Yes, Berlin also has mountains from which you can enjoy the view over the city. The Drachenberg in Grunewald is a great vantage point over the city.
How Berlin got its mountains
Most of the mountains in Berlin have not been around that long. They are not due to tectonic movements, but a remnant of the Second World War.
After the war, Berlin was full of rubble from the destroyed buildings and streets. Of 1.5 million apartments, almost half were uninhabitable. There were almost 75 million cubic meters of rubble in the city. Of this, only a portion could be reused. Intact bricks, iron girders and wooden beams were used to construct new buildings or repair damage. But much of it was no longer usable. Bomb craters and trenches began to be filled in. They covered the flak bunkers in Volkspark Friedrichshain and Volkspark Humboldthain and stored rubble on almost all undeveloped areas. There were even rubble trains that transported nothing but rubble.
With the beginning of the Berlin blockade, everything was still not “cleaned up” and now there was no possibility to use the surrounding land for the removal of the rubble. They began to pile up more than 26 million cubic meters of rubble in the Grunewald and probably the most famous rubble mountain of Berlin was created – the Teufelsberg. At 120 meters, it is also the highest mountain of rubble in Berlin. Directly next to it, the somewhat smaller Drachenberg was created, which is 99 meters high.
Other mountains of rubble in Berlin are
Insulaner – 75 m
Marienhöhe – 73 m
big and small Bunkerberg in the Volkspark Friedrichshain – 78 m und 48 m
Oderbruchkippe in the Volkspark Prenzlauer Berg – 99 m
Humboldthöhe in the Humboldthain – 85 m
Dörferblick in Rudow – 86 m
Trümmerberg Biesdorf -75 m
Rixdorfer Höhe in the Hasenheide – 70m
Trümmerberg Friedrichsfelde – 67 m
The Drachenberg
The Drachenberg is also called Drachenfliegerberg or Kleiner Teufelsberg. It is located in the Berlin district of Grunewald south of the Heerstrasse.
The mountain owes its name to the Berliners who enthusiastically fly kites here. In good wind conditions, you can also be lucky and see hang gliders using the mountain for launching.
There is a large parking lot directly at the foot of the Drachenberg on Teufelsseechaussee. Especially on weekends it can be difficult to find a free space here. From here you can not only climb the Drachenberg, but also discover the Grunewald on hiking trails and walk to the Teufelsberg.
The easiest way up the mountain is the staircase with its 280 steps. If you prefer to conquer the mountain without stairs, you have to choose a trail to the top of the mountain a bit away from the parking lot.
Unlike Teufelsberg, the upper part of Drachenberg is not forested and the flat and green summit plateau offers a 360-degree view of the surrounding area.
After we mastered the steps, we walked around the plateau of Dragon Mountain once. There are many familiar places that we discovered.
My first glance is in the direction of Teufelsberg. Here stands the former radar and listening station of the Allied Forces. In exciting place, which we visited on a guided tour a few years ago. Even then the site was dilapidated, now it seems that the ravages of time have left even more traces.
Next, our view goes in the direction of Spandau. A large high-rise complex standing on Heerstrasse immediately catches the eye.
Close by, the view falls on the Bell Tower at the May Field of the Berlin Olympic Stadium. The bell tower is also a great vantage point from which to explore the Olympic site.
Our gaze wanders further and gets stuck on the Olympic Stadium and the famous Corbusierhaus. The skyscraper of the famous architect is an exciting building that was created for the Interbau in Berlin.
My gaze lingers on a tower. This is in Siemensstadt and belongs to the Siemens buildings. A little further in the background the area of the airport Tegel is to be seen still dimly. In a few years I have to climb the Drachenberg again and see how the buildings of the airport have changed.
The further our round goes on the Drachenberg, the more familiar the buildings that can be discovered. The view now turns to Charlottenburg.
The radio tower, the ICC, the exhibition halls, the RBB building and even the TV tower in Mitte are wonderfully visible. If you look closely, you can see the skyscrapers at the Zoologischer Garten.
A little further on, you can see the Schlangenbader Strasse freeway superstructure. A truly remarkable building that you should take a close look at.
We are always thrilled when we visit Dragon Mountain. For us, it’s exciting to see how the city and its skyline have changed over the years.
Little tip
In summer when the weather is nice, you can enjoy the sunset with a picnic on the Dragon Mountain.
In autumn, Drachenberg is the hotspot for kite flying. You should be there early to find a free spot.
The turn of the year attracts many Berliners to the mountain to admire the fireworks over the city.
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