That’s according to Faze Magazine, who’ve had several inside sources within the prestigious club confirm it will close this year.
The rumours comes after news that the club’s in-house booking agency, Ostgut Booking, will also be closing down by the end of the year, making eight people redundant in the process. It’s not yet clear what will happen to the 28 artists on its roster, which includes the likes of Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann.
Having first opened in 1998 under the name Ostgut, the club was rebranded by friends Norbert Thormann and Michael Teufele in 2004 to become the Berghain venue it is today – named after its location near the border between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain in Berlin.
Berghain has since gone on to become one of the world’s most recognisable clubs and been labelled “the world capital of techno”.
In the reports to Faze Magazine, one insider said “Berghain is closing forever” and that “the final end will come this year”.
They also detailed how one of the founders has apparently already been paid out and is believed to be living in the countryside in Bradenburg, whilst others involved in the club “simply ‘don’t feel like it’ anymore and have other life plans in mind”.
Proposals to keep the club alive by passing it down to younger proprietors or selling it to a new operator are said to be disapproved of.
Berghain reopened as a temporary arts venue in 2020.
And, although Berghain reopened as a temporary arts venue in 2020, in the face of challenges it had experienced during the pandemic, keeping it as one also “does not appear to be an option,” the insider added.
The club is also famed for its culture and exclusivity, with only a select number allowed to enter upon inspection by the venue’s security, led by Head Bouncer, Sven Marquardt.
The lucky, limited amount of people inside are not allowed to take photos and must cover up their phone’s cameras. Although exclusive, if these reports are true, it marks the end of a very significant venue.
