Haus Schwarzenberg

Museums, galleries and performance spaces in one cultural creative collaboration
Word to the wise: Check the website for details of the frequent parties, exhibitions, workshops – many for children – and shows held in this incredible space.

Noteworthy for: The giant metal monsters will come to life waving their wings or gaping their jaws if you put a Euro in the slot machine.
Amidst the gleaming retail magnets of Mitte lies this tantalising taste of old Berlin; gloriously and conspicuously unkempt Haus Schwarzenberg is both a witness to German history and a hub of international creative subculture. Behind the pockmarked facade hides a graffitied courtyard surrounded by cafes, bars, an independent cinema, performances venues, an art and book store, workshops, two galleries – Monster Kabinett and Neurotitan gallery – and a trio of small, interesting museums.

The property has variously been used as a shared living commune, a GDR production office and a factory that employed and hid Jews during WWII. Explore the fascinating history in the Museum Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt here. Concealed behind a wardrobe door, you can see the untouched rooms where Weidt hid Jewish families – a terrifyingly evocative experience. Empty from the war until 1995, a group of artists called Dead Chickens moved in and slowly created the creative culture now thriving here.