From Lager to Lofts: Historic Breweries of Prenzlauer Berg

This tour explores Prenzlauer Berg’s industrial past, from its grand old breweries to the tenements and the people who lived there.
About this Event

Berlin by Foot with Simon Goodall
Why were so many breweries built in Prenzlauer Berg? And what was life like for the people who lived next door to them?
Prenzlauer Berg is Berlin's prettiest former industrial area, famous for its many breweries and for Queen of Sheba cigarettes. On this historical walk through the heart of the neighbourhood, we visit four of its former breweries and look at the architecture, the lives of the people who lived here and the industrialists who made it happen. It is the story of how the city was made in the nineteenth century, and of how it has changed through the twentieth century to today.
We begin at the Schultheiss-Brauerei, one of Berlin's great brewing names, we explore the enormous complex and find out how Schultheiss grew alongside the rapidly expanding city. The Königstadt-Brauerei, another major nineteenth-century brewery, shows just how important brewing became to Berlin's industrial economy, and why so many breweries clustered in this part of town.
Along the way, we explore the infamous Mietskasernen, the tenements built to house Berlin's rapidly growing population, and discover what everyday life was like in these densely packed streets. You'll also hear the unusual story behind Queen of Sheba, one of Berlin's most distinctive cigarette brands, and uncover the industrial history hidden among the streets of Prenzlauer Berg.
Finally, we look at how it all changed: how a district of breweries and workers' housing became one of Berlin's most popular residential and cultural neighbourhoods.

Highlights on the tour include:
• The enormous Schultheiss-Brauerei, home of one of Berlin’s great brewing names
• The Königstadt-Brauerei, and why so many breweries clustered in this part of town
• The Mietskasernen, the tenements built for Berlin’s rapidly growing population
• The unusual story behind Queen of Sheba cigarettes
Your guide:
Simon is a London-born writer and tour guide who has called Berlin home for the past five years. With a master’s degree in Heritage Studies and a lifelong interest in history, he has become fascinated with his new home city’s past. Today he leads tours around the highlights of Berlin’s rich industrial history: factories, power stations and breweries.
We will meet at 1 pm on Sunday, 22 November, outside Viani at Eberswalder Straße U-Bahn station.
Location on Google Maps
The tour lasts two and a half hours. Behind the cafés and playgrounds, Prenzlauer Berg is still a city of brick chimneys and beer cellars!

Join us as we trace the history of lager in Berlin and discover how brewing, industry and tenement life shaped the Prenzlauer Berg we know today.

It's Berlin like you've never seen it, complete with a complimentary copy of The Berliner magazine!
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photo: imago/Arkivi