Review: Tacheles
Tacheles will show you Berlin’s weird, alternative side
Review by Vincent Alblas
Imagine: it’s the year 1907 and the rich investors of the prosperous city of Berlin decide to build an exclusive department store in the Jewish quarters. The department store, named Friedrichsstadtpassagen, gets partially destroyed during the WWII Battle for Berlin and it ends up in East-Berlin after the war. When in the 80s the Communist government decides to demolish the building, a group of alternative young squatters occupy the building. They build bars, a club, a cinema, art galleries, and a rooftop terrace, and open these to anyone who wants to visit. We call this house of free spirits Tacheles.
My experience
There was a time in 2006 when I hung out in Tacheles more than was good for me. I relaxed and talked with friends in Studio 54 on the ground floor or enjoyed a good German lager in the unnamed bar on the third floor. Other nights I squeezed myself between the people in the always-busy windowless bar on the top floor. And when I was fed up with these bars, I strolled through the weird art galleries or visited Zapata, probably the best club in town.
Whatever you like, there’s always something for you. Studio 54 is a very trendy and modern bar, with occasional DJ nights. It’s a good place to start the evening. The unnamed bar on the third floor has some big comfortable armchairs and has a very relaxed mood thanks to the intimate lay-out and red lighting scheme. All the art galleries, that are often being created under influence of some mind-expanding substances, are a great opportunity to see what you can create if you don’t listen to your parents’ phrase “Don’t do any drugs or alcohol”.
Tacheles is a phenomenon that everybody wants to visit, so unfortunately commercialism has even found its way inside the thick walls of the former shopping mall. They now often (if not always) ask an entrance fee to the beach-like backyard of the squatter’s complex, and prices for drinks have been raised several times during the years.
But still, Tacheles is a place you have to visit. The graffiti-covered walls, the decaying façade, the drunken people sleeping in the staircase, and the strange art that lays hidden behind each door: it all adds up to become the sum that’s called Tacheles.
Hot tip
The windowless bar on the top floor is a stripped-down joint and doesn’t offer much comfort, but it does give you a romantic view over the city. But be quick, because the lease with the property owner ended in 2008 and the future of Tacheles is uncertain.
Directions
Walk from the Generator Berlin to the tram stop. Take the M6 toward Schwarzkopfstrasse and get off at Oranienburger Strasse. It’s a few minutes walking from there.
More info
Check the official website for more information.
Tacheles is located in the Oranienburger Strasse, near U-Bahn station Oranienburger Tor.
