Berliner U-Bahn Museum, Railway museum at Olympiastadion station, Berlin, Germany
The Berliner U-Bahn Museum occupies the former electromechanical lever signal box of Olympia-Stadion station in Westend, in operation from 1931 to 1983. Its side rooms hold exhibits on the history of Berlin's subway, and the museum opened on 13 September 1997 under the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Berliner U-Bahn. It is described as the third subway museum in Europe, after Moscow and Budapest.
The building served as an operational control center from 1931 until 1983, managing signals for many rail lines across the city. When it closed, it was converted into a museum to keep the machinery and story of that former facility alive.
The museum displays work uniforms, badges, and photographs that show how subway staff looked and dressed across different decades. One room focuses on design elements from the 1950s, giving a sense of how the city and its transit looked at that time.
The museum opens only on the second Saturday of each month, so it is worth checking the date before planning a visit. It sits right next to Olympiastadion station and is easy to reach on foot without any long detour.
The museum occupies the lever frame signal box of Olympia-Stadion station, in service from 1931 to 1983. When it was replaced by a push-button panel, demolition was planned, but former BVG staff objected and the equipment was kept. Ernst Neumann, a subway employee, pushed for its preservation; the lever interlocking is now the centrepiece of the collection.
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