Moritzplatz is a

Berlin U-Bahn The Berlin U-Bahn (; short for , "underground railway") is a rapid transit system in Berlin, the capital and largest city of Germany, and a major part of the city's public transport system. Together with the S-Bahn, a network of suburban train li ...

station located on the line.

Peter Behrens Peter Behrens (14 April 1868 – 27 February 1940) was a leading German architect, graphic and industrial designer, best known for his early pioneering AEG Turbine Hall in Berlin in 1909. He had a long career, designing objects, typefaces, and i ...

constructed this unusual subway station in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

in 1928. It was closed briefly in 1945, and between 1961 and 1990 it was the last station in

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

, after which the train passed through communist

East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...

until Gesundbrunnen.

History

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the tunnel was used as an air raid shelter. On 3 February 1945 the station was damaged, and 36 people were killed. Presumably they were seeking protection in the air raid shelter below the platform, which was originally designed as part of a platform hall for an intersecting subway line. Since 1984 power maintenance equipment has been stored in the tunnel.

Overview

Moritzplatz is unusual in that the station was relocated from where it was originally planned. A large department store, Wertheim, had been located near the planned site since 1913, and gave the subway company 5 million Reichsmark to change their plans and give the store a direct subway connection. Near Moritzplatz station there is a 40m long tunnel intended to serve as a station for a fast train to Görlitzer Bahnhof.J. Meyer-Kronthaler: Berlins U-Bahnhöfe. be.bra Verlag (1996)

References

{{coord, 52, 30, 13, N, 13, 24, 39, E, display=title, region:DE-BE_type:railwaystation_source:dewiki U8 (Berlin U-Bahn) stations Berlin U-Bahn stations located underground Buildings and structures in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Railway stations in Germany opened in 1928