In 2016, a German court officially designated Berghain a cultural institution, which allows the club to pay a reduced tax rate. The interior's minimalist design is dominated by steel and concrete. The building is remarkable for its enormous dimensions, with 18-meter ceilings on the main dancefloor. The space was originally rented from the energy company Vattenfall but has been owned outright by the club since 2011. The club is in a former power plant built in 1953 and abandoned in the 1980s.

The literal meaning of the German word Berghain is 'mountain grove.' The name is a portmanteau of the two city quarters that flank the south and north sides of the building: Kreuz berg (formerly in West Berlin) and Friedrichs hain (formerly in East Berlin). īerghain opened in 2004 as a reincarnation of Ostgut. According to Deutsche Welle, Ostgut, 'known for unique parties and boundless freedoms, sexual and otherwise, is considered to have paved the way for Berghain.' Ostgut closed in January 2003, with the building slated for demolition and later replaced by a large indoor arena, the O 2 World Berlin (since 2015: Mercedes-Benz Arena). Unlike Snax, the club was open to the general public. In 1999 they founded their first club, Ostgut, in a former railway repair depot in Friedrichshain. Thormann and Teufele became party promoters in the 1990s, hosting a male-only fetish club night called Snax at various clubs around Berlin.

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