Ringbahn series · Part 3
Ringbahn, part 3: from Südkreuz to Halensee
In the southwest the Ringbahn gets quieter. This is where Marlene Dietrich was born and buried, where Kennedy said his most famous sentence, and where Günter Grass and Uwe Johnson lived next door to each other. Seven stations, many stories, short walks.
Section Südkreuz to Halensee, 7 stations
Direction Clockwise on the S41
Good for Berlin history, cemeteries, neighborhood squares
Walking times Measured on OpenStreetMap footpaths
The Ringbahn series
- Part 1: all 27 stations
- Part 2: Ostkreuz to Tempelhof
- Part 3: Südkreuz to Halensee
- Part 4: Westkreuz to Wedding
- Part 5: Gesundbrunnen to Frankfurter Allee
01 Südkreuz · For changing trains
A long-distance station and junction with the north-south S-Bahn. Two destinations still make it worth a look outside.
about 17 minutes on foot from the station
Schöneberg gasometer
The steel frame of the 1913 gasometer rises about 78 meters above the EUREF campus; it was shut down in 1995. Today an office building is going up inside it, while the frame stays as a monument. From outside, a fine piece of industrial history.
Natur-Park Südgelände
Take the S2 or S25 one stop to Priesterweg for the entrance to the old shunting yard where nature had decades to take over. More in our 12 more places off the path.
02 Schöneberg · Worth getting off
The Rote Insel lies between the tracks right by the station.
about 8 minutes on foot from the station
Cheruskerpark and the Rote Insel
The Rote Insel (red island) got its name because railway lines surround it like water and the labor movement was strong here. The small Cheruskerpark is its green heart. More in the Kiez atlas.
about 11 minutes on foot from the station
Marlene Dietrich's birthplace
Marlene Dietrich was born on 27 December 1901 at Leberstraße 65, then called Sedanstraße. A bronze plaque commemorates her.
about 18 minutes on foot from the station
Akazienstraße
On the other side of the tracks Akazienstraße begins, with cafés, pubs and small shops, one of the nicest shopping streets in Schöneberg.
The classic
Checkpoint Charlie
A replica with a photo backdrop and crowds.
Kieznah tip
Schöneberg town hall at noon
Stand on the square where Kennedy spoke in 1963 and hear the Freedom Bell at noon. The Cold War without the stage set.
03 Innsbrucker Platz · Worth getting off
The U4 runs below, and two destinations lie within a ten-minute walk.
about 8 minutes on foot from the station
Rudolph-Wilde-Park
A long green park in a hollow, ideal for the walk to the town hall.
about 10 minutes on foot from the station
Schöneberg town hall
For decades West Berlin's Senate governed from here, and on 26 June 1963 John F. Kennedy said "Ich bin ein Berliner" on the square in front of it. The tower holds the Freedom Bell, a 1950 gift from the United States that rings every day at noon. If you are in a hurry, take the U4 one stop.
04 Bundesplatz · Worth getting off
The gateway to Friedenau, the quiet writers' quarter.
about 8 minutes on foot from the station
Stubenrauchstraße cemetery
This small cemetery is the resting place of Marlene Dietrich, the photographer Helmut Newton and the composer Ferruccio Busoni. Dietrich's gravestone bears the line "Hier steh ich an den Marken meiner Tage" (Here I stand at the boundary of my days). A map at the entrance helps you find the graves.
Friedenau and its writers
On Niedstraße, Uwe Johnson lived at number 14 from 1959, Günter Grass bought the house next door at number 13 in 1963, and Max Frisch moved to Sarrazinstraße in 1972. A walk through the old streets shows why they felt at home here.
about 14 minutes on foot from the station
Volkspark Wilmersdorf
A long green strip stretching west from Bundesplatz, with meadows and playgrounds.
05 Heidelberger Platz · Worth getting off
The station itself is a sight.
Heidelberger Platz U-Bahn station
The U-Bahn station below the Ringbahn opened on 12 October 1913, with a high groin vault on granite columns. It is considered one of the most splendid in the city. Take the stairs down once before you move on.
about 12 minutes on foot from the station
Rüdesheimer Platz
In the Rheingauviertel, winemakers from the Rheingau pour their wine at the wine fountain in summer, and the neighbors call the square "Rüdi". More in our neighborhood walk.
06 Hohenzollerndamm · Just ride through
A quiet residential area in Wilmersdorf. There is little for visitors here, so just stay in your seat.
07 Halensee · Worth getting off
This is where the Kurfürstendamm ends and the Grunewald begins.
about 4 minutes on foot from the station
Halensee lake
The small lake at the start of the Grunewald lakes is only a few steps from the station, and yet many visitors do not know it.
about 6 minutes on foot from the station
Concrete Cadillacs at Rathenauplatz
For the city's 750th anniversary in 1987 the artist Wolf Vostell had two real Cadillacs cast in concrete and placed on the traffic island as a comment on car culture. There were fierce protests at the time; today they are a landmark at the western end of the Ku'damm.
The Kurfürstendamm from the other end
Strolling east from here means seeing the Ku'damm the way residents know it: quieter, with old buildings and side streets.