History

The "Oswald-Berliner-Weizenbier-Brauerei" (Oswald Berliner Wheat Beer Brewery) was opened around 1869 by a Jewish entrepreneur from Breslau at 141/143 Brunnenstrasse. Originally, this brewery location, which is now in the Mitte district on the border with Gesundbrunnen, appeared as early as the 1850s. Several brewers ran a small inn here with their own brewing operation.
It was Oswald Berliner who finally produced wheat beer, previously unknown in Berlin, for the first time. Over the following years, the brewing entrepreneur multiplied the production volume and expanded the premises. Several new storage cellars were built in the area between Rheinsberger, Strelitzer, Bernauer and Brunnenstrasse.
In the maelstrom of the First World War - as with most other companies in the capital's beer industry - the loss of sales led to financial ruin. In the years 1916 to 1918, the brewery was forced to cease operations and was closed. The property, the brewing quotas and the trademark rights to Oswald Berliner's beers went to the "Engelhardt" brewery company, which operated throughout Germany.
The preserved cellar vaults under the property on Brunnenstrasse are probably the oldest in this ensemble. Unlike other barrel vaults in the vicinity, they were not used for air raid protection or underground armament production during the Second World War. The vaults with air raid shelters were blown up by the Soviets in April 1946. After the demolition of the houses on Bernauer Strasse due to the construction of the Wall, the GDR had the existing voids filled with rubble. This also prevented the Wall strip from being "undermined" at this location.