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Prenzlauer Berg
A paradise for families, a playground for hipsters and trendsetters, or just a cozy residential area? Prenzlauer Berg is all that and so much more. more
Entrance to the Pfefferberg area.
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Beer used to be brewed on the Pfefferberg site in Prenzlauer Berg. Today, Pfefferberg is an exciting place for art, culture and social events.
Since 1990, Pfefferwerk e.V. and its subsidiary, the non-profit Pfefferwerk Gesellschaft zur Förderung von Stadtkultur mbH, have endeavored to make the property between Senefelderplatz and Teutoburger Platz, popularly known as Pfefferberg, usable for socio-cultural purposes. Both institutions saw themselves as promoters of the interaction of different living environments: culture is seen as an ideal value that only emerges and is realized through the combination of social, cultural and commercial activities.
This approach is also related to the immediate surroundings of Prenzlauer Berg, as displacement and segregation developments within the traditional urban structure are particularly evident here, and the need to create "open spaces and relief" appears particularly urgent. As the Pfefferberg property on the site of the former Pfeffer brewery, founded in 1841, had been in a state of decay for years, the Pfefferwerk association made successful efforts to restore the venue.
Characteristic of the site, which has been owned equally by the federal government and the state of Berlin since 1989, is the elevated beer garden, which, five meters above street level, defines the urban development situation on Schönhauser Allee.
From 1990 to 1994, parts of the site were used sporadically for social work and the first cultural events, but the short-term awarding of usage contracts prevented continuous activity during this period. Since September 1994, an open-ended contract has been in place with the housing association for the use of some houses in the front part of the Pfefferberg, the event hall with beer garden, the gallery and a building for administration and social work. The Pfefferwerk Foundation has been the owner since the end of 1999.
Since then, the year-round program has included concerts, dance and theater performances, performances, cabaret and variety shows, readings and dance parties. The focus is on the series of events, which have in common that unknown artists are also given the opportunity to introduce themselves to a wider audience.
The Pfefferberg site has also been home to the Museum for Architectural Drawing since 2013. Architectural drawings from various eras from the 16th century onwards are on display in an exciting new building on the brewery site.
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A paradise for families, a playground for hipsters and trendsetters, or just a cozy residential area? Prenzlauer Berg is all that and so much more. more