BergWerk.Berlin in Marzahn-Hellersdorf

BergWerk.Berlin occupies the halls of a former multiplex cinema inside the Helle Mitte shopping centre and calls itself the largest indoor climbing park in Europe. Fourteen courses run from the mini section up to 25 metres below the roof, and a 40-metre speed zip line crosses the shopping arcade. For climbing in Berlin in any weather, this is the biggest address.

BergWerk.Berlin in Marzahn-Hellersdorf: climbing inside a converted cinema

Step out at Hellersdorf underground station and the first thing in front of you is the Helle Mitte shopping centre, which suggests almost anything except a high ropes course. That is exactly where BergWerk.Berlin has set up on Stendaler Strasse, in the halls of a former multiplex cinema. The auditoriums are gone, what remains is a space with enough ceiling height to stack an entire climbing park across several levels. The operator describes itself as the largest indoor climbing park in Europe, and standing beneath the topmost platform makes that easy to believe. Besides the U5 line, tram routes M6 and 18 stop right outside along with several bus lines, and drivers can park in the centre’s underground garage. The conversion is visible in the building itself, because the stepped tiers of the former auditoriums still shape the room. The whole site therefore sits under one roof and stays dry, which sets it clearly apart from the climbing forests on the edge of the city.

Fourteen courses, 25 metres of height and a zip line through the shopping arcade

Inside, fourteen courses are spread across heights from a few centimetres to 25 metres. The Gipfelstuermer course leads over 74 obstacles and 58 platforms on five levels and, together with its four zip lines, adds up to 660 metres of route length. Set considerably higher is the Alpinista, whose three routes reach up to the roof and finish in a 40-metre speed zip line running straight through the shopping arcade. That section is reserved for young people aged twelve and over, while the Gipfelstuermer requires a reach height of 1.10 metres. For the youngest there is a dedicated mini course with 19 obstacles across 85 metres, which stays at around one and a half metres and is open from the age of three. Anyone with nerve left after the climb can drop 15 metres on the free fall element. An adult ticket for the Gipfelstuermer costs 30 euros including harness and briefing, children pay 25 euros. Twenty metres up hangs the High Five Club, a platform for up to 120 people, and at BergWerk.Berlin a coffee bar waits afterwards for everyone who has collected enough altitude.