Wednesday, July 16
International Congress Centre to open its doors – but only for 49 hours
The massive silver building sits beside the motorway in the west of the city like a dormant, abandoned spaceship. Berlin still has not decided what to do with its giant futurist International Congress Centre, which opened in 1979 – part of an effort by West Berlin to show that it could match the East in large-scale, forward-looking design – but closed in 2014 due to asbestos contamination.
And yet, despite its inaccessibility, the building is still beloved for its ambitious scale and remarkable interiors – and in September, Berliners will get a chance to see all that up close. On the Tag des Denkmals, or Heritage Day, visitors will be able to buy tickets to enter the decommissioned convention centre for 49 hours over September 13 and 14.
Be quick, though – sales start on Wednesday, July 16 – and similar offers in recent years have seen high demand. On the visitBerlin website, you can choose between time slot tickets and programme tickets. Tickets are free of charge.
