Press Release

Berlin in the Underground – Potsdamer Platz 
An interactive journey through time on CD-ROM

Berlin, September 2001 
How can you “dig up” 150 years of Berlin’s and Germany’s history, concentrated beneath the Potsdamer Platz square? How can you experience the thrill of a dark and mysterious world under the German capital? The underground expert Dietmar Arnold and Eku Wand, producer of the interactive documentary thriller “Berlin Connection” which has received several awards, have opened “Berlin’s belly” to the public. Arnold, the author of several works about Berlin’s underground, has compiled a unique documentation about the subterranean buildings under the new centre of Berlin – most of which have already been demolished, replaced by new structures or are simply crumbling away. Eku Wand developed the script for an interactive story and, in his multimedia production studio, worked out special features such as panoramic all-round pictures of the underground buildings.

The result is the interactive edutainment CD-ROM Berlin in the Underground – An interactive Journey through Time under the Potsdamer Platz. It presents the turbulent history of Berlin from its “inauguration” as the German capital in 1871 right up to the present in a fascinating and atmospheric way.

The Underground Perspective adds a new Dimension to the German Metropolis
The CD-ROM covers four historical periods: 1871–1933, 1933–45, 1945–89 and 1990–2001. Unique images, up-to-date audio reports and film clips which have previously not been available to the public will give you access to a “secret” history of the city. The CD-ROM will take you from Berlin’s first subterranean public transport systems to the Third Reich air raid shelters. It will take you into a “ghost station” of the divided postwar city or into the modern underground “cathedrals” which have recently been constructed under the Potsdamer Platz. You will click your way through mysterious rooms, activate light switches and ventilation systems – and, having completed your underground journey, you will find yourself in front of an old index card drawer from the thirties which contains the historical sources.

Presented in an Interactive and Stimulating Manner
More than 600 photos, ground plans, illustrations, cross-sections and 90 minutes of spoken word have been subdivided into 43 chapters and can be accessed with the help of interactive index cards. Navigation aids enable the presentation of complex issues and, in some places, offer links to related websites for those who want to know more. Interactive aerial pictures provide comprehensive views or zoom in on details. Containing more than 40 subterranean objects which can be clicked on for additional information, they impressively highlight the drastic changes this urban landscape has undergone in the last 120 years. An interactive walk enables you to experience an air raid shelter.
An “information desk” will, last but not least, tell you about relevant literature, museums and guided tours.

Making it possible to experience Current History with the engaged Use of Multimedia Technology
Eku Wand – Professor of Media Design / Multimedia, Designer and Producer
Over a period of 9 months, a huge amount of material was compiled – using the newest multimedia technology – into a coherent, atmospheric production. As multimedia pioneer Eku Wand puts it: “In comparison to a museum, the virtual and interactive presentation of the sources is of particular value. This particularly applies to the bunkers which have normally been demolished or covered with soil, and are, consequently, not accessible to the wider public”. He elaborates: “The user, always the focus of our attention, can explore all the fascinating material interactively and systematically”. For this purpose, we have developed an interactive tour through one particular subterranean object. Spending six days at the site, we produced all-round panorama pictures which are presented on the CD-ROM with the looks of an adventure game.

Dietmar Arnold – Town Planner, Author and Chairman of the Berlin Underworlds Association
“Up to 40% of all buildings in Berlin’s inner city are located beneath the surface. At the Potsdamer Platz, more than half of the new structures were built underground. It is this particular point where 150 years of Berlin’s and Germany’s history have been “compressed” uniquely. Unlike Paris or Rome, the catacombs of Berlin are not yet included in any sightseeing programs. This multimedia production documents a hidden aspect of history and illuminates some particularly interesting, but inaccessible bits of the city” says town planner Dietmar Arnold who has already published several books about Berlin’s underground. As the chairman of the Berlin Underworlds association, he has explored and documented historical subterranean architecture for many years and campaigns for its conservation. 

Facts
Around 600 photos, ground plans, illustrations, cross-sections and 90 minutes of spoken word. 
Interactive aerial pictures of the Potsdamer Platz from 5 decades, featuring details of particular objects. An interactive walk through an air raid bunker with 360° panoramas.

System requirements:
PC						Macintosh
Windows 98/Me/2000/XP			MacOS 8.6 or higher
Pentium II, 200 MHz			PowerPC G3, 233 MHz
32 MB RAM					32 MB RAM
Graphics card (8 MB), Sound card	24x CD-ROM drive
24x CD-ROM drive

Produced by		 			eku interactive, http://www.eku.de
in cooperation with				Dietmar Arnold
Supported by		 		Berliner Unterwelten e.V., 
http://www.berliner-unterwelten.de
						Der Tagesspiegel, http://www.tagesspiegel.de

Recommended retail price 17,90 Euros
1 CD-ROM in a Super Jewel Box / German Version
ISBN 3-935709-02-1
Available in bookshops and PC shops in Germany 
International orders can be made at http://www.eku.de/potsdamer-platz.html easily!

Dietmar Arnold
email	mailto:arnold@berliner-unterwelten.de
Author of the books  “Dunkle Welten” (5. Issue 2000) and 
“Der Potsdamer Platz von unten” (1. Issue 3/2001), Ch. Links Verlag

Press Contact:
eku interactive e.K.
Prof. Eku Wand
Zähringerstrasse 24
10707 Berlin
Germany
Phone 	+49 - 30 - 217 76 85
Fax 		+49 - 30 - 217 64 93
email		mailto:presse@eku.de
Internet site with numerous screenshots at:
Homepage	http://www.eku.de/potsdamer-platz.html

© 2001–2003 eku interactive e.K., Berlin. 
    Produced & published by eku interactive. All rights reserved.