September 2017 — View from the platform at Berlin Friedrichstraße station overlooking Georgenstraße below. The elevated tracks run alongside a mix of modern and postwar office buildings, including the Aerztezentrum at No. 147. Pedestrians and cyclists move through the busy commercial street beneath, while the station’s glass and steel structure reflects the late-day light.

September 2017 — View east from Berlin Friedrichstraße station showing the elevated S-Bahn tracks leading toward Alexanderplatz. Overhead wires and supporting steel structures frame the route, with graffiti-covered industrial buildings on the left and mid-century offices on the right. The Berlin TV Tower (Fernsehturm) rises in the distance, a landmark visible across the city skyline.

September 2017 — Berlin Friedrichstraße station in the early evening, with an S-Bahn BR 481 series train stopped under the steel and glass canopy. The curved elevated tracks lead into the main hall, a design characteristic of the city’s prewar rail architecture. Overhead wires and support structures frame the scene, while a few commuters move along the quiet platform as daylight fades into artificial light.

September 2017 — Tracks curve eastward from Berlin Friedrichstraße station, one of the city’s busiest S-Bahn and regional rail interchanges. The elevated viaduct carries multiple lines, including the S3, S5, S7, and S9, which link central Berlin with its outer districts and neighboring cities. The view looks toward Alexanderplatz, with the Fernsehturm television tower visible in the distance — a defining landmark of the former East Berlin skyline. Friedrichstraße station opened in 1882 and served as a symbolic and logistical border crossing during the Cold War, when it connected both East and West Berlin rail networks. Today, the station remains a major transit hub, handling thousands of passengers daily and sitting at the junction of the north–south and east–west S-Bahn corridors. The surrounding area has since been redeveloped with modern offices, hotels, and shops while retaining its role as one of Berlin’s central transport arteries.

September 2017 — A Deutsche Bahn Intercity-Express (ICE) train moves through the rail network, distinguished by its white body and red horizontal stripe. The train belongs to the ICE 3 or ICE T family, units designed for high-speed operation up to 300 km/h and used on long-distance routes across Germany and neighboring countries. Overhead catenary lines supported by lattice-steel gantries deliver 15 kV AC power, the standard for Germany’s electrified mainlines. The ICE network, launched in the early 1990s, forms the backbone of long-distance rail travel in the country, linking cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, and Munich. These trains are built for both speed and efficiency, with lightweight aluminum bodies, regenerative braking, and pressure-sealed cabins for tunnel travel. The scene reflects the characteristic organization of German rail infrastructure—multiple tracks, overhead power, and vegetation at the margins—where local and international services share one of Europe’s busiest and most interconnected systems.

September 2017 — Entering a Berlin train station.

September 2017 — The Olympiastadion in Berlin stands in the foreground, framed by the dense tree cover of the Westend district. Behind it, the cooling towers and chimneys of the Reuter power plants dominate the skyline — part of Berlin’s long-standing energy infrastructure along the Spree River. The large natural-draft cooling tower at left belongs to the Reuter West plant, commissioned in the late 1980s and operated by Vattenfall, while the taller stack at right is part of the older Reuter facility dating back to 1930, later converted to modern combined-heat-and-power operation. The contrast between the stone colonnades of the 1936 Olympic Stadium and the industrial silhouettes in the distance captures the layered character of Berlin’s western edge — where historic architecture, post-war redevelopment, and ongoing energy production coexist within a few kilometers. The area remains one of the city’s key power-generation corridors, supplying electricity and district heating to much of central and western Berlin.

September 2017 — Looking out from a room at the Arcotel Velvet Berlin.

September 2017 — Kurt-Schumacher-Platz station serves Berlin’s U6 U-Bahn line in the Reinickendorf district, located in the city’s northwest. Opened on May 3, 1956, the station was part of the first postwar U-Bahn expansion and named after German statesman Kurt Schumacher, a key figure in rebuilding the Social Democratic Party after World War II. The station features light-colored wall tiles with horizontal gray stripes and minimalist red lettering, reflecting mid-1950s West Berlin design. It includes a central island platform and two tracks, serving as an important stop between Afrikanische Straße and Scharnweberstraße. Above ground, the station connects to several bus routes and lies near the approach to the U6 tunnel under the former Tegel Airport area. Today, it remains a key link for northern Berlin commuters traveling toward the city center.

September 2017 — Rehberge U-Bahn Station, Berlin

September 2017 — A store at the Seestrabe Station in Berlin.

September 2017 — Seestraße U-Bahn Station, Berlin Germany

September 2017 — An underground passageway connects the platforms of Wedding U-Bahn station to its street-level exits on Müllerstraße in Berlin’s Mitte district. The corridor is tiled in light yellow ceramic, part of the BVG’s standardized postwar design used throughout many West Berlin stations rebuilt or renovated in the 1960s and 1970s. Directional signage guides passengers toward exits, connecting bus routes, and public facilities, while an escalator and stairway lead to the main entrance. The faint graffiti on the walls and motion blur of a passing commuter emphasize the station’s everyday function within Berlin’s public transport network. Wedding station serves both the U6 line and the S-Bahn Ring, forming a key interchange point in the city’s northern transit system.

September 2017 — The Leopoldplatz U-Bahn Station in Berlin Germany.

September 2017 — The Leopoldplatz U-Bahn Station in Berlin Germany.

September 2017 — Wittenbergplatz station on Berlin’s U2 line features a distinctive orange-tiled design characteristic of the city’s postwar modernization of U-Bahn interiors. The platform level seen here includes advertising panels with hand-illustrated city scenes, part of a campaign promoting outdoor advertising (“Draussenwerbung”) by Wall GmbH, a longtime transit advertising company in Berlin. Opened in 1902 as part of the city’s first underground railway, Wittenbergplatz is one of Berlin’s oldest stations and a key junction serving the U1, U2, and U3 lines. The orange tiles were installed during mid-20th-century refurbishments to brighten the subterranean space, contrasting with the original Jugendstil architecture preserved at the main hall above. The modern signage displays U6 connections, while the station’s layout—with three island platforms—continues to serve one of the busiest interchange points in Berlin’s U-Bahn network.

September 2017 — Berlin-Wedding station S-Bahn station in Berlin, Germany

September 2017 — A train passes through the Wedding station in Berlin Germany.

September 2017 — A white station sign reading “Wedding” in black block letters is mounted on an orange, small-rectangle tiled wall inside Wedding station in Berlin, Germany. The station serves the Wedding neighborhood in the Mitte district and functions as an interchange between the U6 U‑Bahn line and the Berlin Ringbahn S‑Bahn. The stark typography and modular tiles reflect the practical design found across much of Berlin’s postwar transit architecture. Operated by BVG for the U‑Bahn and S‑Bahn Berlin GmbH for suburban rail, Wedding is a local hub for commuters moving between the north of the city and central Berlin. No passengers are visible in the frame, emphasizing the graphic clarity of the station’s wayfinding.

September 2017 — Looking down Invalidenstraße street in Berlin Germany.

September 2017 — The Brandenburger Tor station in Berlin, Germany. Metal benches on the train platform.

September 2017 — The Brandenburger Tor station on Berlin’s U5 line sits directly beneath Pariser Platz, adjacent to the Brandenburg Gate. The interior features dark composite wall panels inlaid with gold lettering and a series of illuminated displays tracing Berlin’s 20th-century history, including the city’s division and post-reunification development. Originally opened in 2009 as part of the short U55 shuttle between Hauptbahnhof and Bundestag, the station became a through stop in December 2020 when the U5 extension to Alexanderplatz was completed, reconnecting the eastern and western portions of the U-Bahn network after nearly six decades of separation.

September 2017 — The Brandenburger Tor station in Berlin, Germany.

September 2017 — The Brandenburger Tor station in Berlin, Germany.

September 2017 — The Brandenburger Tor station in Berlin, Germany.

September 2017 — A bright yellow BVG U-Bahn train marked “U55 Hauptbahnhof” stands at the underground platform of Berlin Hauptbahnhof. An information sign with an arrow hangs above the platform, while a large network map of the S- and U-Bahn lines is mounted on the concrete wall to the right. Through the windows, a few seated passengers are visible inside the multi-door carriage numbered 2658. The U55 operated as a short shuttle between Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Brandenburger Tor, opened in 2009 to link the new central station with the government quarter. In December 2020 the shuttle was integrated into the extended U5 line, a major step in Berlin’s east‑west metro connection.

September 2017 — The Berlin Central Station in Berlin, Germany.

September 2017 — The Berlin Central Station in Berlin, Germany.

September 2017 — Berlin Hauptbahnhof’s lower-level platforms, located roughly 15 meters below street level, form part of Germany’s central north–south high-speed rail corridor. The underground section, opened in 2006 alongside the completion of the station’s glass-and-steel main hall, accommodates long-distance and regional trains running through the Tiergarten tunnel. The design emphasizes polished concrete, steel, and indirect lighting—elements typical of the Deutsche Bahn architectural style of the early 2000s. Platforms 1 through 8 serve ICE and IC services linking Berlin with cities such as Munich, Frankfurt, and Hamburg, while upper levels connect to the S-Bahn and U-Bahn networks.

September 2017 — The lower platforms of Berlin Hauptbahnhof, serving tracks 5 and 6, form part of the deep-level north–south route opened with the station in 2006. This subterranean level, approximately 15 meters below ground, connects long-distance ICE services between Hamburg, Leipzig, and Munich through the Tiergarten Tunnel. The design reflects the precision and uniformity of modern German rail architecture—clean concrete forms, stainless steel fixtures, and bright LED signage. The symmetrical layout, glass partitions, and central clock emphasize efficiency and clarity, key elements of the Hauptbahnhof’s function as Europe’s largest crossing-station hub.

September 2017 — The Berlin Central Station in Berlin, Germany.

September 2017 — A narrow, fenced pathway runs beneath the towering structure of Berlin Hauptbahnhof — Germany’s largest and most complex railway station — where elevated train lines stretch above the Spree River. The gleaming glass panels and steel framework of the upper platforms contrast sharply with the damp pavement and industrial underpass below. Puddles glisten from a recent rain, while construction barriers and wild greenery frame the scene, hinting at the city’s perpetual state of transformation. Built as a symbol of reunified Berlin, the Hauptbahnhof connects north to south, east to west — a convergence of architecture, engineering, and history that mirrors Berlin’s layered identity. The stillness here beneath the trains creates a hidden perspective on one of Europe’s busiest transport hubs, where modern motion meets quiet decay.

September 2017 — A yellow BVG tram glides through the wet streets of Berlin at dusk, its reflection faintly shimmering on the rain-darkened tracks. The city’s extensive tram system, one of the oldest in the world, continues to serve as a vital part of daily life — connecting neighborhoods across the capital with quiet precision. Cyclists share the street below, a hallmark of Berlin’s commitment to sustainable urban transport and rhythmically layered street design.

September 2017 — A view from the window of an Air Berlin aircraft shows the wing slicing through dense cloud layers, with a narrow band of golden light marking the horizon. Once a major German airline founded in 1978, Air Berlin operated routes across Europe before ceasing operations in 2017. The image captures both the serenity and impermanence of flight — a quiet moment over the continent that the airline once connected so extensively.