Die Alte Eisfabrik (The Old Ice Factory)

We wanted to have a look at some of Berlin's fabled abandoned buildings, so headed to the relatively easy to access Eisfabrik, which stands decrepit on the banks of the Spree.

You can essentially walk straight into the factory, having only to climb over a wall ( which has helpfully had fencing propped against it to facilitate easy access for urban wanderers) to get in.

The factory produced ice for almost 100 years, having closed in 1995. Since then there have been various campaigns to save the building, which is listed and yet in a terrible state of repair. As far as I can gather, the owners of the site are keen to demolish, whereas campaign groups want it to be renovated and restored.

I actually found the visit quite bleak. There is little left to give an impression of the actual workings of ice manufacture, apart from some impressive pieces of machinery on the ground floor. The overwhelming impression I got was of the lives of people who have used and are currently using the factory as a temporary home which, as we visited just after the harshest part of the winter had come to an end, was somewhat harrowing.

In fact, I often felt I was trespassing in somebody's home as we came across rooms containing sleeping bags, old clothes, human waste and bags of rubbish. The rubbish ended up being what interested me most.

Of course, the view from the top of the factory, as with any moderately tall building in Berlin, is great. It was an interesting hour or so, but not the most uplifting.

Die Eisfabrik is just 5 minutes walk from Heinrich-Heine Str. U-Bahn, on the U8.