently plans to close the tunnel in the medium term: the Messedamm underpass is not barrier-free, and maintenance costs amount to approximately 350,000 Euros per year. A redesigned intersection with pedestrian traffic lights is intended to solve the problem. So, anyone who still wants to see this film set with their own eyes shouldn’t postpone their visit for too long.