Thursday, June 04, 2015

The History of Squatting & Clubbing in Berlin


Club Kataster is a map of Berlin nightclubs. The map provides a handy guide for anyone who wishes to find a nightclub in the German capital.

If you select a club's marker on the map you can find the club's address and a link to the club's website. The map also has a fascinating timeline which allows you to explore the history of Berlin's clubbing scene.  Select the 'Zeitleiste' button in the map menu and you can use the timeline to explore Berlin's historical nightclub scene since the 1950's.

I'm not sure how complete the historical club data is. In the 80's I think I visited more clubs in Kreuzberg than are shown on the map. Although I must admit my Berlin clubbing memories are a little hazy.


Berlin Besetzt is a map showing the locations of squats in Berlin from 1970 to the present day. You can view all the houses that have been squatted in this period or you can use the date slide control to view the history of squatting in Berlin over the last few decades.

Using the date control it appears that 1981 was the golden age for squatters in Berlin. It is also interesting to note the rise of squatting in east Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The map also reveals that Kreuzberg has remained a very popular area for Berlin squatters for more that thirty years.

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