Schönholzer Mauerreste
The Schönholzer Mauerreste is an 80-metre triangular section of early-era Berlin Wall, built from World War II rubble in the early 1960s. Concealed and forgotten for 30 years, it was rediscovered in 1999 and officially recognized as a heritage site in 2018.
Unlike the smooth concrete slabs of the later “third generation” wall that most visitors see at memorial sites, the Schönholzer remains show the improvised construction of the Wall’s earliest years. The barrier here was built using rubble from bombed-out houses, stacked and mortared into a rough wall. This type of construction was common in 1961-62 before the GDR standardized the border fortifications.
The remains of the Berlin Wall east of Berlin-Schönholz Railway station have been identified in 2018 (Photo: Global Fish)
The wall section forms a triangle near S-Bahn Schönholz in the Reinickendorf district. After the Wall fell in 1989, the area was overgrown with vegetation and largely forgotten. It was rediscovered by local historians in 1999, who recognized its significance as one of the very few surviving examples of early wall construction.
The site was fenced off to protect it and was officially listed as a heritage monument in 2018. A small viewing area allows visitors to see the remains, which offer a stark contrast to the engineered precision of the later wall segments preserved at sites like the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse.
The remains of the Berlin Wall east of Berlin-Schönholz Railway station have been identified in 2018 (Photo: Global Fish)
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