Railway pioneers

The 2nd Railway Regiment built a military bridge on the training ground, but it collapsed due to a material defect. In the background are the barracks in General-Pape-Strasse, 1893
Archiv zur Geschichte von Tempelhof und Schöneberg

Military personnel during bridge construction training at the premises of the training ground, 1915. On the right are houses located in Königsweg (now Naumannstrasse)
Landesarchiv Berlin

Construction file for Naumannstrasse 31–85, House 34, 1939. The Berlin army construction office is named as the owner.
Bauarchiv Tempelhof-Schöneberg

Railway pioneers

The area south of Kolonnenstrasse and east of Königsweg (now Naumannstrasse) had belonged to the military treasury since the middle of the 19th century. The treasury had gradually bought up land in this area from Schöneberg and Tempelhof farmers to be used a training ground for the Berlin garrison. Before this time there had often been long drawn-out conflicts because the farmers had demanded compensation from the military for damage to their fields.

From 1872 on the area served the newly recruited railway troops as a training ground. Here they learned how to build temporary bridges and tunnels and to lay or repair the tracks.

Utilised by the military

In the First World War the Berlin military construction office expanded the training grounds at Königsweg and built a number of storage buildings and workshops adjacent to the churchyard.

After the war and demobilisation the area was still partly used by the military. Under the Nazi regime the army construction office built several elongated brick buildings on the east side, which were used as residential and storage buildings. These buildings are largely preserved today and used commercially and as studios.