Berlin’s New Club 119 Builds on a Counterculture Address
A new venue is opening on Storkower Straße in a space long associated with Berlin’s alternative youth and music scenes.
Illustrative photo: Heli Ruiz / Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/_EqMc2wquRY
Berlin has a new nightlife address. Club [119] is set to open on 23 October in the former premises of Kirche von Unten, better known as KvU, a meeting place associated with East Berlinu2019s counterculture.
The operators have discussed preserving traces of the siteu2019s history rather than treating the building as an empty shell. The first programme lists DJ Traytex, Shanda, Rill and Hontas among the artists playing the opening night. Plans for the outdoor areas are being considered for summer 2027.
The original KvU organisation dates to 1987. After leaving this location in early 2025 following a landlord dispute, it established itself elsewhere in Prenzlauer Berg. The new club is therefore taking over a meaningful address, not the KvU institution itself.
As Berlin continues to debate the survival of affordable culture spaces, the opening poses a useful question: can a new business respect a placeu2019s social memory while serving a contemporary audience? The music programme will matter, but so will how [119] engages with the neighbourhood and the wider scene.