Natur-Park Schöneberger Südgelände

An abundance of green space, the proliferation of graffiti and street art and the wealth of old industrial buildings are just some of the reasons why I love Berlin and Natur-Park Schöneberger Südgelände is the embodiment of all three.

The most prominent feature of the park, visible as you enter, is the 50m tall water tower.

Previously a railway marshalling yard, 18 hectares of land near S-Bahnhof Priesterweg in the Tempelhof area of Berlin has been turned over to nature.

Trees grow between the disused rail tracks and here and there are reminders of the site’s former life.

Nature has been slowly reclaiming the area since the train yard and depot closed in 1952 and the Nature Park was officially opened in 1999.

A section of the park has been set aside for the legal spraying of graffiti under a set of rules:

Spraying is not allowed except at the walls of the “Tälchenweg” Monday through Saturday after 3pm;

Sundays and public holidays are completely “out”.

Within this: enjoy yourself.

But…

1. We do not want to see any graffiti on buildings, the water tower, the “yellow wall”, on trees and artwork.
2. Tags are not permitted on park benches, trees, litter bins or elsewhere.
3. Please be sure to take all your belongings incl. cans, buckets, bottles and other litter with you; they are harmful to the natural environment.
4. Please do keep to these simple straightforward rules.  Anyone ignoring them will be reported to the police.

But above all: have fun!

It’s sad that despite these rules being displayed in both German and English, there are trees, walls and other objects outside the designated area that have been painted.

It isn’t the most obvious of Berlin’s parks – the Tiergarten, Volkspark Friedrichshain and Treptower Park are all far more popular – but Natur-Park Schöneberger Südgelände is a great place for a relaxing walk.  The remnants of the park’s industrial past poking through the trees and the graffiti area make for an interesting backdrop and it’s well worth a visit, particularly on a sunny day.

To visit Natur-Park Schöneberger Südgelände follow the signs from the platform at S-Bahnhof Priesterweg on the S2.  Admission is €1.