RAW Berlin:
History, culture, clubs & conflicts in Friedrichshain
What is RAW Berlin?
The RAW-Gelände is a former railway repair yard in Friedrichshain, Berlin. Originally, locomotives, freight wagons, and later trains were repaired here.
Today, the site is an open cultural space with:
- clubs
- bars
- street art
- flea markets
- studios
- sports facilities
- a skate hall
- concerts
- socio-cultural projects
Depending on how the area is defined, the site now covers between roughly 70,000 and 85,000 square meters.
Why is RAW Berlin called RAW?
RAW stands for Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk.
The site was never originally built as a nightlife district, but as a railway workshop.
After the end of the monarchy, what was once the Royal Prussian Railway Workshop Berlin II became the Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk — and the abbreviation RAW has remained to this day.
What was here before RAW Berlin became a nightlife spot?
Long before people came here for techno, hip-hop, or drum & bass, generations of Berlin families worked here.
Back then, the site included:
- repair halls for trains and wagons
- metal and woodworking workshops
- training facilities
- staff housing
- a canteen
- a vocational school
- medical care
- administrative buildings
RAW was never a scene location in the beginning.
RAW was a real working-class place in Berlin.
Is RAW Berlin a lost place?
Not really.
But that’s exactly what makes RAW so special.
After reunification, large parts of the site stood empty for years. Buildings decayed, ownership structures were unclear, and much of the area felt like an abandoned industrial site.
It was during this phase that artists, musicians, and cultural creators discovered the place for themselves.
If you’re interested in places like this, you should also check out our Lost Places Berlin blog.
Why does RAW Berlin play such an important role in Berlin’s history?
Because for decades, RAW was far more than just a railway workshop.
Since 1867, the site has been:
- a workplace
- a training center
- an economic engine
- a social meeting point for generations in Friedrichshain
After the fall of the Wall, RAW also became one of the clearest examples of how Berlin transformed abandoned industrial spaces into cultural freedom.
Few places tell Berlin’s transformation this honestly.
Alright, friends,
RAW isn’t a place I discovered at some point.
RAW was simply always there.
I grew up about ten minutes from here. Simon-Dach-Straße just around the corner. Warschauer Straße practically right outside my door.
And if you grew up in Friedrichshain in the 2000s, there was no way around RAW anyway.
Back then, between the döner shop, the first entrance gate, and Warschauer Brücke, there were often dozens of dealers hanging around. There were already plenty of tourists back then too — but Friedrichshain still felt completely different from today.
How many times did I end up there?
Honestly?
I can’t count.
Friday nights playing foosball and drinking at Cassiopeia with old classmates.
Wednesdays, drum & bass at Suicide Circus with my hospitality colleagues. Regularly. Packed. Sweat, bass, and somehow stumbling back home in the morning.
Confetti nights at Astra Kulturhaus. And later, that’s exactly where we had our graduation parties too — Berlin locals will remember.
Back then, we were looking for a location we could actually afford as students. Astra was perfect: no rental fee, as long as enough people showed up.
Later came concerts, small hip-hop festivals, and quite a few nights I’d honestly rather not remember anymore.
The first time I got robbed, by the way, was right here.
I was twelve.
Welcome to Berlin in the 2000s. (Yeah, I know — you’re experiencing it differently 😉)
And the last really big RAW moment?
August 2025.
A spontaneous pop-up show by Fritz Kalkbrenner right in front of the skate hall.
Announced on social media just a few days before. Realistically, you only got tickets through contacts.
He played out of an ice cream truck. Free ice cream. Thousands of people. Unforgettable.
And even my parents used to tell me stories about RAW.
How the site stood empty after reunification.
How many people in the neighborhood were afraid the entire area would eventually fall apart.
That this place would later become one of Berlin’s best-known cultural spaces? Back then, hardly anyone would have believed it.
From railway yard to Berlin’s industrial culture
The RAW-Gelände officially opened on October 1, 1867, as the Royal Prussian Railway Workshop Berlin II.
Back then, the site was still located outside Berlin’s eastern city gates.
As the economy grew, the railway workshop grew with it:
In 1882, the site was expanded.
By the end of World War I, around 1,200 people were working here.
In 1918, it officially became the Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk — or simply: RAW.
The site became one of the most important industrial employers in Friedrichshain.
War, destruction, and everyday life in the GDR
In 1944, large parts of the site were destroyed during air raids.
Almost 80 percent of the buildings were damaged or completely destroyed.
After the war, the site was rebuilt — and became a typical GDR workplace.
At its peak, up to 1,700 people worked here.
The site included:
- workshop halls
- administrative buildings
- warehouses
- a canteen
- a vocational school
- a medical clinic
Trains ran across the site on up to 15 railway tracks.
What older people from Friedrichshain say about RAW sounds completely different from today’s club stories:
- Hammers on metal.
- Screeching.
- Cold.
- Open halls in winter.
- Sweat.
Many people never knew RAW as a nightlife spot.
They knew it as a workplace.
In 1967, on its 100th anniversary, the site was renamed RAW Franz Stenzer.
Memorial stones still remember that history to this day.
What happened to RAW after reunification
After German reunification, the railway company barely needed the site anymore.
In 1991, the gradual shutdown was officially announced.
By 1995, most of the operation was history.
Then came what shaped many parts of Berlin throughout the 1990s:
Vacancy.
Uncertainty.
Freedom.
In 1999, cultural interim use began with RAW-Tempel.
Former workshop halls turned into:
- studios
- music rooms
- a children’s circus
- theater spaces
- workshops
- bars
- cultural spaces
A similar transformation can also be seen at Kunsthaus Tacheles or Flughafen Tempelhof.
What can you do at RAW Berlin today?
A lot.
And that’s exactly why locals, families, tourists, artists, and night owls come here every day.
Urban Spree
Street art, exhibitions, concerts, and open-air culture.
Cassiopeia
One of the oldest clubs at RAW — concerts, alternative club nights, and a summer garden.
Astra Kulturhaus
Concerts, parties, and events — for many Berliners, pure youth memories.
MAAYA
Cocktails, burgers, and DJs around a large outdoor pool with summer vibes.
Crack Bellmer
A raw bar with typical RAW atmosphere.
Lokschuppen
(formerly Suicide Circus)
Techno, drum & bass, and long nights right by Warschauer Straße.
Bar zum schmutzigen Hobby
A narrow, extravagant LGBTQ+ club with a bar, small dance floor, themed nights, good energy, and drag shows.
Teledisko
A small phone booth that transforms into a mini club.
Yeah, Berlin does things like that.
You’ll find a full overview of all clubs here.
Also:
- climbing cone
- bouldering gym
- skate hall
- Kinderzirkus Zack
- open-air cinema
- Sunday flea market
If you’re into urban art, also check out our Berlin Graffiti blog — or the area around Berghain.
When is the flea market at RAW Berlin?
Traditionally, the flea market with jewelry, clothes, vinyl records, food trucks, and art usually takes place on Sundays at RAW-Gelände.
Since event times can change, you should always check the latest dates before your visit.
Does RAW Berlin charge an entrance fee?
The RAW-Gelände itself is open to the public.
You only pay admission for:
- clubs
- concerts
- special events
Prices vary depending on the event.
Is RAW Berlin dangerous?
Honest answer?
RAW-Gelände had a difficult reputation for years.
Drug dealing, theft, violent incidents, and noise complaints kept coming up again and again — especially around Warschauer Straße and the surrounding streets.
But:
Every day, you’ll find:
- families
- Berlin locals
- tourists
- skaters
- artists
- clubgoers
Like anywhere around busy places in Berlin:
Stay aware.
Don’t be completely naive.
But don’t believe every headline either.
Why is RAW Berlin in Friedrichshain so contested?
Because RAW-Gelände is now one of the most contested open spaces in Berlin.
For years, investors have been planning:
- office spaces
- commercial buildings
- residential projects
- in some cases, high-rises of up to 100 meters
At the same time, the following groups are fighting to preserve the site:
- artists
- club operators
- local residents
- cultural associations
- citizen initiatives
Many people don’t just see RAW as a nightlife district.
They see it as one of the last pieces of unpolished Berlin.
And honestly?
If you grew up here, you understand that fight.
Is RAW Berlin still worth visiting today?
Yes.
But not if you’re only looking for a quick Instagram photo.
If you want to understand why Berlin became the city it is today — then RAW-Gelände definitely belongs on that journey.
Not polished.
Not perfect.
Not always comfortable. But usually honest.
Berlin isn’t a tourist attraction. Berlin is a city.
We’ll see each other in the real Berlin — or here in the next blog.
Take care 🖤
MOST IMAGES IN THIS ARTICLE ARE SAMPLE IMAGES AND WERE NOT TAKEN AT THE PLACES FEATURED.
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