Prater Biergarten, Berlin

Prater Biergarten is a historic beer garden and entertainment venue in Prenzlauer Berg. Its story begins in 1837, when beer was served from a simple wooden shelter. The Kalbo family took over in 1852 and expanded the place, turning it into a popular destination for leisure, drinking, and amusement.

The Prater later combined a garden, tavern, variety venue, folk theatre, ballroom, and meeting place. Its programme reached far beyond beer: visitors came for plays, operettas, pantomimes, puppet performances, and variety acts. The venue also hosted political gatherings, including an event held by the General German Workers’ Association on 29 July 1871.

A particularly revealing detail is that guests could bring their own bread and have brought coffee prepared on site. In 1903, the programme moved into a new medium when the Prater presented its earliest film shows, featuring subjects ranging from the Passion story to a volcanic eruption. This is Berlin’s oldest beer garden, and its past is inseparable from public entertainment.