The presentation of the vault door of the former techno club at the BERLIN GLOBAL exhibition space in the Humboldt Forum.
Kulturprojekte Berlin and Stadtmuseum Berlin | Photo: David von Becker

The door of the techno-club “Tresor”

Between the rooms “Free Space” and “Boundaries” at BERLIN GLOBAL stands a very special door: the steel door of the legendary club “Tresor” at Leipziger Straße 126a. In the series “Favourite Object” we present it.

by Stefanie Friedlhuber, Kulturprojekte Berlin
In 2005 Dimitri Hegemann had to close the techno club he founded on Leipziger Straße to make space for real estate projects. He kept the door of the legendary club as a keepsake.

The “Tresor” door as a 3D model

Dreisimesionale Visualisierung der Tresortür aus dem legendären Techno-Club am Leipziger Platz.
Dreisimesionale Visualisierung der Tresortür aus dem legendären Techno-Club am Leipziger Platz.

Paul Spies, Director of the Stadtmuseum Berlin, tells us why the “Tresor” door is his favourite object at BERLIN GLOBAL.

Paul Spies, Director of the Stadtmuseum Berlin and Chief Curator of the State of Berlin at the Humboldt Forum, is fascinated by the steel door.
Kulturprojekte Berlin und Stadtmuseum Berlin | Photo: Alexander Rentsch

How did you become part of BERLIN GLOBAL?

I’m Paul Spies, Director of the Stadtmuseum Berlin and Chief Curator for the State of Berlin at the Humboldt Forum. I came to Berlin from Amsterdam five years ago to lead the conceptualization of the BERLIN GLOBAL exhibition. Together with a team of curators, I am responsible for its content.

Why is the door of the Tresor club your favourite object?

This impressive piece of rust sums up 150 years of Berlin history: the success of the Jewish community in Berlin, the aryanisation of their property by the Nazis, the destruction of Berlin at the end of World War II, the oblivion that spread over the ruins in the East Berlin border zone, the rediscovery after the fall of the Wall, and the techno club culture of the nineties.

The story behind the steel door

The digital exhibition of the Stadtmuseum Berlin at Google Arts & Culture tells the exciting story of Leipziger Straße 126a – from the Wertheim department stores’ to the techno club “Tresor” .

Read the Story (in German)
Die Tresortür ist Teil von „Music, Makers & Machines“ von Google Arts & Culture
Kulturprojekte Berlin und Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, Foto: Screenshot

More objects

  •

    Funeral of Affordable Rents

    In the room “Free Space” at BERLIN GLOBAL stands the “Funeral of Affordable Rents” by the artist collective Rocco and his brothers. In 2016, the artists installed the work on a street corner in Kreuzberg to draw attention to the exploding rents. In the series “Favourite Object” we present the object restored for the exhibition.

    Article, 3 min Lesezeit

  • The Rebirth of Osiris

    The mural “The Rebirth of Osiris” by the Egyptian artist Hanaa El Degham can be seen in the room “Revolution”. We present it in the series “Favourite Object”.

    Article, min Lesezeit

  • The boombox from The City Rockers

    In the room “Entertainment” at BERLIN GLOBAL is a boombox by former TCR member José Alvarez. The City Rockers (TCR) were known as a break-dance group in Berlin in the 1980s. In the series “Favourite Object” we present the ghetto blaster.

    Article, min Lesezeit

  • Meeting in a coffee cup: Menorah. Crescent. Cross.

    In the room “Free Space” at BERLIN GLOBAL there is an area dedicated to the theme of faith. There is a cross-religious sculpture – originally intended as an alternative to the cross on the dome of the Humboldt Forum. In the series “Favourite Object” we present the sculpture.

    Article, min Lesezeit

  • Sharmin’s Note

    A photo of “Sharmin’s Note” hangs in the room “War” at BERLIN GLOBAL. The object is part of an interview project on the topic of flight. We present it in the series “Favourite Object”.

    Article, min Lesezeit

  • The rolling cartographer

    In the WELTSTUDIO, the space for participation at BERLIN GLOBAL, there is the rolling cartographer. Guests can design individual maps here. In the series “Favourite Object” we introduce the cartographer.

    Article, min Lesezeit