Berlin: area by area - North of the Centre - Tacheles

Art and Ruins

The Tacheles art house is a cultural centre in the ruins of a former department store.This building is a favourite destination for tourists trying to catch the last of Berlin's famed but fast-disappearing "morbid charm".
Tacheles provides exhibition space for contemporary artists, a forum for the experimental theatre scene, and a cinema ("high end 54") that specialises in seldom-shown films. It also houses 20 studios and workshops. The building was originally part of the Friedrichstadtpassagen, built between 1907 and 1909 under the supervision of the Imperial Building Officer, Franz Ahrens.
This luxurious department store was the last great shopping arcade to be built in Europe. It was used by the AEG from 1928 until 1934, when it was taken over by the Nazis. In 1943, bombs hit the building. In 1983, it was partially demolished. In 1990, the Tacheles Artists' Initiative squatted the ruins, and the building was issued with a protection order.