C115: New club opens on the West Berlin motorway this weekend

Thursday, March 12

There is a little irony to it. Just as a newly expanded motorway - the A100 - is closing down a swathe of clubs in the east of the city, a new venue opens up in the west: in the old grandstand overlooking Berlin's most historic stretch of motorway.

The venue is called C115, and while it held its first events back in December, this Saturday marks the start of its in-house programming.

The location is quite unique: the club is situated in the former racing stands that overlook the AVUS („Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße“ - or Automobile Traffic and Training Road), a part of the 115 highway that takes you southwards out of Berlin by the Funkturm toward Potsdam and beyond.

Just as the A100 is closing down a swathe of clubs in the east of the city, a new venue opens up in the west

This historical racing track was conceived by of all the way back in 1907 by the Kaiserlicher Automobilclub, or Imperial Automobile Club (and partially constructed by Russian prisoners during World War One). But the AVUS opened as Germany's very first auto-only street when it opened in 1921 and hosted motor races until 1998, including the 1959 German Grand Prix.

The club is being opened by the musician and restaurateur Nico Mohammadi, who also operates YSY in Friedrichshain, and who has been granted a lease on the property for 10 years. The launch of its in-house programming is set to feature Ciel, Lena Willikens, Regularfantasy & DJ Durbin.

Some reporting has pointed out that this club might be part of a general shift in Berlin nightlife, perhaps even a move toward the west (pointing to a few more club openings in Spandau). But given that the A100 expansion alone threatens to eliminate spaces such as Else, Club OST, Renate, Club M01, Krass Böser Wolf, the Zukunft cinema, and ://about blank — this move, while welcome, appears to be driving against the traffic.