Entry to some of Berlin’s top clubs is so strict that there was even a website developed, known as “Berghaintrainer”. Here, wanna-be partygoers practice getting inside the elusive doors.
But this Friday and Saturday there will be no line and no bouncers at eight of Berlin’s clubs
PAAAARTY!!! Not quite, instead some of the world-famous, techno booming Goliaths are opening their doors to the public as “monuments”. This Saturday, September 10th, is the Day of Open Monuments in Germany. Cities around the nation will be opening their doors to visitors. Here, you can enjoy free access to some of Germany’s most historic churches, theaters, museums and cemeteries.
Berlin, naturally, stepped it up a notch and is including something a bit more off abnormal—it’s clubs. So for all you visitors that have wanted to see inside, rest assured there will be no waiting in long lines (there’s also an app to check the line at Berghain). And, no having to try to get past the grouchy bouncers either.
Well, actually you still won’t be getting into Berghain; it’s not on the list. But don’t worry some top clubs such as KitKatClub, Silverwings, Chalet, Club der Visionäre and Arena club.
“The club culture and buildings have a great historical value”
According to Eberhard Elfert from the Club Commission, “The clubs themselves have a great economic value for Berlin. Tourists come here for them as much as for the Brandenburg Gate,”
“But the club culture and buildings also have a great historical value.”
A common characteristic among Berlin’s club culture has been focused on preserving older buildings in the way in which they were historically. Clubs such as Chalet, Club der Visionäre and Arena are located within a former recreational area. Chalet, for example is housed in a Prussian-built tollhouse. It still features the original architecture.
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KitKatCLUB, an infamous sex club in the Berlin, set up shop in a building which once had an entrance to the Heinrich-Heine-Strasse U-Bahn in its basement.
During the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, it was closed to preserve the division of the city. When the club moved in after the fall of the wall in the 1990s they kept the door closed to give visitor a small glimpse into the “daily life of East Berliners”.
Another historic spot, also featured on our list of abandoned spaces in Berlin, Tempelhof Airport, is the home of SilverWings club. The airport itself dates back to post-World War II when American soldiers were stationed in Berlin. They used the airport to bring supplies to West Berlin. At the time, it was a popular nightlife spot with a uniquely American charm—serving cheeseburgers and fries—and even hosting country music legend Johnny Cash.
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Those interested in tours this Friday and Saturday are asked to register at clubkultour.de.
