Colourful characters beneath Berlin – in pictures

Berlin is known for its underground scene of artists, DJs and techno, but it was the actual underground that captured the attention of photographer Sebastian Spasic. In his project Berlin Lines, a collaboration with website Pixartprinting, Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them. “Subway stations are part of people’s daily landscape but in most cases go unnoticed,” he says, “but if people wake up to some elements of the stations, like the rich typography, the colour palettes, they can appreciate a new point of view full of meaning and interesting facts.” To Spasic, Berlin is one of the world’s creative capitals: “It’s an eclectic city with a youthful and tolerant mentality. It’s best experienced and not explained.”

Temitope Kalejaiye

Main image: Eleni Siozos in Postdamer Platz, Berlin. Photograph: Sebastian Spasic

  • Testament to industry, Siemensdamm, Kiran Talat

    Kiran Talat came to Berlin from Turkey in 1970. His father had come before him and opened a tailor’s shop; in 1991, Kiran took over the workshop. His shop is next to the Siemensdamm station, which is itself a monument to Germany’s drive towards economic development, drawing people from all over the world in search of a better life.
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.

  • A secret garden, Paulsternstrasse, Kerstin Reppin

    Stars on the ceiling, flowers on the walls and vegetable-pattern mosaics: this is what Kerstin Reppin sees every day when she goes underground to take the train to work. This secret garden is a work by one of the main architects of Berlin’s U-Bahn: Rainer G Rümmler.
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.

  • Caught in the middle, Postdamer Platz, Eleni Siozos

    “The very night when Berlin’s wall fell, a friend of mine, her father and I went to Potsdamer Platz and climbed the wall,” says Eleni Siozos. “For me, this place is the symbol of change and reconstruction. Half a year later, I strolled with my grandmother here, in the former ‘no man’s land’ along the border. I still remember how that void impressed me.”
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.

  • Crossing point, Rosenthaler Platz, Mathias Bratsch

    After being a ghost station for decades, Rosenthaler Platz became a border crossing once the wall came down. “People from east and west came together, and it became a symbol of intercultural understanding,” says Bratsch. The orange colour of the tiles also inspired the logo of his dog food company, Vegan4Dogs.
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.

  • Berlin’s quintessence, Richard Wagner Platz, George Pavlopoulos

    “This station stands for all the things that I always thought Berlin was,” says George Pavlopoulos. “There is a famous composer, there is a Nazi past, there is colourful design, and there is the transformation of old buildings into new ones. Berlin is making a real effort to protect every single piece of the city’s collective memory.”
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.

  • Mother lode of creativity, Fehrbelliner Platz, Arthur Lagoeiro Alvarenga

    “On Friday and Saturday nights, young groups of every tribe hop inside the subway cars: people with all sorts of clothes, hair, skin, eye colours,” says Arthur Lagoeiro Alvarenga, who is from Brazil. “Something about Berlin makes you want to challenge yourself in a deep and positive way and start a never-ending search for what makes you you.”
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.

  • In love with deep red, Osloer Strasse, Isis Caceres

    “The intense red of this station will always remind me of the first summer I spent in Berlin: going here after a long afternoon at the lake, or switching trains to go from work to the gym,” says Isis Caceres. “As an interior designer, I was instantly attracted to the different colours and striking architecture I found in Berlin’s underground.”
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.

  • Sound of history, Jannowitzbrucke, Susanne Werth

    Sounds play a big part in Susanne Werth’s connection with the U-Bahn: she played music in underground stations for a long time, her guitar echoing through the passageways. Jannowitzbrucke was the first ghost station to reopen, on 11 November 1989, two days after the fall of the Berlin wall, allowing Susanne and other street musicians to play there.
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.

  • Underground forest, Jungfernheide, Justin Raymond Merino

    Jungfernheide means “maidens’ forest”, named after a large forest that once stood near the station. Cultural activist Justin Raymond Merino believes that a new forest has replaced it – underground. Jungfernheide is one of the stations where colours, typography and design most vividly transform the underground space.
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.

  • Opening the bunker, Pankstrasse, Charlotte Schippmann

    Pankstrasse is a symbol of care and hope for Charlotte Schippmann. Near this station she meets weekly with a 14-year-old migrant girl to mentor her with her everyday problems. However, on top of the train lines is one of the few remaining bunkers Hitler built all over Berlin when he sensed the end was near. The bunker was maintained during the Cold War.
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.

  • Homage to heroism, Mierendorff Platz, Hartmut Weidemann

    Some Berliners say the psychedelic decoration of Mierendorff Platz gives them headaches, but subway lover Hartmut Weidemann has no problem with the trippy red Ms. He loves just about everything on rails and runs a specialised shop for model railroad trains, including the U-Bahn.
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.

  • Crossroads of style, Westhafen, Elisa Zeller

    “I love using the underground because people with very different cultures and styles mix there,” says jewellery designer Elisa Zeller. “I see a woman close to me with an interesting ring: when I go home, I sketch it and keep the drawing for inspiration.”
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.

  • Einstein’s train, Bayerischer Platz, Werner Friedrichs

    In the early 20th century, the “Bavarian quarter” of Schönberg was inhabited by artists, scientists and intellectuals, including Albert Einstein (who took his train to work at this station) and Erich Fromm. Werner Friedrichs and his wife are co-founders of the Citizens Action Committee, which looks after the neighbourhood.
    In his project Berlin Lines photographer Sebastian Spasic photographed 20 people in the German capital’s metro stations that had a particular significance to them.
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