Abandoned Eisfabrik (Ice Factory)

A couple months ago while waiting for a Volksküche at Köpi to start, we walked across the street and explored this abandoned Eisfabrik (Ice Factory) on Köpenickerstr. The factory started producing artificial ice in1896. Since no electric or gas powered refrigerators existed in private homes, the ice was supplied in rods of about 20 × 20 cm, with up to 1.50 meters in length to breweries, pubs, homes, fruit dealers, etc.

The factory continued in GDR times after the Wall went up, under the VEB Kühlbetrieb and was officially abandoned by the Berliner Kühlhaus GmbH in 1995. One of the residential buildings was destroyed by bombs in 1945, the rest managed to somehow make it through more bombs and several fires. Though the building is apparently under protection of the treuhand Liegenschaftsgesellschaft, the old cooling houses have since been ripped down due to the fact that the area is now caught in the Mediaspree project, which wants to put up luxury apartments, office spaces, etc. along the Spree.

Quite centrally located at Köpenicker Straße 40/41, 10179 Berlin in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg section of Berlin, it was a cool urban exploring trip and easy to get to...while it lasts. Nevertheless, on to the photos:

We just walked in through the fence here.

Part of the floor in the building with the ice machine.

The actual machine that made the blocks, I believe.

Some artwork on the walls.

More artwork.

Marion and Erin meandering their way through the courtyard.

This door upstairs has seen better days...

Wall of the building in the courtyard.

Upstairs room turned into swimming pool. There were also people squatting/living upstairs with some dogs...not in this room though.

The roof! It was quite nice up here and you could see a lot of Berlin. Had it been a nicer day and had we had some beers, this would've been a good spot to drink them!

Carly taking a photo...I think.

More roof.

Karla and her sister visiting from Australia.

If you fall...you get wet.

Carly made it!

Karla's sister, Ella, Karla and Carly on the roof.

And out we go again!

In the abandoned lot outside the building we found someone had planted this garden. There was also some corn planed and some other things not in the photo. Urban guerilla gardening...yes! As we were leaving there were some people sitting in the lot at tables with white tablecloths preparing to eat as well...I wonder if this was their garden. I kind of loved it.