Architecture and building like something out of a dystopia: brutalist, forbidding, military – this iconic lost place in Berlin looks like a spaceship or a secret research station. Tapered walls, massive concrete surfaces and striking ventilation pipes are evidence of a visual extremity that cannot be found anywhere else in Berlin. The so-called Mäusebunker is not only an impressive monument in the capital – it has also attracted international attention. The reason for this is its striking architecture, which is considered an outstanding example of late brutalism.
While a dilapidated sanatorium outside Berlin served as the backdrop for the film “The Pianist” due to its mystery, this place takes it up a notch in terms of mystery. An entire forbidden city – also known as “Little Moscow” – that was wiped off the map for years cannot embody the lost-place charm as impressively as the Mouse Bunker. Find out how history, architecture and atmosphere create an incomparable combination here!
Mysterious past
Similar to the ICC Congress Center in Berlin, the Mäusebunker is a listed building and is not freely accessible except for special events. Most recently, the Festival for Urban Wellbeing took place here and the site was temporarily opened to visitors from September 12 – 22. Workshops, performances, readings, community jogging, mini golf, cooking events all took place in this place, which was free to explore. What makes the site so special, apart from its visual appearance, is its history as a high-security laboratory.
For decades, animal experiments were carried out here under extreme safety precautions – sealed off, with underground supply systems, special ventilation systems and sealed doors. The sterile interior architecture is reminiscent of a secret bunker laboratory and for a long time the public hardly knew what was going on in the monumental building. Officially, the building was initially known as the “Central Animal Laboratories of Freie Universität Berlin”, then from 2003 as the “Research Facility for Experimental Medicine” of Charité. It was built between 1971 and 1981 – a construction period of over ten years, which was characterized not least by structural and social controversies. In the decades that followed, the facility was used continuously – as one of the largest animal testing laboratories in Europe.
The dimensions are frightening: up to 45,000 mice, 20,000 rats, 5,000 gerbils, 5,000 hamsters, 1,000 guinea pigs and other animals such as rabbits, pigs, sheep, frogs and chickens were allowed to be kept. It is estimated that a total of over one million animals were kept in the mouse bunker over the years and used for experiments. Animal operations were discontinued in summer 2020 and the building has been completely empty ever since. The mouse bunker has been a listed building since May 2023.
Current use and future plans
The Mouse Bunker has evolved from a sealed-off high-security laboratory into one of the city’s most important monuments. More than just a lost place – it is a monumental work of art made of concrete, a historical site full of ethical ruptures and a symbol of the tension between modernity, displacement and the culture of remembrance.
Photographers, urban explorers, architecture fans and artists travel from all over the world to discover this extraordinary place. As part of the so-called “Mäusebunker model process”, ideas are currently being collected for a conversion in line with heritage requirements – for example as an event venue, cultural space or experimental center. The “Suddenly Wonderful” exhibition at the Berlinische Galerie has already presented visionary concepts for the future of large buildings from the 1970s.
The Mäusebunker is not only an outstanding example of Brutalism at its peak, but also a deeply controversial place – technically impressive, emotionally charged and full of future potential. Who knows what will become of it? After all, a former NSA listening station has also managed to become Europe’s largest open-air street art gallery and one of Berlin’s most extraordinary techno temples.