Berlin's Underground Techno Scene Is Being Gentrified Out

Following the end of the Cold War, the buildings left abandoned across Berlin slowly found new life as part of the city’s techno scene, housing clubs that attracted clubgoers from across Europe. Now, as the city’s gentrification is quickly gobbling up these buildings for new uses, the techno scene which has long been apart of Berlin’s culture is under threat.

Writing in CityMetric, John Schofield finds that the underground, or hidden, nature of the club scene has posed a challenge for those seeking to preserve it.

This significant history is also hidden from those responsible for managing the city’s future – its planners and politicians. How can they promote or understand the significance of something they will probably never see?

Underground heritage remains an important ingredient in Berlin’s cultural landscape, but it is under threat as the city continues to reinvent itself as a modern European capital.