silent green

What was once a crematorium is today a vibrant arts centre - a site that offers a unique angle on the history of Berlin. Opened in 1912 as the city's first crematorium, the building bears witness to the cultural shift that occurred in the German Empire with the legalization of cremation, which was previously vilified as a 'pagan' rite. Despite resistance from the Church, this alternative form of burial emerged as a civic statement of progress, secularization, and cleanliness. Wedding Crematorium remained in operation until 2002. After lying deserted for a few years, work began in 2013 on converting the landmark into the silent green Kulturquartier, which started welcoming its first visitors just a few months later.

This book is the first to trace the crematorium's eventful history, from its founding to its use during the Weimar years, Nazi period, and division of Berlin. Scores of historical photographs document the original state of the crematorium and its sensitive conversion into a modern cultural venue. The volume also contains a lively interview with the initiators of silent green, Jörg Heitmann and Bettina Ellerkamp, who reveal how the interdisciplinary venue came into being.