PHOTO GALLERY: RÜMMLER’S U7

THE U7 IN its current form was largely a product of Cold War-era West Berlin, and is arguably the most “West Berlin” of all U-Bahn lines. Despite being Berlin’s longest U-Bahn line (as well as one of the longest underground urban rail lines in all of Europe at 31.8 kilometers), every single one of its stations, from Rudow in the southeast to Rathaus Spandau in the northwest, falls within the borders of the former West Berlin.

The line was greatly expanded in the decades following WWII, when existing stations were improved and linked, and new stations and tunnels were built. The westernmost stretch of the U7, between Konstanzer Straße and Rathaus Spandau, was built between 1978 and 1984. The stations along this stretch were designed by architect Rainer G. Rümmler, and featured brightly colored tiles (often patterned into large, psychedelic murals), painted metal and plastic panels, and unique structural oddities in both the interiors and exteriors of the stations.

Many of Rümmler’s stations on the U7 (as well as others on the U6, U8, and U9) were recently granted protected status, assuring their protection in an era of relentless construction and modernization.

All images are from U7 stations between Konstanzer Straße and Rathaus Spandau.