Siemensbahn
The ghost stations of Siemens’ abandoned S-Bahn line
Don’t ever plan on getting the S-Bahn back from Siemensstadt. You’ll be left waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting…
No trains have trundled through the S-Bahnhöfe in this remarkable part of Berlin for a third of a century, not since they were deserted due to falling passenger numbers, a strike and an upstart U-Bahn line that opened the same year.
I was only expecting one abandoned S-Bahn station but followed the line and found two more, as well as an abandoned railway switch tower.
This was the Siemensbahn, which started from Jungfernheide, went on to S-Bahnhof Wernerwerk, continued to S-Bahnhof Siemensstadt and ended at S-Bahnhof Gartenfeld, with the switch tower, or signal-box, just before it.
To get this tale off on the right track I have to start with the story of Siemensstadt, or Siemens City, named after the industrial behemoth that gave rise to its creation since purchasing over 200 hectares of virtually uninhabited land to the north east of Berlin in 1897.
Siemens & Halske, as it was known at the time (the company was founded by Werner Siemens and Johann Georg Halske in Kreuzberg, Berlin in 1847), gradually moved most of its operations here, building new factories and employing renowned architects to construct innovative housing for its workers.
The residential development was one of six modernist housing estates in Berlin granted World Heritage status by UNESCO in 2008.
Nonnenwiesen was officially renamed Siemensstadt on January 1, 1914, by which time the company had over 23,850 employees.
They didn’t all live in Siemensstadt and the company wanted to make sure they could make it to work! Siemens had helped finance S-Bahnhof Fürstenbrunn in 1905, and a six-carriage tram from Spandau three years later.
The S-Bahnhof was a good half-hour walk from Siemensstadt, however, despite efforts to bring it closer by renaming it Siemensstadt-Fürstenbrunn in 1925, and neither it nor the tram – which was running up to 65 times an hour! – could really cope with demand as Siemens’ employee numbers went through the roof.
Apparently there were over 55,000 workers employed by the firm in 1925, when Siemens and the Deutsche Reichsbahn (German Imperial Railway) decided to go ahead with the construction of another line from Jungfernheide – the Siemensbahn.
No doubt the arrangement was facilitated through Siemens boss Carl Friedrich von Siemens, Werner’s son, who had been president of the Deutsche Reichsbahn’s administrative board since the year before. (The Siemenses had become von Siemenses through Werner in 1888.)
Construction of the elevated track on a steel viaduct over the river and across Siemensstadt itself began in 1927. It was a groundbreaking type of construction for its time, and the first S-Bahn rolled along the Siemensbahn on December 18, 1929.
It was an immediate hit, with trains running in both directions as often as every five minutes. S-Bahnhof Siemensstadt-Fürstenbrunn suffered as a result, with passenger numbers dropping drastically. I presume the poor aul’ tram suffered too. Though there was a tram from Prenzlauer Berg as well, so maybe they were needed.
Siemens and its city were booming. Construction continued into the 1930s and employee numbers grew accordingly. At one stage there were up to 67,000 workers (or 90,000 depending on your source), while “only” 15,000 at most were living in Siemensstadt at the end of the decade. The rest were commuters.
The war made life difficult, to say the least. Siemens, which played an important role in the German war effort, had to move factories and facilities to avoid having them bombed. Nevertheless, factories were hit and workers were killed. The company employed forced labor toward the end of the war too, though that’s another story and we better stay on track with this one…
Train services were restricted from 1943 but the Siemensbahn itself survived relatively unscathed. The bridge over the river was blown up alright. The Russians, kindly souls, replaced it with a wooden one shortly after war’s end so they could make off with machinery and whatever else they could find in the way of reparations. They even helped themselves to tracks and railway equipment before the arrival of British troops in July 1945 ended their further dismantling.
A very limited service resumed on the one remaining line from September 1945. In 1953, Siemens offered steel to replace the Russians’ ropey looking bridge and the new one was completed in 1954. That helped a bit.
The Deutsche Reichsbahn only started reconstructing the second line in 1955, however, so full services in both directions weren’t restored until December 1956.
Now, that Deutsche Reichsbahn wasn’t the same Deutsche Reichsbahn as the one mentioned before, the one that Werner Siemens’ son got himself involved in. Nothing was simple in post-war divided Berlin…
From 1949 the Deutsche Reichsbahn referred to the East German state railway, which simply kept the name of the pre-war German railway operator, and continued to run S-Bahn services across the whole city, even after relations became so frosty they led to the Cold War.
You couldn’t make it up. The East German state railway was running S-Bahn services in West Berlin as well. West Berlin was completely surrounded by East Germany but nobody really anticipated it would be cut-off completely when the border was sealed with the establishment of the Berlin Wall on August 13,1961.
Of course the West Berliners weren’t happy with that and they responded with a boycott of the GDR-run S-Bahns. They didn’t want to be subsidizing the regime in the East.
Signs with slogans like “Der S-Bahn Fahrer zahlt den Stacheldraht (The S-Bahn passenger is paying for the barbed wire)”, “Keinen Pfennig mehr für Ulbricht (Not a penny more for [East German party leader Walter] Ulbricht)” and “Trapos raus aus dem freien Berlin (Transport police out of free Berlin)” were held by supporters outside S-Bahn stations in West Berlin and this naturally had a dramatic effect on passenger numbers.
The BVG (West) brought in buses from West Germany and set up “solidarity” services running along the S-Bahn routes. The boycott continued (it never actually ended) as West Berliners simply turned their backs on the S-Bahn.
The Deutsche Reichsbahn lost millions operating mostly empty trains through western sectors. To tackle losses, it planned drastic cuts to services in 1980. Workers were already unhappy after a very modest pay rise, but cuts to their hours proved the final straw. They declared a strike on September 17, 1980 and Deutsche Reichsbahn seized the opportunity to close down almost half the S-Bahn services in operated in West Berlin. It was probably grateful for the excuse.
The Siemensbahn never ran again. Its fate was sealed with the opening of the U7 through Siemensstadt the same year.
Adding insult to injury, it was granted Denkmalschutz protection so it can’t be ripped down, destroyed or converted into apartments, but this is Berlin, where anything with Denkmalschutz is ripped down, destroyed or converted into apartments…
Some hopeless romantics still harbor dreams of the Siemensbahn being reopened some day, possibly even extended, but I have to say I’d be very surprised if it hasn’t already reached the end of the line.
LOCATION AND ACCESS (HOW TO FIND GUIDE)
- What: Die Siemensbahn. Dec. 18, 1929 to Sept. 18, 1980. Abandoned railway line through Siemensstadt, formerly the epicenter for Siemens’ industrial activity, comprising of the S-Bahn stations Wernerwerk, Siemensstadt and Gartenfeld, with a dainty little switch tower (there’s wood paneling on some of the walls inside!) not far from the end station.
There’s now an abandoned garden center in the appropriately named Gartenfeld so you get two for the price of one. - Where: S-Bahnhof Wernerwerk, the first station on the line, is at Siemensdamm 54, 13629 Berlin, Germany.
- How to get there: You can cycle, like I did, over the border into West Berlin, along Seestraße and then the Stadtring until you hit Siemensdamm and see the railway bridge overhead. There are more scenic routes to cycle. Alternatively, if you’re lazy or enjoy the thrill of underground travel, you can get the U7 to U-Bahnhof Siemensdamm, which is just around the corner. Just, if you do take the U-Bahn, know that you are contributing to the Siemensbahn’s demise. Maybe if there was a U-Bahn boycott we could get the S-Bahn line running again!
Here’s S-Bahnhof Wernerwerk on a map to make it even easier. - Getting in: Apart from Wernerwerk, the stations are very easy to get into. Just find the points at which the fence is lowest, hop over, climb the embankment and you’ll be in. The door to the switch tower is open. Gartenfeld is accessible from the housing estate at the back. Again, you’ll need to keep an eye out for nosy neighbors and busybodies.
- When to go: Any time really. Daytime is probably better from a safety point of view, for better photographs, and less likelihood of bumping into railway vampires. Maybe you want to meet railway vampires, in which case I would recommend going at night.
- Difficulty rating: 3/10. I’m awarding this one mark for each station. It’s all pretty damn easy.
- Who to bring: A railway fanatic to explain what the switch tower did exactly. Apparently it could handle 12 trains at a time.
- What to bring: Camera, torch, beer, decent shoes, some money for a bite to eat on the way home.
- Dangers: Nothing especially dangerous. They do seem to be patching up the Siemensstadt S-Bahnhof a bit so perhaps there was some danger of stuff falling on your head, but all-in-all the stations are in pretty good nick. The biggest danger here is nosy neighbors and general busybodies with nothing to better to do than report you to the Polizei.
Photos (2014)
Photos (2019)
Photos (2020)
Photos (2021)
Short film
Filed 22/1/2014 | Updated 25/7/2021
Other stalled TRANSPORT OPTIONS
Tempelhof
West Berlin’s lifeline during the Soviet Blockade, Tempelhof Airport has since become the city’s biggest park. Berliners will fight to keep it that way.
Flugplatz Schönwalde
Germany’s Luftwaffe used Flugplatz Schönwalde for the war. The Soviets took over afterward and left their traces after abandoning the airfield in 1992.
Flugplatz Brand
Flugplatz Brand was strategically important for the Soviet Air Force. Thankfully its battalions of flying fighters remained on ice for the duration of the Cold War.
Brilliant write-up!
I found your blog while planning my own Berlin adventures back last year. When I got to Berlin, on my first night I was lead by my girlfriend’s 13-year old brother to the one with the garden center (girlfriend, mother-in-law and shi-tzu in tow) and spent hours exploring the tracks in the pitch black (loads of fun).
I wanted to write to you and give you a heads up on this but I had no way of explaining to you where it was or even what it was called. But I’m glad you found it!
Keep up the good work and congrats on the recognition from The Guardian, it is well deserved!
Hey Tom,
Thanks very much for your kind words.
It sounds like you had the perfect introduction to Berlin! I met a fox when I was rummaging around there, but he/she didn’t seem too perturbed. I suppose, I was on my own. 😉
Thanks for sharing, rlly 🙂 I’ve been living here for a while and as it usually goes, I knew only my way to work and back. But I’ll be off for good quite soon so I decided to go for walking instead of buying Umweltkarte in order to actually see the city and so far it’s been amazing. I took the 2hr walk from Kreuzberg to Siemensstadt this morning, explored the railroad and then walked back home, so it pretty much made up a whole day out and I guess there is no better way to get to know a city than simply spending hours and hours walking around. Anyway, as I said, I was up there on Saturday morning/noon, when pretty much all the moms, dads and grandpas were out and about, and I am sure I was pretty visible, and nobody seemed to give a damn. So, really quite easy. Though there was no meat for the beast feeling as in Glasgow subway tunnels (a ‘warm welcome’ graffiti down there .. third pic here 28dayslater.co.uk/forums/underground-sites/36068-botanic-gardens-station-night-02-01-09-a.html ) but that’s probably for the best as I was on my own only : ) Thanks again and keep it up : )
Thanks for the comment! Yep, walking certainly the best way to see a city. I’m not patient enough for that though so I use my bike. I mightn’t see as much, but there’s so much to see!
I love your site! I like abandoned places, I’m planning to go to Berlin and to see Bahnhof Siemensstadt. I read your description of how to get in but I’ve been looking on google streetview and I can’t imagine how to get onto the platforms of S-Bahnhof Siemensstadt. If you see it on google streetview you’ll see a bridge and I think it is hard to get up there! Could you please explain it?
It’s pretty easy. For each station you need to go to the side to the point at which you can climb the fence and then embankment. At Wernerwerk you’ll need to go under the bridge and walk back along the tracks on the bridge over the motorway. Just go there and you’ll figure it out.
Thank you for the fast response! I’ll figure it out and hope we won’t get caught! 🙂
It’s not necessary to walk over the bridge to get to Wernerwerk if you mean it this way. The stairway at the station seems blocked but there is a huge gap between the wall and the fence at one point, then if you run around the seemingly blocked stairway from the other side you can climb in with almost no effort. It’s just a bit dusty and probably quite illegal. I was genuinely happy when I found this way in!
Cool! Thanks for the tip!
I visited this line about a month ago, we were a group
of 8-10 adventurous photographers, half of us german.
We simply wanted to take pictures and explore the
whole of the line west of Wernerwerk. There was a
big opening in the fence next to where the line meets
Jungfernheideweg str.
As we were entering through the fence an old german
lady passing by (more than 20m away) spotted us and
shouted that it’s illegal to go in. Then one of the german
members of our group shouted back in german
“go tell that to your children!” 🙂
As I learned later from a friend who arrived at
the scene, only about ~10 min later the police
had arrived! and was looking for us. Apparently
that old lady had called them, what a huge surprise..
But, we had progressed west on the line and they
didn’t find us. Also, they didn’t bother a lot from
what I know. They probably had better things to
do than chase photographers on a railroad that
hasn’t been used for 33+ years.
It was a great evening, and we took some nice
pictures. Luckily there was another opening at
Gartenfeld so we exited there and didn’t have
to walk back.
Went on a saturday morning. At Popitzweg we could go up to the track. There was a closed gate but it had an opening so you could fit through. Then walked to the station above Siemensdamm. People saw us but they didn’t care it seemed. Had a nice look around and took a lot of photo’s 🙂
Greeting form the Holland Urban Ex Club 🙂
Just FYI: there is pretty much nothing to see at Siemensbahn 🙂
You can have a walk there but limited interest in terms of pictures and history 🙂
Well, I thought it was interesting! And there are loads of things to take photos of! 🙂
But I see how it might not be quite the same as some of Berlin’s other treasures, places you need to get into, where you need to open a thousand doors to see what’s hidden behind each one…
Thanks a million for all your comments Arlequin! You provided some very useful advice indeed and I’m sure others will benefit too.
I know I need to get back to Krampnitz and the Olympic village. So many places, so little time…
I walked the entire Siemensbahn, starting from the first station where there’s the abandoned flower shops, and arriving to the second and then third station. Then we walked more arriving at the bridge ending on a little island in the middle of the river Spree.
It took me 4 hours.
Main obstacles: mosquitos, plants with spines, trees with spines, big fallen trees to climb on it to continue.
Often the rails are free and you just walk.. sometimes I couldn’t find a way through the vegetation and I was very scared cause it was even impossible to go back since I stepped on groups of fallen trees and then jumped.
From the garden shop to the second station it’s very very hard.
From the second to the third, it’s ok, it’s easy.
The bridge is very dangerous, better not to step on it.
I even entered in the shop.
In general it was super great, but dangerous and I’m practically bleeding everywhere.
By the way… if you take another (working) bridge to go on the opposite coast, and you walk beside the river,
you can see through the trees the rest of the abandoned railways that once led to Jungfernheide, closing, I suppose, the Siemens line.
Thank for the great article!
I was at the Siemensbahn on Sunday. We entered north of Wernerwerk, at Popitzweg. It was super easy. We went up the embankment through a huge gap in the fence and followed the tracks heading north to Gartenfeld. There were no real obstacles. You have to step over some fallen trees and avoid the thorny plants. Not really difficult. Finally we visited the (almost empty) garden shop and left the siemensbahn by climbing over a low fence at the left side (south) of the building. Look out for barbwire!
Although Siemensbahn is not as exciting as places like the Eisfabrik or the Böhmisches Brauhaus it has impressing views. Perfect for a Sunday walk.
I was there a while ago with my dad and my 11 years old brother…
So if a kid can do it 😀
You just need to watch out for the neighbours.
Nice place to start if you’re not used to do this kind of stuff…
Yes, it’s a good place for beginners. I had my three-year-old sidekick with me when I took the pictures with the snow. He loved it. Though it may have been just the snow…
This appears to be an excellent rail-to-trail conversion candidate. The platforms provide ample area for a cafe and/or coffee shop with seating, the roofs could be planted (green roofs) with solar panels installed and piping/tanks laid underneath could handle rainwater and snowmelt catchment systems. Sections in between stations could act as community gardens and/or historical displays. Sad to see it going to waste rather than being used…
Hey Jason, that’s a brilliant idea. I suspect a lack of money might thwart it for now though. Lack of funding has been an issue for other potential green belts or areas around the city. Of course, they’ll waste millions on a high-profile project like an airport that can’t take off…
Last Friday I went to check out the Siemensbahn. The stations sequence is wernerwerk, siemensstadt and gartenfeld. I will treat these as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively in my comment.
We started at Wernerwerk. Immediately you will see you will have to cross the busy road if you follow the tracks. At that point we didnt know how much space there is when you walk across the bridge. Also we saw some construction equipment next to the station. For that reason we decided to get up to the tracks between the 1st and 2nd station. At the point where the tracks are not on the bridge anymore but just on the soil, you can just walk up to them. There is a fence but its not fully connected everywhere.
Between the 1st and 2nd station there is not so much bush and fallen trees. We arrived at the 2nd station, siemensstadt. Very nice place for some pictures. We spotted 2 people having a cigarette on the stairs of the trainstation. We decided not to disturb them and sneaked past them. We continued to the 3rd station. Like said before, between the 2nd and 3rd station there is really a lot of bush with thorns etc. But still very doable of course, might take you a little more time.
Between the 2nd and 3rd station we found the switch tower. The tower is now pretty well closed up. No easy access. If you are quite thin and not too tall, you will be able to sqeeze yourself through the metals panels at the main door of the switch tower. This is what we did because we were excited about the panel upstairs. Unfortunately we only found the burnt remains of the top floor. So I would say it’s not worth going inside anymore, since there’s not a lot to see.
I went there today and except for the slippery sand when you want to go up to the tracks, it’s really easy to access! And you can walk from Wernerwerk to Siemensstadt on the tracks and even further. Maybe even to the last stop – I don’t know, because at some point there were so many brambles and other spiky plants and today was a bermuda shorts day 😉
Anyway, great place to see and thanks for the historical background! 🙂
i was there today. the station building under the tracks (nearest to siemensdamm u bahn) was unlocked and there were surveyors in there, measuring up the rooms
I went there today with a friend on daylight, its easy to get in.
There was a fucking snow storm so we dicided to wait in the 1 station and take some pictures. Proprablably some neighbor called the police, it was possible to hide or scape if it wasn’t for the snow. We went down and it was no big deal. I just woundnt recomand you to spend much time on the 1 stop.
And….The police found you or not. How you can think that really somebody stupid has called the police?
Underrated place for me, I loved this one. Choose your time to get there wisely, as you will be exposed pretty much all the time (but mostly by big company wharehouse, so going during weekend seems a good idea). Bring good shoes with you. Carefull with the switch tower, it is in a bad shape (Fire had been set at the top of it). Be sure to have at least 2 or 3 hours ahead of you before sundown if you want to walk the 3 stations.
Is it still easy to access? Might check that spot over the weekend.
Went today, and walked up the embankment right where the bridge crosses the Siemensdamm. There was a gap in the fence and I continued towards south.
Went last week.Great walk,easy to get in.Made this vimeo.com/223019120
Finally, a Class 481 @ Siemensstadt!
flickr.com/photos/vexerdj/36450651005/in/album-72157684916368590/
flickr.com/photos/vexerdj/36282339742/in/album-72157684916368590/
😉
About Bahnhof Wernerwerk:
There’s now a parkingplace behind the station at the spot where I took this picture 2 years ago: flickr.com/photos/vexerdj/24165057783/in/album-72157684916368590/
No fences anymore, but some good brickwork that keep you outside the steps.
There is a fence that was really bended that gives you entrance to a hall @ Wernerwerk, but there where some contructionworkers busy at the big Siemensoffice accross the building.
Yeah…I’ve made a stupid fault to visit the Siemensbahn on a Monday.
It was a no go to walk the bridge and enter Wernerwerk.
Kinda the same story about Bahnhof Siemensstadt, but the elementary school at the front of Bahnhof Siemensstadt is on a holiday. You only have to look out for some peeps at Siemens Ultraschall Center accross the street and maybe the Flixbusdrivers who park their busses nearby Bahnhof Siemensstadt. I saw some guys looking at me from Siemens Ultraschall Center, so I was there for a short time.
In short: visit Wernerwerk/Siemensbahn in the weekends!
(that already have been told by others…)
Went there yesterday very easy access and if you follow the track from one end to the other at one there is the end station which was used as a flower shop and living house but you have to walk a lot and sometimes it’s hard to get through cause the tracks are full or plants
Hey, you made cool photos of that area, I have visited it two years ago, so it’s interesting to see your photos ��
I tried to get here today, but I wasnť lucky. I tried from Werneweck, but only get acces on roof at that building right behind street. It is my fault, because I forgot torch, and it was on evening. I couldnť get acces, but get (donť really know why) idea, that someone called Polizei. I ran away, and waited for some time. Then I tried to get acces by climbing on street “clothes nadation” (or something like that) container, but because it was even raining, I wasnť, again, succesfull. Will try again next time.
[Beduin, there’s no need to climb on roofs or containers to get up there 🙂 When you’re under the bridge at Wernerwerk, just follow the tracks north until you find a small “hill” leading up to the tracks (right after crossing Poplitzweg). Then just look for a spot with no fence and climb up the “hill”, it’s super easy!]
I spent 3,5 hours there today, loved it. I started at Poplitzweg near Wernerwerk, then walked south to the bridge where the tracks end, and then all the way up north, with Siemensstadt and Gartenfeld stations along the way (and then back). I met a couple of other friendly explorers. I’m sure some neighbours spotted me, but no one seemed to care. (Be sure to go there on weekends, otherwise you’ll be seen by thousands of Siemens employees, construction workers etc.!)
Between Gartenfeld and Siemensstadt, the passage is a bit difficult at times – lots of fallen trees and thorny plants, so be sure to wear protective clothes and shoes. Also, 200m north of Wernerwerk station, there’s a metal gate supposed to prevent passage further north – except there’s a hole in the gate, big enough that you can easily crawl under it (unless you’re super tall and/or super big).
The door to the switch tower was open, so I could easily go in. Very dark and not much to see, though – it’s much more interesting to visit the abandoned house at Gartenfeld station. You just need to climb over the door and you’re in. It’s worth it! It made me sad to see that beautiful house abandoned, it must’ve been a great place to live.
As I was exploring all by myself (and a woman), I hoped that I woudn’t run into some drunks or aggressive squatters, but everything was empty. I had a great time, and the weather was gorgeous!
(I’ll definitely be returning during winter, because during the spring and summer, all the leaves and plants obstruct your view! I nearly missed the switch tower hidden behind trees :))
*I meant ” all by myself (as a woman)”, not “all by myself (and a woman)”. Which doesn’t make sense. 😉
There’s a big fence that’s covered & closed at the bridge at Poplitzweg.
I was there today to make some new pics at Wernerwerk. No luck today.
At Werner werk there was a gate, but easy to go through when you found the gap. You can get into the sbahn but we didn’t because there where to many people around.
Siemens bahnhof was also easy to get in/on. Beautiful place.
Went there today, got off the ubahn at seimensdamn, plenty of holes in the fence if you follow the track towards siemenstadt, also you can go into one of the old buildings if you go down the stairs at siemensstad and climb through a hole in the wall, bumped into some other explores and dog walkers but had no trouble
Mind your step!
I visited the tracks today (29. 7. 2019). Really neat place, the tracks are very overgrown, which gives it a really magical feel.
If you plan to walk the tracks and not just look at the stations, be careful! Wear a good pair of shoes and watch where you’re going. It’s not out of the ordinary for an abandoned place to become a spot for drug abuse. There were a lot of syringes along the tracks and wrappings of them – I didn’t see any needles but I don’t doubt that some where there. So just be careful when you walk there so you don’t accidentally step on any and hurt yourself!
I went in the middle of the day, and today is Monday, but nobody seemed to notice me walking there (or if they did, they didn’t seem to care), aside from two dudes who were also on the tracks, they just nodded at me. I found a spot to get in close to the Siemensstadt station. The tracks are quite overgrown and there are some fallen trees, some are easy to climb over but there was too much undergrowth at some parts to get through, so I didn’t walk too much of it. Will definitely visit again someday, was really cool!
I was just starting to walk down from the middle station to the one furthest from Wernerwerk when I saw someone in high-vis doing something with a long stick. I don’t know if they were someone official or just a local, but watch out, someone cares about at least a patch of the railway. I did also see a fox on the tracks, which was cool.
Visited today (28.10.2020) and the place was swarming with DB workers in red high-vis until they all left at the end of their shift. I didn’t actually go up as I pussied out, but from the ground level I could see various construction equipment on the rail line, and also noticed that many of the old rain pipes leading from the rail to the ground have been replaced with modern PVC pipes. Don’t bother going there unless you enjoy being yelled at by a German boomer or are planning to visit during weird hours of the day.
Yup, they are trying to reactivate the whole line until 2029. The old unused structures will be checked and rebuilt for preparation of a railway line. See also: https://www.rbb24.de/wirtschaft/beitrag/2020/09/siemensbahn-bauarbeiten-beginnen-wernerwerk-siemensstadt.html (in German)
I was traveling all these Siemens stations two times for recording stuffs. On first day, I went there with my friends. When we arrived at Bahnhof Wernerwerk, there were some contruction workers who walked to us and said, “Do not come inside” (not agressively, just warning sign). So we walked alongside a railroad to the Siemensbahnhof. On the way there, there were so many sneaky places to hop in the actual rail. The Siemensbahnhof is quite attractive place to hang out, we spent some time there and came back home.
On my second day, it rained a lot but I went there anyhow. I sneaked into the track as before and decided to walk towards Bahnhof Gartenfeld. Trees and grass are overgrown so it was a tiny bit diffucult to go through time to time but hey, it was truly amazing experience walking the railroad, especially in rainy day, I have recorded some beautiful film and sound. There were some youngsters who might smoke joints passing by, but not a problem at all. You can also check Stellwerk Gartenfeld on the way. I finally arrived at Bahnhof Gartenfeld. It seemed many people already had been there partied out because there were so many broken glasses, beer bottles and broken pillars of a shrine(why?).
Anyway, the whole journey was total safe and much more attractive than I expected. Just one thing: do not wear expensive sneakers or clothes.
Everything Clear just a fence to climb over. (When going to Werner-Werk) The rest is free.
is it easy to go on the wernerwerk platform?
The part where you can walk towards the water is totally removed! It’s still doable but it just looks very empty!
Next to the line there is a trail close to U-bahn siemenstadt. Following the trail, it’s easy to find an entrance onto the line, main issues come from walking on the tracks itself because it’s in plain view, but if you follow it for 9 mins you should be able to get to one of the stations.
Access to S Wernerwerk was possible last weekend with some climbing, but that is probably not for everyone. The track towards Siemensbahnbrücke has been cleared, but the bridge itself remains seemingly untouched, but probably not for long.
Was bedeutet: Der Zugang zum Wernerwerk war am vergangenen Wochenende mit etwas Kletterei möglich? Ich möchte nur noch 1x auf der Siemensbahn rauf um Fotos zu machen. Das ist dann leider das letzte mal für mich das ich dort Fotos gemacht habe. Dann habe ich 46 S/W Filme und 124 Farbfilme dort verschossen. Ich bin entweder unter, oder zwischen den Toren durch. Geklettert bin ich nie. 🙂