Führungsstelle Schlesischer Busch

In Schlesischer park, a former four storey watchtower still stands. It was a command tower from which 18 other watch towers were supervised. The nearby border security was also supervised from here.

This command tower, known as a Führungsstelle, was a key node in East Germany’s border surveillance system along the Kreuzberg–Treptow section of the wall. From this elevated position, officers coordinated the activities of 18 watchtowers spread along the border, monitoring guards and observing the death strip below through high-powered optics.

Built in the 1960s as part of the second generation of border fortifications, the tower is one of only a handful that survived demolition after reunification. It was placed under heritage protection and now serves as a memorial and occasional exhibition space, maintained by a local citizens’ initiative. The tower stands at the edge of Schlesischer Busch park, a stark concrete reminder amid the greenery, near the Landwehr Canal.

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