RAW Gelände

Friedrichshain

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This jumble of derelict buildings is one of the last subcultural compounds in central Berlin. Founded in 1867 as a train repair station ('Reichsbahn-Ausbesserungs-Werk', aka RAW), it remained in operation until 1994. Since 1999 the graffiti-slathered grounds have been a thriving offbeat sociocultural centre for creatives of all stripes. They also harbour clubs, bars, an indoor skate park, a swimming pool club, a bunker-turned-climbing-wall and a Sunday flea market.

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Nearby Friedrichshain attractions

1. Urban Spree

0.07 MILES

Comprising a gallery, a bookshop, artist studios, a concert room and a beer garden, this grassroots urban art hub is a top stop in the RAW Gelände…

3. Boxhagener Platz

0.35 MILES

The heart of Friedrichshain, 'Boxi' is a lovely, leafy square with benches and a playground. It's framed by restored 19th-century buildings harbouring…

4. Wall Museum East Side Gallery

0.48 MILES

This tourist-geared private museum on the 3rd floor of a former warehouse offers an easily digestible multimedia chronicle of Germany's post-WWII history,…

5. Oberbaumbrücke

0.51 MILES

With its jaunty towers and turrets, crenellated walls and arched walkways, the Oberbaumbrücke (1896) gets our nod for being Berlin’s prettiest bridge…

7. Pink Man Mural

0.58 MILES

Italian artist Blu created this house-sized mural that depicts a creature composed of hundreds of writhing pink bodies. Note the lone white guy crouched…

8. Ramones Museum

0.61 MILES

They sang ‘Born to Die in Berlin’, but the legacy of American punk pioneers the Ramones is kept very much alive in the German capital, thanks to this…