Berlin 23: Holzmarkt 25

Having seen about the urban village cooperative that was once home to the famous Bar 25 before going, we were really keen on visiting Holzmarkt 25 during our stay in Berlin. We ended up liking it there so much, we went twice!

Located on the banks of the River Spree, Holzmarkt 25 originally started as a timber market 300 years ago, which the name Holzmarkt translates as. Since then, it’s been a gasworks, a rubbish dump, a patch of wasteland during the cold war, before becoming an open-air techno club.

As part of the Mediaspree master plan in 2012, the land was sold off to the highest bidder despite pleas to the Berlin government to grant the land to the cooperative on a leasehold basis.

The land was eventually sold to the Swiss pension fund Stiftung Abendrot, who are committed to sustainable investments and leased the area to the Holzmarkt cooperative for 75 years. Development started after the sale, with Holzmarkt 25 opening in 2017.

More of its history can be seen in the following video. It’s in German, though English subtitles are available.

Getting there

On the Tuesday morning of our week in Berlin, we made our way to Holzmarkt 25, with the others taking public transport while I found myself a Nextbike to ride there.

Getting there from our Airbnb apartment was just a short ride of 3 km. The route was largely along Alexanderstraße and Holzmarktstraße, taking in a selection of different styles of cycling infrastructure on the way.

Riding in a painted lane on Alexanderstraße

Suicide cycle lane on Alexanderstraße — Riding in a painted lane on Alexanderstraße

Wandering round Holzmarkt 25

Arriving at Holzmarkt 25, I parked up my Nextbike and waited for the others (riding was significantly quicker than public transport). From the outside, with its distinctively decorated exterior, you can tell it’s something a little bit different.

I did actually pass by Holzmarkt 25 during my visit to Berlin in 2022, as I was on my way to the East Side Gallery. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but thought it definitely looked interesting, with all the street art.

Once the others arrived, we went for a wander around. At that time on a Tuesday morning, it was pretty quiet and not a lot was open. This was fine with us, as it gave us opportunity to look round undisturbed.

It’s such a great space, with so much to see. Whether it’s the array of little independent shops and stalls, bars, restaurants and cafés or the fantastic outdoor spaces.

Around every corner, you’ll find something different to see, like the play areas for kids, different spots to sit with views of the river and cosy covered seating areas.

Everything is on different levels, with little paths and steps connecting the different areas up. There’s a homemade rustic, recycled feel to everything, while still feeling distinctly urban. I really loved all the different textures, from all the different wood, planting and beautiful bricked floors.

We sheltered under cover in the main seating area while there were some passing showers, enjoying some good coffee from the café and really tasty pastries from the bakery.

After an enjoyable few hours, chilling and pottering round, it was time for us to head off, as we had plans for a busy afternoon visiting Potsdamer Platz and Kurfürstendamm. More on that to come!