Cities are constantly evolving and buildings are inevitably abandoned as soon as they lose their usefulness. However, demolition or maintenance is often too expensive or time-consuming, which is why many buildings are left to slowly decay. However, the loneliness of these so-called lost places has come to an end, particularly in Berlin, thanks to the urban explorer movement(Urbex) that has been burgeoning for several years. This movement is giving the decaying buildings a new meaning, exploring and exploring them, decorating them with graffiti. The result could be described as anarchic museums that are curated and visited by like-minded people. We introduce you to some of Berlin’s most famous lost places – they create a very special atmosphere, especially at Halloween!
Words of warning
Please note in advance that we do not actively recommend anyone to go on an Urbex tour. You are often treading on thin legal ice on an exploration tour, as it is not always clear whether a building may be entered. Especially if it is clearly cordoned off. So please be careful and be aware of the potential consequences!
There are also some general rules of conduct that you should keep in mind:
- Leave nothing behind
- Vandalism and theft are no-goes!
- Don’t take any risks – the buildings are often dilapidated.
- Be careful and respectful. Some lost places are guarded, others are kept an eye on by neighbors.
- Do not share specific addresses for the places
Lost places in Berlin: classics
As one of Berlin’s most famous lost places, Teufelsberg clearly deserves first place on our list. The area around the former listening station is pretty creepy for many reasons – and not just because of its name. Originally, there was no mountain here at all, but the shell of the Nazi military technology faculty, which was never completed. After the liberation from National Socialism, the building was blown up and the rubble became one of the many mountains of rubble in post-war Berlin. A total of 15,000 destroyed houses are said to lie buried here – along with the stories of thousands of Berliners who once lived in them. From 1957 to 1990, the Allies initially used the facility as a listening station and later for air traffic control. It was then abandoned for cost reasons – and fell into disrepair. Today, Teufelsberg is both a lost place and a trendy hotspot: the site can be explored on guided tours, while techno parties and art exhibitions can be experienced among the street art, ruins and antenna domes in Europe’s largest open-air gallery with over 400 works of art.
An abandoned high-security laboratory
The Mäusebunker is one of Berlin’s most unusual lost places – a huge concrete building that looks like something out of a dystopia. Once the Charité’s high-security laboratory, animal experiments were carried out here for decades on over 16,000 m² – strictly sealed off and secret. Today, the building is a listed building and is considered an icon of late German brutalism. Its pointed walls, massive concrete surfaces and ventilation pipes give it an eerie, almost futuristic aura. From laboratory to monument – the Mäusebunker is a place of fascination, trepidation and architectural history. And if you want to find out more about the history – you can find the full article on the Mäusebunker here!
The ghost consulate
The Bulgarian ghost consulate – spies, tunnels and Cold War secrets: built in 1970, this abandoned consulate building in Berlin-Pankow was used by the Stasi to monitor escape movements – including a secret tunnel that was only discovered in 2023. Once a diplomatic mission, it was also a covert spy post in the middle of the GDR. Today, the dilapidated building is a listed building and one of Berlin’s most mysterious lost places, a reminder of the darker side of the Cold War. If you want to find out more about the hidden history and the spectacular tunnel discovery – you can find the full article here!
Beelitz sanatoriums
Our second entry will no doubt already be familiar to many Berliners. The sanatoriums are only a one-hour drive or train ride outside the city. In the otherwise idyllic wooded area, you can find the remains of a once majestic and yet somehow eerie facility that was used as a sanatorium and a sanatorium for lung diseases. With the extremely barbaric procedures used to “treat” the mentally ill at the time, it is easy to understand what once took place within its walls.
If that’s not creepy enough for you, just take a look at the dilapidated buildings, which exude an enormously eerie presence. Since 2015, you no longer have to break into the grounds to catch a glimpse. Since then, there has been a 700-metre treetop path that leads you through the treetops of the forest around the building, giving you a great view without risking your neck. Curious to find out more? Find out more about the history of the Heilstätten – and which world-famous film was shot here – here!
Stasi hotel
The hotel that never became one: The collapse of the GDR came before the building could be completed. The house, also known as the MfS-Ferienheim Buchheide, was intended to offer the state spies some peace and quiet between their eavesdropping and manipulations. For this purpose, in addition to 180 bedrooms, it was to be equipped with a pool, sauna, bar and bowling area. Instead of the planned spy spa, a completely unique ecosystem has developed here. Nature has reclaimed the site, as evidenced by the trees fighting their way through the empty floors.
Südgelände Nature Park
The Südgelände in Schöneberg is probably the easiest lost place on this list to discover. Over the years, the former railroad station has been turned into a nature reserve – which is why some areas are not accessible. In addition to the tracks, which have not been used for years, there is also a railroad depot and a water tower to visit. After all, the steam locomotive is one of the most popular photo motifs on the southern site.
Institute of Anatomy
The perfect backdrop for a horror movie is the former Institute of Anatomy of the FU Berlin, which was relocated here in 1949. After the medical faculties of the Berlin universities were merged in 2003, the building lost its official purpose. The pathology teaching rooms in the basement are particularly creepy. There are old dissection tables and refrigerated compartments for test subjects.
Weissensee Children’s Hospital
As the photo above shows, this lost place scores much better on the decay scale than its predecessors on this list. Nevertheless, it clearly shows how the ravages of time are gnawing away at an institute that is itself ultra-modern, creating a bittersweet memento mori. State-of-the-art technology, a park for fresh air and even its own farm to supply milk made the building the pride of Weißensee. After it closed in 1997, it became a top spot for urban explorers. Find out more about this abandoned hospital – and why it is also known as the Zombie Hospital – here!
Ballhaus Grünau
The music stopped playing here a long time ago! In 1890, the Ballhaus Riviera in Grünau was the equivalent of Berghain today. Ballhaus Riviera was the place to dance and party all year round. Especially after the 1936 Summer Games gave the venue a new lease of life. But everything comes to an end and so the piano has been nothing but an untuned dust catcher since the Ballhaus closed in 1990.
Blub air and bathing paradise
Blub, blub, blub. This former leisure center has also gone under. Although in some ways it still contributes to leisure and fun. One comment we found online, for example, reported that the Blub was a popular venue for raves during the coronavirus era! Originally, the fun pool in Britz was closed due to rat infestation and unsanitary conditions. Added to this was the enormous risk of collapse after several fires.
Iraqi embassy
One of the most notorious lost places in Berlin is the former Iraqi embassy in Niederschönhausen, which was left behind in 1991 when the last Iraqi ambassadors left Germany. According to official law, this building still belongs to the Iraqi state, as embassy buildings have a perpetual right of use. To this day, many controversial stories surround the abandoned embassy: Was it once a refuge for terrorists? Were Hussein’s confidential documents stored here? We will probably never find out, but the mystery remains and still attracts urban explorers who want to crack its riddles.