1920s Berlin was the place to be – it was the epicenter of culture and vice. The Weimar era brought out some of the best in German Culture, from Bauhaus Design, to Films such as Metropolis and The Blue Angel, to Literature and Art and most notably the Cabaret (this stuff had to be good if the Nazis decided to get rid of it all). Berlin loved itself a good party – so clubs sprung up like mushrooms throughout the city – over 200 at one point (like the Kolibri Festsäle und Kabaret). One of these surviving hotspots is the Ballhaus in Grünau – officially known as the Ballhaus Riviera.
*Warning – Ballhaus Riviera Info*
I found it actually rather difficult to gather any information about the Ballhaus. There are some breadcrumbs here and there to be found on the internet, but a lot of the sources seem to contradict each other. I’ve tried to gather most of the relevant information together here – but im going to see if I can find any *non internet* based information/sources.
There are actually 2 Properties on the plot of land were the Ballhaus stands, the Ballhaus Riviera and the Gesellschaftshaus Grünau. The Riviera was built in 1895 and had large Ball Room and several smaller rooms including a Bar and restaurant. Trying to do its name justice – the Riviera had a palm-lined outdoor dance floor, where guests could spend the summer evenings outside dancing and dining. The Gesellschaftshaus Grünau was built 2 years later in 1897 and with its impressive Ball Room, bathhouse and sporting facilities became just as popular as the Riviera.
The Riviera and Gesellschafthaus had their own pier – so boats cruised down the Dahme River and offloaded their guests into the large Beer Garden on the Banks of the River.
The Ballhaus Riviera became such a hotspot in the 1930s that it was a “badge of honor” for musicians to play there. In the 1940s the Riviera fell under the administration of the KdF – Kraft durch Freude ( KdF – Strength though Joy, the large state-controlled leisure organization in Nazi Germany).
Both the Ballhaus Riviera and the Gesellschaftshaus survived the war undamaged – though they had lost a lot of their former splendor in the DDR years (much like this Abandoned Villa somewhere in East Berlin). Despite not being able to live up to its glory days – the Riviera managed to attract thousands of visitors on the Weekends. Not to be outdone be the decadent West Berlin with all its clubs – a Disco was opened up as well in the Gesellschaftshaus in the 80s.
Following the German Tradition of things going to shit after reunification – the Property was taken under administration by the Treuhandanstalt in 1990 and then transferred over to the Treuhand Liegenschaftsgesellschaft (TGL). The property slipped into disrepair as no one wanted to buy it due to its exorbitant listing price. Parts of the property were put under Denkmalschutz, which just complicated any possible sale or renovation.
After lengthy legal discussions – and against the will of conservationists – the TGL managed to sort out a deal with the Bezirksamt in 2001, where they would be able to tear down the buildings only having to preserve the large ballroom and art deco facade. The TGL had planned to build a Congress Hotel in its place, but no investor could be found to buy the land (for an undisclosed price) who would be willing to cough up another 15 million euros to save the ball room and facade.
Seems like no one was dumb enough to fall for this trap until 2006, when a Turkish Business Woman bought the property and agreed to build said hotel (and a floating restaurant). Apparently they ran a study and found out that nobody would use/need the proposed hotel (I could have told you that for free), so a new plan was drafted up to build some nice little houses on the property. The Bezirksamt rejected the plans because they were “disproportionate” . At this point the Business woman has broken off all contact with the Berzirksamt, and the buildings are left to rot.
A few people have written about this place before, praising its splendor and low amount of vandalism. Let me make it very clear – this place is destroyed. Whoever said that it hasn’t suffered from vandalism must be blind. Of all the abandoned buildings ive visited, the Ballhaus Riviera only ranks above the Kino Sojus in terms of destruction. I have never seen so much Nazi Graffiti either – not even in Krampnitz which has a Giant Swastika Mosaic on the ceiling – it’s rather off putting to say the least, and put me slightly on edge walking through the buildings.
I wasnt really planning on visiting the Ballhaus that day – so I wandered in a bit unprepared. I didn’t have a flashlight with me (not 100% necessary but it makes life a lot easier when you can see where you are going) and it didn’t really help that there was snow/rain that day. The roof has holes – and in certain parts the building has collapsed in itself. It’s never a good sign when the ceiling above you has warped in a “U” shape (the floor will collapse under you when you try to walk over it) – so I would discourage anyone from venturing too far upstairs.
You can see traces of its former splendor here and there, mainly in a few of the surviving Doors and Ball Room(s), but the rest is just a sorry sight. Who knows how long until the buildings are torn down, or until they collapse – and despite (or because of) their rapid decay I can only recommend visiting the Ballhaus Riviera and the Gesellschaftshaus. The short trip to Grünau, the impressive Ballroom and a (very pricey) Coffee in Berlins “last art deco” Coffeehouse – Kaffee Liebig (just on the opposite side of the Ballhaus) make this a worthwhile trip.
While I normally don’t publicly provide addresses to abandoned locations – this place is so well documented and so destroyed that there’s little harm in me posting its location.
For more pictures check out the Flirck Album of the Abandoned Ballhaus Riviera
The Ballhaus in Grünau (Ballhaus Riviera and Gesellschaftshaus)
Regattastraße – Büxsteinstraße
Treptow-Köpenick
12527 Berlin
Public Transport:
S-Bahn: S8, S85 – Grünau
Tram: 68- S-Bahn Grünau
Bus: 163, 263, 363 – S-Bahn Grünau
23 Comments
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This is pretty close to where I live. It’s a pity nothing gets done to keep these architectural and cultural pearls of the past. My husband’s father used to own a Ballhaus before he lost it when the wall was built. As far as I know nothing is left of it. A shame!
It is indeed a shame – but this has been dragging on for so long that even the local Denkmalschutz has given up.
Do you have any more infos about the Ballhaus from your father in law? where it once stood or the name? I would love to take a deeper look into that….
It’s not exactly my father in law, since the man died long time before I met hubby. But it would be interesting to find out more. I’ll send you a message.
This looks stunning. Gotta get in there before it collapses…
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I’ve been there today (being 13 of April 2019). I could get into Gesellschafthaus since the Ballhaus Riviera is partly demolished and all acces is impossible. There where very clear signs that they are working there: all of the wildness surrounding the bouildings had been removed, and there was an excavator on the grounds, as well as other building facilities. The Gesellschafthaus was in a similar shape, just even more deteriorated (on the main floor, someone has piled up parts of the roof that have been collapsing these lasts years, for example). I enjoyed the visit but my guess would be that everything will be gone soon.
is there security or dogs? or am i ok to go there at any time of day?
Hey Avanthard – there werent any “security” dogs when I went there, but people do walk their dogs in the area (nothing to worry about though). I went there in the afternoon – the area isnt terribly busy with people, but couples and dog walkers walk by the area, especially towards the waterfront/pier. Id say just show up in the early afternoon and find an entrance on the left hand side of the building where the park is. There was a large opening in the fence. Be warned though that the upper floors are super dangerous, especially now that the building is soaked up with rain. If you do you go, let me know in what condition the place was in – ive been tempted to go back and take some more pictures.
I was there this afternoon oct 8th, in the beginning at first I didnt find the entrance into the buildings. but wow, it is amazing there. the general conditions of the 2 main buildings seems pretty bad, especially the small one collapsed a bit. the roof is open on the second floor and after next winter it will be even worse. I will upload my photos soon, thanks a lot for the info, it was a great discovery today, its true the upper floors can not be recommended at all…
great to hear that you enjoyed it! share the link when youve uploaded your photos, im quite curious to see what it looks like now. Ive been meaning on heading back down again there again for ages – just havent found the time yet.
for sure, some of the photos that I took with my phone are here https://www.facebook.com/berliniqueblog/media_set?set=a.406196229479829.1073741839.100002683651991&type=1
btw you have a truely amazing blog, great attention to detail, cheers
Is somebody been there in 2018??
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