BeachBar Mitte | Encounter with an Old Friend

Even if the weather doesn't seem to think so, summer has officially begun. This means that countless inner city beach bars are starting to stir up tropical vibes with heaps of sand and exotic cocktails. Beach Mitte near Nordbahnhof made a name for itself as an open air athletic paradise with gigantic beach volleyball fields and a high rope course. Now the owners want to step into the bar and events business, and not with just any old venue: They've set their sights on the former Bundespressestrand pavilion.

The semicircular, transparent marquee was moved from its original location and now directly faces the high rope course at Nordbahnhof. It is meant to host not just a bar but also events of all sorts. The pavilion's troubled past easily drifts into oblivion when looking at its new residency on the border of Mitte and Moabit. After the scandalous closing of its previous home, the pavilion (as well as the rest of the Bundespressestrand's interior) remained both useless and without a home until a few smart heads came up with the idea of staging an auction. A single bidder materialized for the fancy pavilion: The owners of Beach Mitte. One of them is Stephan Eckhardt, who explained his interest in the orphaned marquee: “We found the pavilion very attractive, especially due to its size and the division into two levels. And it established itself as a beach bar, so there really wasn't much that could go wrong. We originally wanted to build a sports hall on the area, so it had already been inspected and authorized by the authorities.” And because it is waterproof, the marquee is usable all year round.

But Eckhardt and the other owners didn't want to rely on their new acquisition's past fame so they let a new concept take seed: A Hawaii-themed beach bar. Fortunately, the people in charge were smart enough not to lose themselves in flowery kitsch and Lei-clichés. Instead, a tasteful interior with stylish furniture, beautiful wooden flooring, real plants and colorful lamps makes for a laid-back atmosphere. The lower level features a square-shaped bar as the core of the room and the top floor leaves enough space for dance events, workshops and private celebrations.

Could this mean that the love for second-hand culture has finally reached Berlin's event industry? Could it be another step towards the end of disposable consumerism? Either way, maintaining a movable tent is much easier than trying to move a static club venue from point a to point b. Now, the former Bundespressestrand clientele just needs to follow suit and start coming to Nordbahnhof to bring back its original glamour.

(isi)