The Central Animal Laboratory of the Freie Universität, known as the Mäusebunker, is one of Berlin’s best examples of Brutalist architecture. We visited the building at the end of December 2016 to see this strange-looking structure in the middle of Lichterfelde.
It took us a while to find it, but once you see it, there is no way of ignoring it based on its monstrous appearance and the contrast with the area surrounding it.
We first came across this building on a Pinterest board about architecture. At that moment, we knew we needed to learn more about the structure and visit the place to take pictures of everything. But we were not expecting to find such an odd-looking building in Lichterfelde, between the Teltowkanal and a busy road in Steglitz.
We mention the area here because it contrasts with the location, which makes the Mäusebunker such an architectural masterpiece.
What is the Mäusebunker? A Guide to Berlin’s Unusual Building
The Mäusebunker was designed by Gerd Hänska, a German architect whose work can be stylistically described as brutalism. In the sixties and seventies, he created the Walt Disney Elementary School in Gropiusstadt and the Kindertagsstätte of the Karl-Bonhoeffer-Nervenklinik in Wittenau.
However, his most famous work is the infamous Central Animal Laboratory of the Freie Universität.
The Mäusebunker construction took over a decade of development due to opposition from the people in the neighborhood and animal rights activists. There was also a funding issue. The initial cost estimation from the project was around 4 million Deutschmarks, but it ended up costing close to 126 million by the end of construction.
This was to have an animal laboratory that could host up to 45,000 mice, 20,000 rats, 5,000 rats, and a smaller number of frogs, sheets, chickens, and pigs. Fewer animals are present today, and the focus is only on mice, emphasizing transgenic models for disease research.
You almost feel like you shouldn’t be there when you visit this place. How the Mäusebunker was designed brings up a threatened or intimidating presence. Walking around, I wondered why this structure needed to be defended—something like a spaceship from a sci-fi movie.
We can only imagine how the building must have looked to the people of Berlin in the 1970s. Before the concrete was discolored and the brown marks started to show, maybe this building was attractive to the people around it. But we cannot be sure about it.
Mäusebunker: A Story of Architecture, Protest, and Tragedy
One of the first things that caught our eyes when we visited the Mäusebunker was the sloped angles of the outer walls, making it look like one of the many Berlin Bunkers from the Second World War. Such a geometrical feature is something we don’t see in most buildings, making this place even more enjoyable for our cameras.
This basic shape is interrupted by sections of large cylindrical blueish-gray ventilation pipes that control and provide air supply to the laboratories inside. But they made it look even more like a military spaceship, which we love.
In the last few years, the building has been in the news for the death of several technicians exposed to asbestos. In 2010, the Mäusebunker went through renovations. Supposedly, everything is fine now. Since we didn’t go inside the building, there is no way for us to tell this for sure.
We’re fans of the Mäusebunker for its utilitarian look, visual originality, and innovative design. Most people see an ugly building, but we are trying to look beyond it, which is why everyone interested in architecture should visit this building in the south of Berlin.
If you are interested in the Mausebunker, you should read what we wrote on the Battleship Berlin, a short film by Nathan Eddy about the building. We also wrote a long article about Brutalism in Berlin that we believe you might like.
Mäusebunker and Brutalism: Exploring Berlin’s Architectural Heritage
Krahmerstraße 6, 12207
Berlin, Germany
