Located in Berlin’s Westend on Masurenallee between Theodor-Heuss-Platz and the big bus station (ZOB) are:
RBB TV Centre (RBB Fernsehzentrum)
Broadcast House (Haus des Rundfunks)
Berlin Radio Tower (Berliner Funkturm)
Messedamm underpass (Unterführung)
International Congress Centre (Internationales-Congress-Centrum, ICC)
The entire length is easy to walk for under 1 kilometre, from Theodor-Heuss-Platz (U2 station) to the intersection of Masurenallee and Messedamm. The area has provided good memories as I’ve stayed twice here before.
RBB TV Centre (RBB Fernsehzentrum): completed in 1970 and used by the former West Berlin broadcaster SFB, an important voice for West Berliners in a city cut off and surrounded by the DDR. The building is now listed as an architectural monument. To the right in the background is the radio tower.
The beautifully distinctive Broadcast House (Haus des Rundfunks) was completed in 1931 with designs by Hans Poelzig. This building is also listed as heritage and is home to a number of RBB radio channels. Building access within is only for registered employees of RBB.
The Berlin Radio Tower (Berliner Funkturm) opened in 1926 on the grounds of the Berlin Trade Fair (Messe Berlin) and is nicknamed “the lanky lad” (der lange Lulatsch). Although the tower is no longer used for broadcast and presently closed to visitors, the structure is under heritage protection.
The Messedamm tunnel or underpass (Unterführung) is used as pedestrian and bicyclist passage underneath two very busy roads: the east-west Masurenallee and north-south Messedamm. Built primarily for access to the Messe Berlin, there is access to the big bus station (ZOB) and an S-Bahn Ringbahn station nearby. The setting with those orange columns and walls has been used as television and film backdrops. Compared to past archival images, all the bulbs from the large circular overhead lamps are either out or off.
As a giant addition to Messe Berlin, the International Congress Centre (Internationales-Congress-Centrum, ICC) was completed in 1979 with designs by U. Schüler-Witte & R. Schüler. The nickname given by Berliners for this structure is “Quasseldampfer” (chatterbox steamboat) or “Raumschiff” (spaceship). While the Messe Berlin remains open for trade fairs, the ICC awaits “renewal in dry dock.”
I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 14 June 2025. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
[…] light, facing west to the Radio Tower and the International Congress Center. Next to the tower, there appears to be a bright blob in the same horizontal line as the […]
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One Response to “25T38 Berlin’s Westend: a few features”
[…] light, facing west to the Radio Tower and the International Congress Center. Next to the tower, there appears to be a bright blob in the same horizontal line as the […]
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