Boros Collection

On Reinhardtstraße stands a massive high-rise bunker from 1942, with trees growing on its roof. Inside, Karen and Christian Boros have been displaying their collection of international contemporary art since 2008, viewable only by guided tour.

Boros Collection: Contemporary Art in the Bunker on Reinhardtstraße

The Reichsbahn Bunker Friedrichstraße was built in 1942 by forced laborers according to plans by Karl Bonatz. After the war, it served as a prisoner-of-war camp, then as a textile warehouse, and from 1957 as a warehouse for tropical fruits from Cuba, which is why it was popularly known as the “Banana Bunker”. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, from 1992 to 2003, it became a hotspot for the techno and fetish scene as the club “Bunker”.

In 2003, Karen and Christian Boros purchased the building and renovated it until 2007. Approximately 3,000 square meters of exhibition space were created, where traces of history remain visible, from raw concrete walls to low passageways. The family lives in a penthouse on the roof, identifiable by the trees that extend over the bunker’s edge.

Visits by Guided Tour Only

The collection comprises international contemporary art from the 1990s onwards and is showcased in presentations that run for several years each. Many works are created specifically for the bunker’s spaces. Currently, works by Tomma Abts, Ed Atkins, and Pol Taburet, among others, are on display.

The collection can only be visited by guided tour, which lasts approximately 90 minutes and is conducted in German or English. Tickets cost 20 Euros, reduced 12 Euros, and are booked online. Groups are small, and all bags must be stored in lockers. Visits are recommended for ages twelve and up, and all floors are accessible by elevator.