Schokoladen

Schokoladen on Ackerstraße is located in an 1881 factory, where chocolate was actually produced from 1911 onwards. Since its occupation in 1990, it has been home to a cultural project whose hereditary building right contract even stipulates moderate admission prices. Around 230 concerts a year make it one of Berlin's indie clubs where you can see bands before they break through.

Schokoladen in Mitte: Indie Club in the Old Chocolate Factory

Schokoladen is located on Ackerstraße in Mitte, between the Rosenthaler Platz and Bernauer Straße subway stations, in an 1881 building. It owes its name to the chocolate manufacturer Julius Stullgys, who took over the premises in 1911 and had chocolate produced there. Chocolate production ceased in 1971, and in 1990 the building was occupied and declared a residential and cultural project. Parts of the complex are listed as heritage sites.

The fact that Schokoladen still exists is the result of a dispute that dragged on for around eighteen years. In 1993, an investor bought the building and wanted to evict its occupants. Shortly before the eviction, the non-profit Swiss Edith Maryon Foundation took over the building and granted it to the residents’ association under hereditary building rights, with one condition: admission prices for cultural events must remain moderate. This has been contractually secured since 2013. Today, around twenty apartments, studios, workshops, a theater, and the club rooms share the building.

Concerts and DJ Nights at Schokoladen

Around 230 concerts a year make Schokoladen one of the city’s most active small venues. The program ranges from post-rock, noise-rock, post-punk, post-hardcore, indie-pop, and punk, consistently featuring bands that no one knows yet. The success of this approach is demonstrated by the guest list of previous years: Fontaines D.C. played one of their first Berlin shows here in 2018, followed by Future Islands, Downtown Boys, and in 2024, Beatsteaks in the smallest possible setting.

After the concerts on weekends, DJs take over, playing punk, post-punk, and Neue Deutsche Welle or funk, disco, and house. The hereditary building right condition is reflected in the ticket price: regular concert tickets cost around 14 Euros, with a cheaper social ticket available for approximately 10 Euros for every evening, and a voluntary support ticket for those who wish to pay more. Once a year, the venue opens for a courtyard festival with indoor and outdoor stages. Admission is possible from 16 years of age, individual concerts are from 18. A wheelchair ramp is available, and the accessible toilet can be reached via the courtyard.