According to Berliner Zeitung, around 3,500 police officers are securing the Berlin Security Conference, which meets on Tuesday and Wednesday in the German capital. Drivers and public transport passengers should expect significant traffic restrictions throughout the day.
Where the conference takes place
The event is organized by the trade magazine Behörden Spiegel. Politicians, defence industry representatives and military officials are meeting at a hotel on Landsberger Allee to discuss military threats and the security situation. More than 140 speakers are scheduled to appear on various panels.
The police have sealed off the venue widely. Double barriers surround the hotel, and visitors are checked in a tent in front of the entrance before they can go inside.
Government quarter and rivers
The government district is also closed off, and police have placed sharpshooters on the surrounding rooftops. According to the report, the highest security level applies to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is attending the conference and is staying at a hotel in City West. He is due to be received at the Federal Chancellery by Friedrich Merz.
Bridges over the Berlin-Spandau Ship Canal near the Chancellery are closed. Water police patrol the Spree with boats, and inflatable boats with police officers are also on the water.
Impact on S-Bahn service
During the visit to the conference, the airspace over Berlin is temporarily closed. The S-Bahn ring between Ostkreuz and Greifswalder Straße is also affected, and train service on this section is suspended while the visit takes place. According to S-Bahn, lines S41, S42, S8 and S85 are affected.
The information released by Berliner Zeitung does not specify the exact times of the closures, so passengers planning trips through central Berlin on these days should check current service updates from the operator before travelling.