In a nutshell
- Around Berlin you’ll find some of the most iconic abandoned places in Germany — including the Teufelsberg listening station, the decaying Spreepark amusement park, and the eerie Beelitz-Heilstätten sanatoriums.
- Many of Berlin’s abandoned buildings have since been demolished or renovated — we cover both what’s still there and what’s already gone.
- For each spot, we tell you whether you can legally visit, how to get there, and whether guided tours are available.
What Are Lost Places Anyway?
Lost places are, as the name suggests, abandoned locations — vacant buildings, industrial sites, old railway yards, amusement parks, sports facilities, all slowly being reclaimed by nature.
The term “Urban Exploration” or “Urbex” has grown into a full-fledged culture around seeking out these spots. It’s primarily about discovering abandoned locations and documenting the aesthetics of decay through photography.
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Is It Legal to Enter Lost Places?
Most abandoned locations are privately owned. Even without an explicit sign saying so, entering them is generally prohibited. Plenty of people do it anyway — but legally, it’s still trespassing.
Some lost places can be visited as part of guided tours. The abandoned locations in Berlin that we feature on this page are typically accessible that way.
Lost Places in Berlin
Even though abandoned places in Berlin are increasingly disappearing, there are still quite a few worth exploring. Here are the most remarkable ones for your next photography outing.
Teufelsberg
The former listening station on Teufelsberg is one of Berlin’s most iconic abandoned places. During the Cold War, the Americans used it to monitor the East. The site has been left to decay since the 1990s.
The large radar towers are still seriously impressive photo subjects. Yes, much of it is crumbling and covered in graffiti — but a visit to Teufelsberg is absolutely worth it. It’s also one of the best viewpoints in Berlin, so you get two experiences in one.
Is It Legal to Enter the Site?
The observation platform of the Radom Unit with its distinctive radomes is currently off-limits. However, you can freely walk through and explore the entire 48,000-square-meter grounds.
Guided tours are also available and can be booked online.
Book a guided tour of Teufelsberg
How Do I Get There?
Teufelsberg is in west Berlin, near the Grunewald forest. Take the S5 to Heerstraße, then walk along Teufelsstraße and up the hill.
Spreepark
Spreepark was once a major amusement park in East Berlin. Opened in 1969 as Kulturpark Plänterwald, it offered dozens of rides surrounded by greenery. The Ferris wheel is still visible from far away — a haunting reminder of the park’s former glory.
After reunification, repeated attempts to revive Spreepark all failed. Bankruptcies, scandals, and murky ownership kept the site abandoned for years while nature slowly took over.
For photographers, it’s a genuinely remarkable backdrop. The city has since purchased the site and renovation is underway, so its charm as an urbex destination is gradually fading — worth visiting sooner rather than later.
Is It Legal to Enter the Site?
You can’t just walk onto the grounds. Guided tours are available, though.
Info on guided tours at Spreepark
How Do I Get There?
The S-Bahn station Plänterwald is right nearby, served by the S8 and S9 lines.
Südgelände Schöneberg
Schöneberger Südgelände is an old rail yard that closed back in the 1950s. Since then, nature has been steadily reclaiming it — and has come pretty far.
In some areas, the rail infrastructure is so overgrown you can barely tell what used to be there. Other sections are better preserved, including an old signal box and a vintage steam locomotive.
Today it’s a city park — a great destination for a photography outing with a real lost-place atmosphere, and completely free to visit.
Is It Legal to Enter the Site?
Yes! The park is freely accessible and photography is welcome. Only commercial shoots require a permit. There’s a ticket machine at the entrance where you can grab a ticket for €1 — though tickets are rarely checked.
How Do I Get There?
Südgelände stretches south of Südkreuz station. One entrance is right at the S-Bahn station Priesterweg, reachable via the S2 and S25 lines.
Alte Eisfabrik
The old ice factory on Köpenicker Straße is one of the oldest surviving ice factories in the city — and one of Berlin’s more unusual abandoned buildings.
Artificial ice was produced here starting in 1896. Operations ceased in 1995, and the factory has stood empty ever since. There’s been debate for years about its future — even demolition has been discussed, despite the building’s protected landmark status.
Is It Legal to Enter the Site?
The building itself can no longer be entered — the lower floors have been bricked up and the whole thing is fenced off. You can, however, access the grounds from Bona-Peiser-Weg for exterior shots.
How Do I Get There?
Bus line 265 stops right in front at Köpenicker Straße/Adalbertstraße. The U-Bahn stations Heinrich-Heine-Straße (U8), Schlesisches Tor (U1), and Ostbahnhof are also within walking distance.
Lost Places Around Berlin
The abandoned places worth exploring don’t stop at the city limits. Here are two standout spots in the greater Berlin area.
Beelitz-Heilstätten
The former tuberculosis sanatoriums of Beelitz-Heilstätten are among the most famous abandoned places in the entire region. The images of the decaying buildings feel genuinely eerie — almost surreal.
Part of the site has been renovated, including a treetop walkway that’s been added. But several of the original buildings are still standing, and the atmosphere is unlike anywhere else.
Is It Legal to Enter the Site?
The public areas are freely accessible. The old buildings can be explored as part of guided tours.
All info on the Baum & Zeit website
How Do I Get There?
Take the regional express RE 7 (Airport Express Schönefeld) from Berlin to the Beelitz-Heilstätten stop. By car, take the A9 to the Beelitz-Heilstätten/Fichtenwalde exit.
Formerly Abandoned Locations in Berlin
Every lost place eventually meets the same fate: a buyer shows up, and the building gets renovated or demolished. Even if no one can stop time, the photos of these former abandoned places live on.
Here’s a look at some of Berlin’s abandoned buildings that unfortunately no longer exist.
Former Open-Air Pool Berlin-Lichtenberg
In Berlin-Lichtenberg, an open-air pool covering roughly 20,000 m² was built in 1928. It served as a training facility for foreign competitive swimmers ahead of the 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympics.
After World War II, the pool sat unused until the GDR renovated the facilities in the 1970s and it reopened as a public summer pool — known locally as the “BVB-Freibad.” It was a popular spot for young participants in summer camps on the old Lichtenberg stadium grounds.
The pool closed in the late 1980s and slowly deteriorated. It has since been demolished.
1936 Olympic Village
The Olympic Village housed more than 4,000 athletes during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It’s located about 20 kilometers west of the Berlin Olympic Stadium, in Elstal in Brandenburg.
After the war, the Soviet Army took over the site — a fact still commemorated by a large portrait of Lenin in one of the sports halls.
The site has since been renovated and converted into residential apartments.
Alte Tankstelle in Kreuzberg
In a backyard on Muskauer Straße in Kreuzberg, five old gas pumps stood untouched for decades. The station opened in 1927 and ran until 1972.
For years, nobody really knew why the pumps were still there. Now they’re gone — visible only in old photographs.
BVG-Stadion in Berlin-Lichtenberg
The BVG-Stadion in Berlin-Lichtenberg sat unused for many years, slowly falling apart.
Built between 1920 and 1922, the stadium was accessed via a six-meter-wide promenade on Herzbergstraße. Next to the entrance were three tennis courts and a gymnastics area, with a 400-meter cinder running track in an oval. In 1973, the grounds were converted into a campsite, after which the whole facility fell into disrepair.
The site has since been demolished.
Blub Badeparadies
The Berliner Luft und Badeparadies — Blub for short — was a popular water park that opened in 1986. It closed at the end of the 1990s and sat abandoned for years.
For a long time, Blub was one of the most-visited urbex spots in Berlin. In 2016, a major fire destroyed most of the former water park, and it’s been inaccessible ever since. A visit is no longer advisable — and honestly, it could be dangerous. We’d steer clear.
Our Recommendations for Photographers in Berlin
Want even more great spots to shoot? Check out our guide to the best photo spots in Berlin for more ideas.
Photography Tours in Berlin
Berlin has a fantastic range of alternative city tours that are especially exciting for photographers. We share our nine favorites in this article: Special Tours in Berlin.
Books About Lost Places in Berlin
There are now several books dedicated to abandoned places in Berlin and across Germany. Here are the ones we’d recommend.
Books About Lost Places in Berlin
Verlassene Orte / Abandoned Berlin. 192 pages for €22.00.
Berlin fotografieren: Architektur und geheime Orte. 280 pages for €22.90.
Books About Lost Places in Germany
Ein merkwürdiges Bilderbuch längst vergessener Orte. 256 pages for €14.99.
Lost Places: Deutschlands vergessene Orte. 176 pages for €24.99.
Stillgelegt: 100 verlassene Orte. 224 pages for €29.99.
Shooting Lost Places: Fotografie an verlassenen Orten. 256 pages for €29.95.
