Baumhaus an der Mauer
Baumhaus an der Mauer stands beside Berlin’s former Wall, on a small triangular patch physically located in West Berlin. Roads now surround the site, while the compact treehouse still occupies the former border landscape. Its unusual position placed the ground officially in East Germany, although the strip physically lay within West Berlin.
Osman Kalin, a Turkish migrant worker, turned neglected ground used as a dump into a garden and hut. Scrap materials gradually transformed that hut into a treehouse during the 1980s. East German border guards initially watched the construction with suspicion, then allowed the garden to remain. The Berlin Wall divided East and West Berlin from 1961 until 1989, making this garden an unusual exception.
After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, local residents helped prevent demolition. The preserved structure carries a story of division, creativity, and hope through one improvised garden. Its scrap-built walls and position beside roads keep the former border’s strange geography visible.
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