HIDDEN GEM:IF THE QUEUE to ascend the Reichstag is unappealing, Teufelsberg, in west Berlin, also offers a brilliant view of Germany's capital, writes MARK RODDEN
A trip to the man-made hill is a worthwhile alternative to viewing the city from the parliament building and cheaper than looking out from the top of the TV tower at Alexanderplatz.
Situated in the Grunewald area of the city, near Heerstrasse S-Bahn station, Teufelsberg, which translates as Devil's Mountain, is a 115m mound that overlooks Berlin and its lakes and forests.
The hill was built by Allied forces after the second World War, using some of the rubble that littered the ruined city after the defeat of the Nazis. Before then the site had been designated as the location of a military college that formed part of Hitler's plan to rebuild Berlin as the Welthauptstadt(world capital), Germania.
Another reminder of the city's recent history is a mysterious-looking former US listening station (above), which monitored activities in East Berlin.
Teufelsberg offers more than just a panoramic view of the city. At the summit, locals and tourists enjoy picnics, fly kites or model aircraft and photograph the skyline as the sun sets. In winter, if you're brave enough, you can toboggan down to the bottom. On the autumn evening we visited, some of the more adventurous there were casually paragliding into the woods below, then climbing back up and doing it all again.
One word of warning, though: on your way to Teufelsberg you'll need to be wary of stumbling across some of the wild boar that inhabit Grunewald forest. Perhaps that queue at the Reichstag doesn't seem so discouraging after all.
•Teufelsberg, Teufelsseechaussee,Berlin, Germany
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