Haus Schwarzenberg

On Rosenthaler Straße, right next to the Hackesche Höfe, a passage leads into an unrestored courtyard full of street art. Haus Schwarzenberg has been an artist house since 1995, featuring a gallery, art-house cinema, bar, Monsterkabinett, and two museums dedicated to the history of the site.

Haus Schwarzenberg: Street Art Courtyard on Rosenthaler Straße

While the neighboring Hackesche Höfe have been renovated and spruced up, Haus Schwarzenberg has retained its rough character. The walls in the courtyard and passage are densely covered with graffiti, stencils, paste-ups, and mosaics, with metal sculptures hanging in between. The courtyard is freely accessible and is one of the last unrestored courtyards around Hackescher Markt.

In 1995, artists, including the group Dead Chickens, renovated the house with their own efforts. Approximately one million Euros in labor and materials went into the project, without public funding. In 2005, the listed building was auctioned off, thus securing its long-term future. It is supported by the Schwarzenberg e.V. association.

Cinema, Gallery, Bar, and two Museums

An astonishing number of cultural venues are packed into this small space. Kino Central shows arthouse films in two small screening rooms, mostly in original versions with subtitles, and also open air in the courtyard during summer. Galerie Neurotitan, with its attached shop, presents changing exhibitions, and the bar Eschschloraque Rümschrümp is a scene meeting point. In the basement, the Monsterkabinett runs with its mechanical creatures.

The house also has a dark history. During World War II, Otto Weidt operated a brush and broom workshop here, employing blind and deaf Jewish workers and attempting to protect them from deportation. The Museum Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt commemorates this with free admission; the Anne Frank Zentrum is also located in the same building.