Let’s start with the bricks and mortar. Rudi-Dutschke-Haus is more than just historic - it’s architecturally iconic. If you take a peep from out front you’ll notice that the building is actually two buildings in one: a partly listed Wilhelminian-era structure, and a modern steel-and-glass extension. 

The historical half of the building, known as ‘Altbau’, is a big part of the reason the upgrades are taking place. Because whilst beautiful, historical buildings were not made with much accessibility in mind, and it’s definitely high time the bathrooms and other features were given a little touch-up.

The modern side, ‘Neubau’, was designed in the early ’90s by Gerhard Spangenberg, a Hamburg-born architect now based in Kreuzberg. It was custom-built to house the team of die tageszeitung (taz) - Germany’s bold, independent daily newspaper.

The combination of Altbau soul and modern edge coming together under one roof makes it one of the standout buildings in the Berliner Zeitungsviertel (Newspaper District).

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Before betahaus, this building was the beating heart of independent journalism in Germany, as headquarters for the taz team. Over 29 years and 4 months in Rudi-Dutschke-Haus, they published 5,742 editions of the paper packed with opinionated, progressive journalism. The building became a symbol of independent media, all the while operating just across the street from Bild, one of the country’s biggest tabloids.

The taz were so influential in fact that they led the campaign to re-name the very street their building was housed to Rudi-Dutschke-Straße, after the influential leader of the German student movement in the 1960s, Rudi Dutschke. A sociology student and political activist who led the Socialist Students Union (SDS), Rudi advocated a democratic socialism influenced by Christian and Marxist ideas. He survived a right-wing assassination attempt however ultimately passed away at the age of just 39 as a result of ongoing injuries.

After first suggesting the street be re-named to honour his contributions to the national political landscape, the taz gathered signatures from local residents, implemented the change in 2008 and managed to succeed multiple legal challenges, and so Rudi’s name lives on in the street to this day.

Even after relocating (just around the corner!) in 2018, the taz still own the building too, the revenue of which helps to keep the newspaper going. So by supporting betahaus, or any of the building tenants (hey Sale e Tabacchi 👋), you’re also helping to keep independent journalism alive. A win all round!

We cannot talk about this building without addressing the snake elephant in the room: the giant five-floor penis sculpture adorning the side. 🍆

So the story goes, it was installed in 2009 by the artist Peter Lenk, and features a depiction of rival newspaper (and literal neighbour just across the road) Bild’s editor-in-chief Kai Diekmann, in the nude and spreading himself and his exaggerated member right across the building. The choice of such a depiction was very deliberate, as the paper and Diekmann had been having a protracted legal battle over a satirical piece published by taz, about Diekmann. In it they claimed he had sought an operation to use parts of corpses to enlarge his allegedly extremely small penis (!! 💀💀). Obviously Diekmann took issue with this (why??), sued the paper for 30k€ and although the court ruled that there was indeed negligence by the paper in publishing the piece, they denied the monetary compensation, because as editor of Bild, he 

"consciously seeks economic advantage from the violation of others' privacy and therefore is less heavily burdened by the violation of his own privacy".

Ouch. 

And to have that immortalised in a building-sized sculpture, directly in front of your own workplace?! Double-ouch.

The final sting in the piece is the additional figures, which depict real individuals who had been the victims of sensationalist headlines by Bild, all of whom are holding signs of the outrageous headlines he ran. With the ‘Peace Be With You’ framing it all? Just A-grade satire and pettiness all rolled into one. Chefs kiss.

Whilst the sculpture has always been controversial (even some taz staff members didn’t agree with it when first installed), it’s become an unmistakable monument of Berlin. And now also operates as a useful wayfinder point for anyone trying to find betahaus; just look for the big dick!

A move for taz was a win for betahaus, when in 2018 we took the first steps out of our original home in Prinzessinnenstraße and into beautiful, big new Rudi-Dutschke-Haus. Bringing with us 10 years of experience in coworking, and a community 500+ strong, we were able to put our own stamp here and thoughtfully design it specific to our needs.

In the 7 years since we’ve held countless parties, workshops, tours, innovation sessions and been the base for many a brainstorm, strategic-planning, chance encounter in the kitchen, startup-funder meet-cute and everything in between. Whilst the walls are filled not with journalists but freelancers, founders, and teams building the future, we’ve well and truly kept the spirit of the building alive - questioning the norm, championing independence, and creating space for community.

We might not be publishing daily newspapers, but we’re definitely still making headlines (just in Slack channels and pitch decks instead of print). So next time you visit betahaus Kreuzberg, take a moment to appreciate the building's rich history and the stories it continues to inspire. And don’t forget to look up. ☝️