Urban Regeneration: an award-winning redevelopment project in Berlin

built in the mid-nineteenth century that entered Berlin from the south. Tracks, sheds and warehouses belonging to three old railway stations - Dresdner Bahnhof (1875-1882), Potsdamer Bahnhof (1838-1944) and Anhalter Bahnhof (1839-1952) - are situated on a raised area some twenty hectares in size, at a height of four metres above the surrounding ground level. B. As the railway infrastructure gradually ceased to be used, the whole area of Gleisdreieck became increasingly run down and abandoned, to the point of being used as a rubbish tip after 1945. Meanwhile, vegetation took over, turning it into a surprising, natural haven in the middle of built-up areas. The closeness of the wall which divided the city of Berlin between 1961 and 1990 also contributed to the fact that Gleisdreieck was for decades clearly identified as no-man's-land. Only a station of the same name in Berlin's underground railway system testified to its existence. Shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, however, the German Museum of Technology was established there, attracting large numbers of visitors and giving visibility to the site. More importantly, the unification of the formerly divided city gave the location more centrality, at which point it…