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Cold storage II

Cold storage II

Cold storage wharehouse in Berlin

A stone's throw from the Anhalter Bahn freight station in the German capital, Berlin, construction of a new cold storage warehouse began in 1900.

The facade of the building looked strikingly classic with its brick Gothic, but appearances can be deceiving. Architect Otto Stiehl was inspired by American construction techniques to use a steel skeleton as the backbone for the warehouse.

Perishable foodstuffs

When it opened in 1901, the eight-story cold store was the largest in Berlin and all of Europe. Perishable food delivered to the nearby Anhalter Güterbahnhof was taken to the cold storage warehouses as quickly as possible. The hunks of meat and freshly caught fish waited for further transport to the frying pan.

Berlin's catering industry was not only the right place for fresh and chilled food, but Ice blocks were also produced here on an assembly line. Restaurants and cafes used those ice blocks to cool their goods. In 1915, 250 tons of ice were made daily.

Catwalk

Around 1978, when everyone had a refrigerator in their kitchen at home, the cold storage closed its doors. The adjacent Kühlhaus I was demolished the following year, but Kühlhaus II was preserved and languished for years, despite its protection as a monument.

Its restoration began at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Today, Kühlhaus II houses an event location. The Berlin Fashion Week, among other things, takes place there.

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