Maschinenhaus (Kulturbrauerei)

Maschinenhaus is the smaller concert and theatre room within Berlin’s Kulturbrauerei, the former Schultheiss brewery complex in Prenzlauer Berg. Its published capacity of 250 keeps audiences close to the stage while allowing a proper production scale. The draw is literal: shows take place in the old machine-house building, within a protected red-brick industrial ensemble where the original uses of many buildings remain visible on their façades.

From brewery machinery to a cultural room

Maschinenhaus sits inside an operation that began in 1842, when chemist and pharmacist August Heinrich Prell took over a brewer’s cellar at Schönhauser Allee. Jobst Schultheiss bought the business in 1853, and architect Franz Heinrich Schwechten’s redevelopment began in 1878, creating the industrial complex still visible today. The old boiler and machine house received its sharpest physical transformation between 1925 and 1930: part of the structure was demolished, then replaced in 1929 by a three-storey building with high and deep bunkers. Brewing ceased in 1967 as the plant wore down, and the whole complex gained monument protection in 1974. KulturBrauerei GmbH began the site’s cultural reuse in 1991; Consense GmbH took over Kessel- und Maschinenhaus in 2002, bringing the room into a dedicated concert and performance programme.

A close-up, flexible bill

Music and theatre receive equal billing here. The venue presents newcomer bands, intimate acoustic concerts, international acts and recurring improvised-theatre productions, while the wider operation also programmes dance, literature and parties. Expect a compact room whose lower-floor entrance, cloakroom and reception area streamline arrival. For larger events, Maschinenhaus can link directly with the neighbouring Kesselhaus and Palais, though its own scale suits shows where proximity carries the evening.