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Berghain () is a
nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...
in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It is named after its location near the border between
Kreuzberg Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Berlin-Mitte, Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in ...
and
Friedrichshain Friedrichshain () is a quarter (''Ortsteil'') of the borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany. From its creation in 1920 until 2001, it was a freestanding Boroughs of Berlin, city borough. Formerly part of East Berlin, it is adjace ...
and is a short walk from
Berlin Ostbahnhof Berlin Ostbahnhof ( German for Berlin East railway station) is a main line railway station in Berlin, Germany. It is located in the Friedrichshain quarter, now part of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough, and has undergone several name changes i ...
main line railway station.Panoramabar: Berlin's Underworld , XLR8R
Founded in 2004 by friends Norbert Thormann and Michael Teufele, it has since become one of the world's most famous clubs and has been called the world capital of
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...
. Berghain traces its roots to 1990s Berlin, beginning with
hardcore techno Hardcore (also known as hardcore techno) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in the early 1990s. It is distinguished by faster tempos (160 to 200 BPM or more) and a distorted sawtooth ...
and fetish parties in the Reichsbahnbunker, evolving into the influential gay club Ostgut in 1998. After Ostgut’s closure in 2003, its founders opened Berghain in 2004 in a former
power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...
, merging techno music with sexual freedom. It features a techno-focused main room, the
house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...
-oriented Panorama Bar, and a seasonal outdoor garden. Its sound systems are considered state-of-the-art. It was temporarily transformed into an
art space An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues ...
during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
before resuming club events in 2021. Lab.oratory is a male-only
sex club Sex clubs, also known as swinger clubs or lifestyle clubs, are formal or informal groups that organize sex-related activities, or establishments where patrons can engage in sex acts with other patrons. A sex club or swinger club differs from a br ...
located in the basement of Berghain, described by ''Rolling Stone'' as Berlin’s most extreme. Berghain is known for its extended weekend hours, strict and selective door policy, diverse
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
culture, dedicated spaces for sexual activity, and an environment that has been described as influencing fluidity in
sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...
and behavior. It has been embroiled in controversy over drug-related incidents, including
overdoses A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014.
and safety concerns, as well as political criticism linked to its
drug culture Drug cultures are examples of countercultures that are primarily defined by Entheogen, spiritual, Self-medication, medical, and recreational drug use. They may be focused on a single drug, or endorse polydrug use. They sometimes eagerly or reluct ...
and atmosphere. Berghain’s owners launched the
Ostgut Ton Ostgut Ton (also known as Ostgut Tonträger) is a German record label owned by the club Berghain in Berlin. Resident Advisor described it "a dominant force in dance music, beloved for its mix series and dozens of EPs, albums and compilations." T ...
record label in 2005, focusing on techno genres and releases from resident DJs, followed by the Ostgut Booking agency around 2007, both of which became influential in the dance music scene before closing in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Berghain has consistently ranked among the world’s top clubs in
DJ Magazine ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lati ...
’s Top 100 since 2008—reaching #1 in 2009—and has been repeatedly nominated as Best Global Club by the InternationalBerghain has consistently ranked among the world’s top clubs in DJ Magazine’s Top 100 since 2008—reaching #1 in 2009—and has been repeatedly nominated for Best Global Club by the
International Dance Music Awards The International Dance Music Awards or IDMAs was an annual awards ceremony held in Miami Beach, Florida, United States as a major part of the Winter Music Conference. The awards were held every year from 1985 to 2020, except for 2017, when the ...
. It is frequently referenced in music, television, film, and popular media.


History

Berghain's origins go back to the mid-1990s. Beginning in 1992, ''Reichsbahnbunker Friedrichstraße'' was used for
hardcore techno Hardcore (also known as hardcore techno) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in the early 1990s. It is distinguished by faster tempos (160 to 200 BPM or more) and a distorted sawtooth ...
parties. Thormann and Teufele hosted a male-only
fetish club A fetish club is a nightclub, bar, social club or other entertainment hub which caters to clientele interested in some of (but not necessarily all) fetish fashion, bondage, dominance/submission, and/or sadism and masochism (BDSM). Some clubs ha ...
night called Snax. ''Snax Club'' launched in 1994 with men-only events called ''Pervy Party''. One of the locations of Snax Club was Reichsbahnbunker in Mitte. In 1995, Snax Club also came to ''Vrieshuis Amerika'' in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
. After parties in Bunker ended in December 1996, Snax Club found a steady location of its own, which opened in 1998 and was called ''Lab.oratory''. Thormann and Teufele were offered to rent a depot building next to the Lab.oratory. This venue occupying a former railway repair depot in Friedrichshain became ''Ostgut.'' Lab.oratory hosted regular gay events, but "on certain nights of the month" Ostgut and Lab.oratory were combined into one space for Snax. Unless a Snax event took place, Ostgut was open to the general public. Despite being inclusive to all genders, Ostgut remained predominantly gay. It was a unique intersection between techno music and gay sex: "The main bar was located behind the dance floor as well as the darkrooms, more or less to the irritation of the party people from Mitte. In Mitte’s techno clubs, gay lifestyle played only a marginal role. And vice versa: Most gay clubs didn’t care much about modern club music." Two years after the Ostgut launch, the same team opened another space in the same building, this was named ''Panorama Bar''. All three spaces together had the address Mühlenstraße 26–30. According to
Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...
, Ostgut, "known for unique parties and boundless freedoms, sexual and otherwise, is considered to have paved the way for Berghain". "It remains Teufele’s and Thormann’s ultimate secret how they persuaded (or seduced) the gay crowd to dance to modern club music." Ostgut closed in January 2003, with the building slated for demolition and later replaced by a large indoor arena, the O2 World Berlin. Berghain opened in 2004 as a reincarnation of Ostgut. Panorama Bar opened in October 2004, the main space Berghain in December of the same year. A new Lab.oratory opened in 2005. The name "Berghain" is a
portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of the two city quarters that flank the south and north sides of the building, Kreuz''berg'' (formerly in
West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...
) and Friedrichs''hain'' (formerly in
East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...
), and has been described as evocative of the club's "post-1989 identity". The literal meaning of the German word ''Berghain'' is "mountain grove". The club is located in the former Friedrichshain Combined Heat and Power Plant built in 1953 as part of the flagship post-war Stalinallee development and abandoned in the 1980s. The space was originally rented from the energy company
Vattenfall Vattenfall is a Swedish multinational corporation, multinational electrical power industry, power company owned by the List of government enterprises of Sweden, Swedish state. Beyond Sweden, the company generates power in Denmark, Finland, Germa ...
but has been owned outright by the club since 2011. The building has a cavernous main room with 18-meter ceilings and is dominated by steel and concrete. The design of the club's interior, as well as later interior and exterior expansions of the venue, were carried out by the Berlin design firm ''Studio Karhard''. In 2016, a German court officially designated Berghain a cultural institution, which allows the club to pay a reduced tax rate.


Nightclub

The club's main room is focused on techno, with a smaller upstairs space, Panorama Bar, featuring
house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...
. An outdoor garden opens between late spring and early autumn to host daytime DJ sets. Berghain has a Funktion-One sound system on its main dance floor. Its first iteration, called the Dance Stack, was installed in 2005 and was one of the company's largest club installs. The Dance Stack was replaced with a new, updated Funktion-One system in 2023. The Panorama Bar system was upgraded in 2017 with a four-point line-array system with an additional six subwoofers from Studt Akustik. At the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic in Germany The COVID-19 pandemic in Germany has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths. On 27 January 2020, the first case in Germany was confirmed near Munich, Bavaria. By mid February, the arising cluster of cases had been fully contained ...
, in March 2020, Berghain closed along with all other nightclubs in Berlin. Over the summer, it hosted several sound art installations inside the building and garden. In September 2020, the indoors club reopened as an art space, hosting an exhibition titled "Studio Berlin" featuring 115 Berlin-based artists including
Tacita Dean Tacita Charlotte Dean CBE, RA (born 1965) is a British visual artist who works primarily in film. She was a nominee for the Turner Prize in 1998, won the Hugo Boss Prize in 2006, and was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 2008. She lives ...
,
Olafur Eliasson Olafur Eliasson (; born 5 February 1967) is an Icelandic–Danish artist known for sculptured and large-scaled installation art employing elemental materials such as light, water, and air temperature to enhance the viewer's experience. In 1995, ...
and
Wolfgang Tillmans Wolfgang Tillmans (born 16 August 1968) is a German Fine-art photography, photographer. His diverse body of work is distinguished by observation of his surroundings and an ongoing investigation of the photographic medium’s foundations. Tillman ...
. In October 2021, 19 months after shuttering, Berghain resumed indoor dance club events. Patrons are required either to be vaccinated against or to have recovered from COVID-19.


Lab.oratory

The basement holds a male-only establishment called "Lab.oratory", which ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' described in 2014 as being "known as Berlin’s most extreme
sex club Sex clubs, also known as swinger clubs or lifestyle clubs, are formal or informal groups that organize sex-related activities, or establishments where patrons can engage in sex acts with other patrons. A sex club or swinger club differs from a br ...
." For Snax parties, Lab.oratory and Berghain are combined into a single venue. This is in tradition with the old Snax at Ostgut in Mühlenstraße, but takes place less frequently.


Culture

Berghain has become associated with
decadence Decadence was a late-19th-century movement emphasizing the need for sensationalism, egocentricity, and bizarre, artificial, perverse, and exotic sensations and experiences. By extension, it may refer to a decline in art, literature, science, ...
and
hedonism Hedonism is a family of Philosophy, philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is the theory that all human behavior is Motivation, motivated by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. As a form of Psycholo ...
. It is open continuously most weekends from Saturday night through late Monday morning. The club offers dark rooms dedicated to sexual activity, and media have frequently reported on guests openly indulging in sexual acts. In 2019 ''Frieze'' magazine observed that in Berghain's early years, "the main room was mostly a space for
gay men Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual men, bisexual and homoromantic men may dually identify as ''gay'' and a number of gay men also identify as ''queer''. Historic terminology for gay men has included ''Sexual inversion (sexology), in ...
, ..and now its
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
palette is more mixed oweverthe club’s values remain the same: concealment, queerness and excess". The twice-yearly Snax Party is reserved for gay patrons only. No photos are allowed to be taken inside the club, and patrons are required to cover their smartphone cameras with a sticker. This policy was also maintained in 2020 when the club temporarily converted into an art space for the "Studio Berlin" exhibition during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the toilets of the club have no mirrors, purportedly so the club's guests are spared the "buzzkilling indignity of seeing their own faces after an epic partying session". A 2022 academic study described Berghain as a unique "pharmacolibidinal constellation", where existing sexual orientations may become porous, as well as preexisting behaviors altered, due to the environment. The club's door policy is notorious for being both strict and opaque, generating frequent debate and speculation. The club's bouncers have also been accused of racism. The head bouncer , who is a photographer, is also a minor celebrity in the techno scene.


Controversies and criticism

Berghain has, at times, been the focal point of controversy surrounding drug use in the club and consequential health emergencies. A 30-year-old American woman died in June 2017, shortly after she left Berghain, having taken ecstasy that she had supposedly purchased inside the club. While visiting
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, she, her husband, and their Dutch friend decided to visit the club late one night. She had her own MDMA pill taken by security, according to ''
Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'', and therefore bought two additional pills in the restroom of the club. After the effects of the pills started, where the woman showed signs of medical distress—by foaming from the mouth and losing consciousness—another person in the club, along with the club staff, allegedly delayed calling medical services, under the impression that the effects would wear off. After another fifteen minutes or so, an ambulance was called, and she was rushed to the hospital; however, she died shortly after arrival. A toxicology report revealed that the MDMA dosage she consumed was substantially greater than what is considered a standard recreational amount. This incident prompted extensive discussions within German media regarding the safety protocols associated with drug use in Berlin's nightlife, encompassing appeals for the implementation of on-site drug-checking services and enhanced emergency procedures. In 2019, there were unconfirmed reports of three individuals dying in a single night at Berghain after consuming pills that were marketed as ecstasy. Moreover, in 2022, incidents of needle spiking were encountered by clubbers at Berghain, where individuals were injected with unidentified drugs without their consent. Although these incidents have not been formally verified, they have helped fuel ongoing discussions regarding drug safety in nightclub settings. In spite of pressure from publicly documented cases of overdose, clubs such as Berghain have resisted introducing harm-reduction policies, including drug-checking, on the grounds of legal ambiguity and in order to maintain their low-interventionist policy. This has generated controversy among public health proponents, some of whom maintain that preventive measures could be taken to minimize health risks without undermining the cultural identity of the club. The German courts' official acknowledgment of the club as a cultural institution has raised additional concerns about state accountability and responsibility for public health and safety. Alongside drug scandals, Berghain has also had political scandals. In 2018,
AfD Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Germany. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), ...
politician Sibylle Schmidt called for the closure of the club in a motion. Her justification followed AfDs overall far-right leaning rhetoric, claiming the drug use and oversexualized atmosphere. The request was publicly ridiculed and not seriously considered, but it does speak volumes about the club's reverence and notoriety when it comes to its drug scene. There have been controversies regarding the clubs ties to Israel, and its employment of Israeli army personnel as security. According to a rumour, a man once tried to smuggle in G in a bottle of eye drops. When asked, he stated it was medication and was told to ingest it on the spot by security. Upon ingestion, it was reported that he suffered immense pain and damage to his eyes, and was subsequently taken to a hospital.


Record label and booking agency

In 2005, Berghain's owners started a record label,
Ostgut Ton Ostgut Ton (also known as Ostgut Tonträger) is a German record label owned by the club Berghain in Berlin. Resident Advisor described it "a dominant force in dance music, beloved for its mix series and dozens of EPs, albums and compilations." T ...
, conceived by former Ostgut resident DJ Nick Höppner after Ostgut's closure in 2003. Its first releases were by Berghain/Panorama Bar DJ residents such as
Marcel Dettmann Marcel Dettmann (born 26 October 1977) is a German DJ, producer, and record label owner. Dettmann is a resident DJ at the Berghain nightclub in Berlin. He used to work at Berlin's record store Hard Wax between 2002 and 2012. In addition to be ...
, Cassy and
Ben Klock Ben Klock (born 1972) is a German techno artist, DJ, and record label owner. He is resident at Berghain, a techno club in Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in ...
. The label's music is mostly
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...
,
tech house Tech house is a subgenre of house music that combines stylistic features of techno with house. The term ''tech house'' developed as a shorthand record store name for a category of electronic dance music that combined musical aspects of techno, ...
,
Detroit techno Detroit techno is a type of techno music that generally includes the first techno productions by Detroit-based artists during the 1980s and early 1990s. Prominent Detroit techno artists include Juan Atkins, Eddie Fowlkes, Derrick May, Jeff Mi ...
and
minimal techno Minimal techno is a subgenre of techno music. It is characterized by a stripped-down aesthetic that exploits the use of repetition and understated development. Minimal techno is thought to have been originally developed in the early 1990s by Detro ...
. In 2007, Berghain collaborated with the Berlin State Ballet to create ''Shut Up and Dance! Updated'', a ballet for five dancers that was performed at the club in late June and early July that year. The ballet's soundtrack, released on Ostgut Ton on May 29, 2007, is made up of five specially composed tracks by prominent minimal techno artists, such as
Luciano Luciano is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese given name and surname. It is derived from Latin ''Lucianus'', patronymic of '' Lucius'' ("Light"). The French form is '' Lucien'', while the Basque form is '' Luken''. Single name * Luciano (rap ...
, Âme, Sleeparchive and
Luke Slater Luke Slater (born 12 June 1968) is an English electronic musician, DJ and record producer, who has concentrated on techno since the beginning of the 1990s. He achieved break through commercial success with his tracks "Love" (1997) and "All Exh ...
(The 7th Plain). The soundtrack received some positive reviews, while the ballet was less well received. In October 2010, the label released a five-year anniversary compilation, ''Fünf'', for which field recordings from within the club were used. Nick Höppner explained that the idea had come from his collaborator
Emika Ema Jolly (born 8 January 1986), better known by her stage name Emika, is an English electronic musician of Czech origin (her mother is from Příbram) currently residing in Berlin. Her self-titled debut album was released in October 2011 via ...
on "a regular Sunday morning t Berghain, whereshe noticed how everything in the building was resonating and vibrating and swinging and humming–she realized that there were a lot of sounds coming from the building itself. That led to the idea of doing field recordings within the building while it's not open to the public." In the same 2010 interview, Höppner stated that Ostgut Ton was turning down many recordings because there are "so many in-house artists", while the label at that time was selling more product than other labels, but not generating much profit. Ostgut Ton closed in December 2021, having been (according to
Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform established in 2001 and dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. Its editorial team provides news, music and ev ...
) "a dominant force in dance music, beloved for its mix series and dozens of EPs, albums and compilations" for 16 years. In 2021, ARTE Concerts produced a series of three videos at the Berghain and released it on YouTube. Around 2007, Berghain also launched its own booking agency Ostgut Booking, which among other artists represented Ben Klock, Steffi, and Marcel Dettmann. In October 2022, it was announced that Ostgut Booking (which at the time represented 28 acts and had eight employees) would be closing down at the end of the year.


Recognition


DJ Magazine's top 100 Clubs

Berghain first entered ''
DJ Magazine ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lati ...
's'' Top 100 Clubs list in 2008, ranking 20th, and reached the top position the next year.


Position by year


International Dance Music Awards The International Dance Music Awards or IDMAs was an annual awards ceremony held in Miami Beach, Florida, United States as a major part of the Winter Music Conference. The awards were held every year from 1985 to 2020, except for 2017, when the ...


In popular culture

* In 2013, American pop star
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
hosted an event at Berghain promoting her techno-inspired album, ''
Artpop ''Artpop'' is a studio album by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on November 6, 2013, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Gaga began planning the project in 2011, shortly after the launch of her second effort, '' Born This Way''. Wor ...
'' * In the TV series ''
Sense8 ''Sense8'' () is an American science fiction drama television series created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski for Netflix. The production companies behind ''Sense8'' included the Wachowskis' Anarchos Productions (replac ...
'', one of the characters, Riley Gunnarsdóttir (
Tuppence Middleton Tuppence Amelia Middleton (born 21 February 1987) is a British actress. In 2010, she was nominated for the ''London Evening Standard'' Film Awards for Most Promising Newcomer. Middleton appeared in various films before making her breakthrough ...
), is admired for a recording of a DJ set she made at Berghain. * In 2016, American comedian
Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is best known for having hosted Late-night talk show, late-night talk shows, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'B ...
attempted to gain admission to Berghain while filming a travel episode of his television show '' Conan'', but was denied and asked to leave, even after he asked if he could enter without his camera crew. * In 2017, the card game '' Bergnein'' was released, a satirical card game where the goal is to "Let the right people in, outshine your colleagues and win the game!" * A character in the 2021 film ''
The Matrix Resurrections ''The Matrix Resurrections'' is a 2021 American science fiction action film co-produced, co-written, and directed by Lana Wachowski, and the first in the ''Matrix'' franchise to be directed solely by Lana. It is the sequel to '' The Matrix Re ...
'' named Berg has a series of tattoos on his arm of the Berghain logo.
The Wachowskis Lana Wachowski (born Larry Wachowski, June 21, 1965) and Lilly Wachowski (born Andy Wachowski, December 29, 1967) are American film and television directors, writers and producers. The sisters are both trans women. Together known as the Wacho ...
are also known patrons of the club. * In the 2021 television series ''
Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series created and developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and based on the series of novels of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. It follows a group of students on Manhattan's ...
'', Max Wolfe is said in the pilot episode to have visited Berghain. In his final appearance, he is shown to be thrown out of the club. * In 2021, ''
DJ Mag ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lati ...
'' suspected that "a number of Berlin clubs have inspired '' Hitman III''s new night time venue: Club Hölle", a virtual in-game nightclub, including "Berghain,
Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...
and Griessmüehle". * The electro song "Ostbahnhof" by the French producers
Miss Kittin Caroline Hervé (born 15 July 1973), known professionally as Kittin, is a French electronic music producer, DJ, singer, and songwriter. Since rising to prominence in 1998 for her singles "1982" and "Frank Sinatra" with The Hacker, she has worke ...
and
The Hacker Michel Amato, better known by his stage name The Hacker, is a French electroclash and techno producer who has worked extensively with Miss Kittin. His work has been influenced by electronic artists like Kraftwerk, new wave artists such as the ...
, released in 2022, describes a night spent at Berghain without naming the club. * In 2023, the film '' John Wick: Chapter 4'' features
John Wick ''John Wick'' is an American media franchise created by Derek Kolstad. It centers on a neo-noir action thriller film series featuring titular character portrayed by Keanu Reeves. Wick is a legendary hitman who is reluctantly drawn back int ...
visiting a fictional club in Berlin named "Himmel und Hölle" inspired by this club. It also features a cameo from the bouncer Sven Marquardt. * The song "Berliner Luft" by German band Scooter, released in 2023, mentions Berghain along with other Berlin clubs. * In June 2024, the podcast ''Search Engine'' released a two part episode documenting efforts to gain entrance into the club. *In December 2024, in an episode of the show '' Black Doves'', the character Sam refers to Berghain as one of the two hardest buildings in Europe to get into, along with the American Embassy in London. *In January 2025, German public broadcaster ARD published the series "The Next Level", depicting the tragic death of an American tourist in Berghain in 2017, whilst renaming Berghain to "Reaktor".


See also

*
List of electronic dance music venues A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...
*
Superclub A superclub is a very large or superior nightclub, often with several rooms with different themes. The term was first coined in Mixmag, the British electronic dance and clubbing magazine, in 1995, referring to the new wave of clubs such as Min ...
* Paramida, resident DJ at Panoramabar


References


External links


Official website

Ostgut Ton official website

Ostgut Ton
at
Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

Clubguideberlin about Berghain

BERGHAIN - Der Club in Berlin , Portrait & History
{{Authority control Nightclubs in Berlin Electronic dance music venues LGBTQ nightclubs 2004 establishments in Germany LGBTQ sex clubs Buildings and structures in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg