If you stroll through the Aerodynamic Park on the campus of Humboldt University in Berlin-Adlershof today, you’ll come across a structure that could have come straight out of a futuristic science-fiction movie. The Trudelturm was built between 1934 and 1936 by the former German Aviation Research Institute and remains an impressive testament to German engineering to this day. With its massive concrete shells, it soars a good 20 meters into the Berlin sky and attracts architecture fans, culture enthusiasts, and photographers to the southeastern part of the capital every day.
Mysterious Experiments in the Vertical Wind Tunnel
But what was the original purpose of this massive concrete egg? In the 1930s, engineers at this site researched the extremely dangerous phenomenon of an aircraft entering a spin—an uncontrolled state in which the airflow over the wings breaks away. To test this flight behavior safely, powerful vertical air currents flowing from the bottom to the top were used inside the insulated cylinder. This allowed small model airplanes to hover in the airflow and be precisely controlled remotely—a true world first at the time.
A Pop Culture Backdrop from Hollywood to Rammstein
Today, the Trudelturm has long since shed its industrial function and embarked on a second career as a spectacular backdrop. Anyone who sees the iconic spiral staircase might recall the Hollywood film *Æon Flux*, in which Charlize Theron raced along the steep concrete walls. The Berlin band Rammstein also chose this very historic site as the motif for their album cover *Zeit*, which definitively turned the tower into a pilgrimage site for music and film fans from all over the world.
A Relaxing Trip to the Trudelturm
Although the interior of this protected historic monument is usually only accessible on Open Monument Day, a stroll through the sprawling university campus is well worth it at any time. You can view the Brutalist architecture up close and wonderfully combine your visit with the neighboring historic monuments, such as the Large Wind Tunnel or the Engine Test Stand.
🚗 By car: Take the B96a or A113 toward Adlershof and park directly in the side streets around Brook-Taylor-Straße.
🚌 By public transit: Take the S-Bahn (S45, S85, S9) to the Adlershof S-Bahn station and take a leisurely 12-minute walk across the campus, or take the M17 bus to the Karl-Ziegler-Straße stop.
📍 Location: Aerodynamic Park, Brook-Taylor-Straße 2, 12489 Berlin-Adlershof
📆 Date and time: Outdoor area freely accessible year-round and 24/7 (indoor area only during special guided tours)
⏳ Duration: approx. 45 to 60 minutes for the campus tour and photos
💵 Cost: Free
ℹ️ Website: berlin.de/ba-treptow-koepenick
