Teufelsberg, Germany

A disused listening station from the Cold War that has powerful echoes from the near-spherical radome and you can whisper into your own ears.

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Listening station

The abandoned spy station at Teufelsberg, Berlin is on top of Devil’s Mountain rising up from the Grünewald forest. This man-made hill was constructed from millions of cubic metres of rubble created by bombing raids and artillery bombardments during World War II. The remarkable acoustics is in the almost spherical radome on top of the highest derelict tower. These domes used to cover listening equipment used by the British and Americans to spy on the East. There are a number of different sounds effects you can play with in the dome. Climb on top of the concrete plinth and get into the middle of the sphere and the strong focus creates richocheting sounds when you clap your hands.

Alternatively, you can try whispering just off-centre, and see if you can find the right spot for whispering into one of your own ears. If you go to the side of the dome and a friend goes to the opposite side, you can use the walls as a whispering gallery. Whisper into the wall and your voice will skim the inside of the walls and your friend will hear your words apparently emerging from the graffitied walls. If instead of whispering quietly you make a loud bang near a wall, then you can hear the bang pass you several times as it does complete circuits of the dome walls. This sound example has three balloon bursts:

Being reverberant, the dome also attracts musicians to play music.

Location and logistics

Visiting details

Animated Clock

Watch and listen to the animated town clock at this UNESCO World Heritage site

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Goslar is a medieval masterpiece: narrow cobbled streets, canals and picturesque houses are some of attractions. Indeed, the whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. But for the sound tourist, it’s the old animated clock in the main square which is the must-see attraction. A procession of mechanical figures slowly troop out of the clock innards to re-enact the town’s history; celebrating its prosperous mining past.

Logistics and location

Situated in Goslar’s Marktplatz. Sounds at 9am, 12, 3pm and 6pm.

Sources and credits

  1. Photo: Gerhard Elsner (c) some rights reserved