Tacheles:
After a short stroll from out Hostel in Berlin, the group was greeted by Martin Reiter in front of the Tacheles building. Martin told us all about the history of Tacheles based on his involvement and dedication to saving the historic building. Tacheles was built in 1908 with the original purpose of a shopping mall, which lost its use in 1928 due to bankruptcy during World War 1. The building went through many different uses in its time. To avoid barbing of the building, the 5th floor was used to hold prisoners before the town ran wild. Western Berlin became small, whereas Eastern Berlin became a free zone. There were no police in the area and there was a lot of freedom on this side of town. Art ran free and it took 4-5 years for it to get organized. During this time, people came from all over the world to claim the empty buildings in this free town. Tacheles began its art use during this time. Artists from everywhere took over the building and it became a collaborative space for artists. Politicians accepted the fact that the artists wanted the building because it was a way for them to all come together and everyone was able to get studio space because there was so much room in the building. Tacheles was even the first building in Berlin with public access to internet starting in 1992. Protests began in 1994 to get the artists out of the building. The artists were devastated and fought for the building, the did not want to sign a contract for a 10 year agreement. Martin Reiter has been to 148 trials in regards to the rights of Tacheles and won 147 of them. Tacheles was shut down in September of 2013 and now is emptied and locked up.
I was hoping that we could go inside the building and check out what all of the studio space looked like, but we weren’t able to get past the locks on the doors. The outside of the building is covered in graffiti which I assume is the artist’s way of expressing their dedication to the building and its purpose. Martin said that the artists left Berlin when Tacheles shut down, now they meet in a nearby city. His passion for Tacheles was clear, but he has accepted the fact that it is gone and is ready to move on in his career, much like all of the other artists that used to reside in Tacheles.