There are a great many places in Berlin that have the title of "former ____." In contrast to Tokyo, where old buildings are being cleared away and replaced with new buildings, cultural facilities, hotels, and music venues that utilize buildings that are over 100 years old are being praised as cool and cultured. "The Future of Berlin's Historic Buildings" introduces unique spaces that unite the history of a city that has had a cheesy fate with cutting-edge culture.



This time, I visited the Silent Green Kulturquartier, a cultural complex located in a quiet residential area in the Wedding district. At first glance, it appears to have a peaceful, park-like appearance, but this is actually the site of Berlin's first crematorium, founded in 1911. For nearly a century, this is the place where citizens have been seen off to their eternal journey.



After the crematorium closed in 2001, the former facility fell into disuse and was abandoned until current CEO Jorg Heitmann purchased it with the aim of revitalizing it as a cultural facility. The project began in 2013, and the site now includes an event space and art gallery renovated from the ceremony hall, rental offices that were previously used as offices and waiting rooms, and a cafe and restaurant with open terrace seating. The event space hosts a variety of events, including music, video, and performances across a wide range of genres, transforming the place of farewells into a bustling cultural hub that is bustling day and night.



Currently, only a part of the facility is open to the public, and the restoration project is still ongoing. Photography is prohibited, so we can't show any photos here, but in the future, there are plans to open the vast, vacant morgue as an artist residency.



With the exception of areas that have been renovated, the building has been preserved as it was when it closed. The place, where traces of a crematorium can still be seen, is indeed strange, but the silence is strangely calming.