RAW Tempel in Berlin: Street Art, Bars, Clubs & Flea Market
The RAW Tempel is a unique place, a mixture of genres that you only see in Berlin! An ideal place to stroll around in the middle of abandoned hangars full of graffiti and huge murals, to see an exhibition of contemporary art at the Urban Spree, to have a drink on the terrace of a biergarden, to rest in summer by the Haubentaucher swimming pool or to try to climb to the top of an old bunker transformed into a climbing wall. All this in a surprising setting where we enjoy exploring every nook and cranny.
At nightfall, everything comes to life. The terraces fill up and the musical volume rises. Musical atmospheres and clothing styles mix. The place is besieged by a cosmopolitan population that will dance until dawn. That's all the RAW Gelände!
What can you do at the RAW Gelände ?
Located in the eastern part of the city in the alternative district of Friedrichshain and as big as a football field, the RAW area nestles between Revaler Strasse and the railway tracks of Warschauer Strasse station.
This gigantic industrial wasteland with a thousand graffiti is one of Berlin's emblematic alternative locations. A paradise for lovers of urban art and offbeat cultural spaces.
The RAW-Gelände houses bars, clubs, restaurants and food trucks, an outdoor cinema, a former bunker transformed into a climbing wall (der Kegel), an indoor skate park (Skatehalle Berlin), a bar with an outdoor swimming pool in summer, a Sunday flea market, artists' workshops, a circus school, concert halls and recording studios.
Built in 1867 and formerly dedicated to railway repair, these former warehouses are now occupied by artists. Since 1999, the RAW-Tempel e.V. association has been managing cultural places and spaces open to all. More than 60 artistic projects are housed in the RAW-Gelände (the RAW-Tempel simply refers to the cultural project located in the area of the RAW-Gelände on the edge of Revaler Straße).
Here are some places and events not to be missed:
Urban Spree, a creative place combining street art and cultural events
Located in the heart of former industrial buildings, the Urban Spree Gallery is a contemporary art gallery entirely dedicated to urban cultures, with exhibitions, workshops, concerts, an art bookstore and a biergarden (Biergarten).
It is a multidisciplinary place where you can discover the works of alternative artists, listen to an independent rock concert, drink a beer on the terrace of the Biergarten or watch a literary work being released. In the evening, food stuffs parked at the entrance of the gallery offer couscous and mussels and chips.
As part of the exhibitions that change every month, the artists have carte blanche to paint a 15m long by 8m wide wall overlooking Warschauer Strasse.
Urban Spree is a surprising mix of bar, concert hall, gallery and residence for contemporary street art artists.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm to 7pm. Closed on Mondays.
Location: To the right of the entrance at the corner of Warschauer Str. - Revaler Str.
Website: www.urbanspree.com
Cassiopeia, an eclectic bar club with a beer garden and a cinema
Cassiopeia Club RAW Gelände Berlin (© djunaphotos)
Cassiopeia is one of the most famous clubs in Berlin. Its musical programming is very varied: Rock music, Soul, Hip Hop, Reggae, Funk, Metal, electronic music, of course always played live by a DJ.
In summer, it is the ideal place to have a beer in the early evening in the Biergarten (beer garden) located in the club's inner courtyard or to watch a movie in the open-air cinema.
My advice: Make a night stop at Teledisko. It's the smallest nightclub in the world! A few steps from the entrance of the Cassiopeia are three telephone booths converted into a nightclub. For a maximum of 4 people, you select and dance on your favorite songs.
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 6pm to 5am. In summer, the biergarden is open from 3pm.
Location: Located just after the entrance at the corner of Revaler Str. and Simon-Dach-Straße
Website: cassiopeia-berlin.de
RAW-Gelände Flea Market (Flohmarkt)
Flohmarkt RAW Gelände Berlin (© djunaphotos)
Located near the main entrance of the RAW Temple, this small flea market is held every Sunday. It is the smallest flea market in Berlin, and also the most recent. We find a whole bunch of stuff, all kinds of jewellery, kitchen equipment, decorative objects from the 70s. In the middle, food stands with vegan and vegetarian dishes. At the end of the year, the market turns into a small Christmas market with mulled wine and local handicrafts.
I recommend: Mojewa Food Truck for its delicious recipes of giant makis (Surrito). Try the gambas kokos tempura, a treat!
Opening hours: Every Sunday from 9am to 8pm, except in winter.
Location: Located just after the entrance at the corner of Revaler Str. and Simon-Dach-Straße
Website: raw-flohmarkt.de
Map, Address and how to get to RAW Tempel
Map of the RAW area (RAW-Gelände)
The RAW tempel is located in the Friedrichshain district, 5 minutes walk from the S-Bahn Warschauer Straße station. The first entrance is at the corner of Revaler Str. and Warschauer Straße. The address of the main entrance is: Revaler Straße 99.
Opening hours:
The RAW Tempel is open every day, 24 hours a day.
To get there by metro (U-Bahn, S-Bahn)
Take the S3, S5, S7 or S9 metro (S-Bahn / Ringbahn) or the U1 (a little further away) to Warschauer Strasse station. Turn right at the subway exit. The entrance is just after the railway tracks, on your right, at the corner of the first street (Revaler Str.)
To get there by tram
The nearest tram stop is Warschauer Strasse station on lines M10 and M13. Pass the railway tracks, the entrance is just after, on your right, at the corner of the first street (Revaler Str.).
To Street Art lovers, fans of alternative cultures or simply curious people, the RAW-Tempel is a unique cultural place, a Berlin off the beaten track, which should be enjoyed with friends during the day... or in the evening until the early morning.
Raphaëlle Djuna Daouphars
Author
Art and Culture are my leitmotiv. As a cultural project manager, I have been passionate about photography and literature for several years. Berlin is for me a source of inspiration that never ceases to surprise me!