Charles & Marie

The location where Vitra Design Museum Berlin will be reopening in fall 2006 is the former Pfefferberg brewery complex. The various buildings of the Pfefferberg ensemble were constructed starting in 1841 and number among the most important monuments of Berlin industrial architecture from the 19th century. After serving as a brewery until around 1920, the Pfefferberg complex was subsequently home to a chocolate factory, a printing plant and small-scale trade operations. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Pfefferberg developed into a cultural centre encompassing clubs, exhibition spaces, theatre stages and a beer garden. While the Pfefferberg buildings were used in their previous state up through 2005, with many sections in need of renovation, they are now being subjected to successive phases of renovation over the following years and in some cases being adapted for new uses. The overall concept for the new uses of Pfefferberg was developed together with Vitra Design Museum Berlin, one of the main engines behind the redesign of Pfefferberg. With the support of funds from the Deutsche Klassenlotterie Foundation, the museum will establish exhibition spaces in one of the existing buildings and structurally expand by building a new addition.