Scores of hills dot the edges of many German cities, but these are not natural.
They are known as Schuttberg, or debris hill.
This gave birth to rubble heaps, and nearly every city had one.
Berlin
Teufelsberg, with the abandoned NSAs listening post.
Photo:immodium/Shutterstock.com
Berlin, being the capital of Nazi Germany, was subjected to heavy bombing.
Half of all houses were damaged and as much as 16 square kilometers of the city was simply rubble.
These gave rise to several Schuttbergs, such as Teufelsberg, Oderbruchkippe, Insulaner and Groer and Kleiner Bunkerberg.
The Teufelsberg is the largest of Berlins rubble hills, standing at 115 meters tall.
But the structure was too solid, and it was decided that covering it with debris was easier.
The station continued to operate until the fall of East Germany and the Berlin Wall.
From the earliest times, Augsburg was militarily important due to its strategic location.
These factories became the targets of Allied bombing.
The rubble was transported to the north of the city, and dumped to create a 55-meter-tall mountain.
Photo:Neitram/Wikimedia Commons
Until the 1980s, the Augsburg-Nord landfill remained a neglected rubbish heap.
Cologne
The city of Cologne was also heavily hit by Allied bombers.
Only 300 houses had escaped unscathed.
Herkulesberg (center) between Colonius and KolnTurm at sunrise.
It was gradually renatured and converted into a local recreation area.
Photo:Andreas Thum/Wikimedia Commons
Luitpoldhugel.
A huge rusty cross on the top of Birkenkopf.
Photo:mezzotint/Shutterstock.com
During the war, nearly half of Stuttgart was destroyed by bombing.
The city center was completely razed to the ground.
The summit is still jagged with debris and there are many recognizable facades from ruined buildings.
The locals call the Birkenkopf Monte Scherbelino, which means Mount Shards.
Ruins still visible at the top of Birkenkopf.
