Olympia 2000? A university for meditation? Alongside all the building projects that have remade this city, Berlin is also home to plenty of unrealized developments – from sadly aborted dreams to schemes that make you wonder “What were they thinking?”.
In celebration of these 27 lost visions of the future, Japanese artist Akira Takayama has created a programme of six guided tours along the Ringbahn that tell the story of the transformative projects that never made it beyond the architect’s desk. What if Berlin is the name of the series, which runs until 20.09.2026 and is hosted by the Berliner Festspiele to mark the institution’s 75th anniversary.
Drawing from the Festspiele’s own archives as well as those of architects and cultural institutions, the tours are organized around themes such as the abandoned socialist projects of East Berlin and the cultural projects that sought to heal the city’s wounds. Each of the guided tours takes you on an S-Bahn ride covering a handful of the 27 stations that make up the Ringbahn, with starting and finishing points at Gesundbrunnen, Hohenzollerndamm and Sonnenallee. Once you have been on your orbital jaunt, you can vote for up to three of the 27 visions and help revive interest in them. Will it be “Radio Glasnost”, the “House of Young Talents” or the “Monument to Freedom and Unity”? The decision is between you, the S41 and the S42.
Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Camille Blake, Agit Trains S-Wedding
What if Berlin until 20.09.2026. Tickets are available on the website.
@berlinerfestspiele
