Sun, May 13, 2012 - 26K - 03:00:00
26K Adventure Run to Teufelsberg
Teufelsberg has always been one of my goals for an adventure run, and after reading that my friend Scott ran to the top of Colorado near Aspen, I decided it was time to run to the top of Berlin at Teufelsberg (115 meters above sea level). It's an artificial hill built from 1950-1972 with 75 million cubic meters of rubble from destroyed Berlin on top of a blown up Nazi military technical university, and throughout the Cold War used by the United States National Security Agency to spy on Eastern Europe, this now deserted and dilapidated place radiates with symbolism. After running back down through Grunewald, I met my kids at Landwitz pool for refreshing post-26K swim, very nice! 
 
 
 
 
 
perfect running sky: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
nice mansion, google earth told me they are looking for a PHP developer, they had my application the next morning: 
 
 
 
 
 
under the AVUS: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Satellite view of Teufelsberg shown with my running route: 
 
Turning Google Earth back to 1953, you can see where foundation of the buried Nazi university lies: 
 
through a rather large hole in the fence, according to the Berliner Zeitung, tours are given on these "not-officially-open-to-the-public grounds": 
 
instant ghost town: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
getting out of Dodge: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
had always heard about this "Forest Kindergarten" where kids spend most of their time outside: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Street honoring Edward J. Flanagan, founder of Boys Town: 
 
site of former German/American Fest, soon to be office/apartment buildings: 
 
 
 
 
 
passed house where Friedrich Justus Perels lived, deported and murdered for his involvement in the Anti-Hilter resistance movement: 
 
 
 
met kids at Lankwitz swimming pool for an after-run swim, refreshing!