Travel: Teufelsberg, Berlin

Teufelsberg – Abandoned NSA listening post on Berlin’s “Devil’s Mountain

Deep within the Grunewald forest in West Berlin is an abandoned NSA field station which sits on top of the aptly named Teufelsberg, or Devils Mountain. This hill of rubble was created with the debris from the destruction of Berlin at the end of World War 2.

Teufelsberg was once the highest point in Berlin, that has now been taken by Arkenberge, which is another man made hill. The highest point in Berlin naturally is Grosser Muggelberg out at Koppenick.

This station was part of a network of listening stations operated by the US National Security Agency to eavesdrop on communist East Berlin. The station was abandoned after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and end of the cold war. Today it stands abandoned and vandalised with graffiti and street art.

berlin teufelsberg spy station — We’re saying nothing about the phallic shape of the listening station……

When we visited we mainly wandered around the outside as we didn’t think it was a good idea as we were on holiday and attempting to get past the security guy could have led to a review of a Berlin police station!

We have since learned about the wild boars that inhabit here, or is that one of the urban legends? Talking of which there is meant to be the remains of a Nazi military-technical college buried deep within the hill.

Click link to jump to section

Where

Teufelsseechaussee 10
14193 Berlin

The site is a long walk from the train station and the main road. Here is a Google Maps link to show where Teufelsberg is. Click if you want to zoom in or out.