Hallesches Tor

The Hallesches Tor subway station in Kreuzberg is a historic transfer point on the Berlin U-Bahn, named for the former Hallesches Tor gate in the city's customs and excise wall. One of the first stations in the capital, it opened on February 18, 1902. The architects Hermann Solf and Franz Wichards designed the elevated station in a blend of Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque styles. Its most striking features were the use of a very light-colored stone and the two small towers at the entrance, which were decorated with the winged wheels of the elevated railway company. In 1923, an underground station for what is now the U6 line was added, built to designs by Walter Koeppen. Because the City of Berlin refused to redesign the Belle-Alliance Bridge, a long connecting tunnel was built to allow transfers between the competing lines.

World War II left the station heavily damaged, and both parts had to be closed in 1945. While the underground section reopened as early as July, the elevated station survived the war years only as a makeshift wooden platform before reopening in a simplified form in 1949. In the 1970s, the U6 station underwent a thorough remodeling in which the platform was lengthened and clad with blue metal panels and red signs. An orange supervisor's booth added a bold splash of color. The look of the stations has barely changed since.

For travelers and commuters, the station is now a central hub where the U1, U3, and U6 lines meet. In recent years, the focus has been on making it accessible, which included installing several elevators. Looking ahead, the Berlin transit authority (BVG) plans a comprehensive overhaul of both the U6 station and the elevated station in order to further modernize the infrastructure and create additional entrances.