Cafe Moskau

Cafe Moskau was built as one of 7 nationality restaurants as part of an urban planning competition based on designs by Josef Strauss. It formed the centrepiece of the first socialist residential complex on Karl-Marx-Allee, which had been called Stalinallee until 1961. The prestigious building was intended to symbolise the fraternity between the GDR and the Soviet Union and to offer insights into the culinary and cultural customs of Russia. In 1982, Cafe Moskau was completely restructured internally by Gerd Pieper. The deliberate transparency and openness of the light-flooded rooms of the 1960s gave way to the current zeitgeist. Architecturally speaking, this was a step backwards to the 1950's. Everything was made warmer and cosier, rooms were subdivided and reduced in height.

In 1989 it was placed under a preservation order and thus permanently protected as a cultural asset. The restaurant was closed in 1994. Nicolas Berggruen Holdings GmbH had the listed building completely renovated and the old charm of the 1960's restored. Since 2009, the legendary Cafe Moskau has been available as a multifunctional conference and event location for up to 2400 people. In 2010, the façade of Cafe Moskau was honoured with the special prize of the “Bundespreis für Handwerk und Denkmalpflege”, which is awarded by the German Foundation for Monument Protection. The mosaic “Aus dem Leben der Völker der Sowjetunion” (from the life of the people of the Soviet Union) was created by the artist Bert Heller. 90 Ascotherm trench convectors are used here.