June 5, 2019
The Big Pond #31: The Berlin Ringbahn

Ringbahn Treptowerpark
© Ama Split and Riky Kiwy

Hop on board Berlin’s Ringbahn, a suburban train that carries over 400,000 passengers each day and circles some of the city’s most authentic and lively neighborhoods. Producer trio Monika Müller-Kroll, Sylvia Cunningham, and Nikki Motson dedicate a day to riding the Ringbahn around the city. During their trip, they interview an array of Berliners entering and exiting at the train’s 27 stops, each station an entry into one of Berlin’s distinct districts.

In this episode, our producers speak with photographer Ama Split who, alongside her partner Riky Kiwy, documented each stop of the Ringbahn in their book Hundekopf (that’s “dog’s head” in German). The book gets its name from the shape of the route – on the Ringbahn’s Wikipedia page, you can trace the “dog’s head” yourself. Just draw an eye and a nose over the route map and the “dog” comes into focus.

Our producers also talk with Cornelius Kibelka, a 29-year-old Berliner, public transportation aficionado, and one of the editors of the Ringbahn’s Wikipedia page.
 
Finally, the trio meets Robin Kellermann, a research assistant at TU, the Berlin Institute of Technology, who is fascinated by the culture of waiting. Kellermann reflects on how the meaning of waiting has changed since public transportation’s inception in the city… What do we do while we wait for the train?
 
Along their journey, Monika, Sylvia, and Nikki meet travelers on platforms and on trains and they find out why the Ringbahn is such an essential part of Berlin daily life.

Music: “Midas Tongue” by Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop, licensed via Sub Pop Records; “Comptine d'un autre été” by Yann Tiersen, performed by a street musician; “Pears” by Jonathan Kroll, courtesy of the artist; “Berlin Ladies” by Warner Poland and Wolfgang Glum, licensed via Monobeat Music Berlin
 

More Episodes

Top