Kulturbrauerei: the former brewery in Prenzlauer Berg, concerts and GDR museum

Updated on October 9, 2026

The Kulturbrauerei is a complex of red brick buildings in Prenzlauer Berg, at Schönhauser Allee 36. On this former site of the Schultheiss brewery, which brewed there from 1853 to 1967, there are more than twenty buildings around six courtyards, covering about 25,000 m². The buildings, the work of the architect Franz Heinrich Schwechten, are a rare example of preserved industrial architecture in Berlin. After the fall of the Wall, the site became a cultural centre: theatre, cinema, concert halls, restaurants, exhibitions, parties and a Christmas market. The free museum of everyday life in the GDR, inside the complex, makes it a historical stop as well.

Highlights

The red brick courtyards

Stroll between the buildings with their brick façades: the whole forms a small town within the city, at the heart of a residential district. The courtyards are the best place to feel the old brewery.

The Sudhaus and the old workshops

Sudhaus is the German word for the brewhouse and recalls the original use of the place. Several buildings of the former brewery now house stages and concert halls; check the programme before you come.

The Christmas market

In winter, the courtyards host a Scandinavian-style Christmas market, see our guide to the Christmas markets of Berlin. Dates, hours and prices are published each year by the organisers.

The museum of everyday life in the GDR

The Museum in der Kulturbrauerei (Knaackstraße 97), run by the Stiftung Haus der Geschichte, presents the permanent exhibition "Alltag in der DDR": how the regime wanted life to be, and how people actually lived, through 800 objects and 200 documents, films and recordings. Free entry.

Concerts, theatre and cinema

The halls of the Kulturbrauerei host concerts, shows and screenings all year. Prices and times depend on each event: book on the venue's or organiser's website.

Practical info

Tips

Shows and some events, including the Christmas market, are paid; the museum is free. Check access to the courtyards on the venue's website. The Kulturbrauerei is at the heart of Prenzlauer Berg: combine it with a stroll through the Prenzlauer Berg district, the Mauerpark flea market and the DDR Museum, on the Spree. One entrance of the site opens onto Sredzkistraße, at street level. Information checked in October 2026 on berlin.de.

How to get there

Schönhauser Allee 36, 10435 Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg). U-Bahn U2, Eberswalder Straße station, a few minutes' walk; tram M10 and other lines nearby (stops Eberswalder Straße / Sredzkistraße).