New life has been breathed into what was Berlin’s first crematorium by the cultural organisation known as Silent Green. Taking over the site around 10 years after it closed in 2002, the Silent Green team has reinvented the space transforming it into a cultural quarter for concerts, art exhibitions, events and learning.

The historic 17m high domed red roofed structure dates back to 1911 and is located in the middle of the area’s first cemetery known as Urnenfriedhof Gerichtstraße. The imposing octagonal ceremonial hall with adjoining wings and courtyard is the focal point as you enter through the black iron gates decorated with mouldings of the flames of a fire.

Atmospheric concerts and shows are now held within the vaulted cellar, in which the deceased and their mourners could once be found. In Berlin there is a known tradition of repurposing disused buildings and this is definitively the perfect example of this practise.

As well as admiring the crematorium’s unique architecture, you will also find the MARS café located towards the back of the grounds. It’s a one-of-a-kind-café and a fantastic place for breakfast, lunch or dinner due to its unusual setting and use of fresh regional ingredients (even their vegetables and herbs are grown on their rooftop garden). The menu consists of a vast array of organic healthy dishes which are complimented by a bursting cake and pastry cabinet, all of which pair exceptionally well with one of their delightful coffees or loose-leaf teas. If you are visiting during the warmer months you can opt to sit outside or you can drop by ‘Little Mars’, located on the way into the crematorium in the former gatehouse, which is their coffee house offering snacks and light bites.

The macabre site has now been transformed into an expectational location which offers peace and tranquillity along with a unique and extraordinary atmosphere which can’t be beaten.