How Berlin's Techno Scene Came To Define The Post-wall City And Earn Unesco Cultural Heritage Status — With A Little Help

Tresor is one of Berlin's most iconic techno clubs.Dimitri HegemannBerlin's techno scene was recently added to the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list in Germany.The German capital is renowned for its intense, hedonistic clubbing scene.Business Insider has looked at how the genre has shaped the city.It is an almost hypnotic experience visiting a techno club in Berlin.Hours, even days, can slip by in a shadowy rush of flashing lights, curling smoke, and trance-inducing rhythms.It is a fierce blend of anonymity and hedonism that has undeniably shaped the city over the years since the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.The impact on Berlin's identity has been so significant that it has now received official recognition, with the city's techno scene recently added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list in Germany.To mark that moment, Business Insider has taken a look at how techno has come to define the capital.OriginsThe vault.Dimitri HegemannWhen Dimitri Hegemann first entered the space that was to become the original site of Tresor, now one of Berlin's most iconic techno clubs, he was silent.Just the dim glow of a few cigarette lighters illuminated the cavernous vault of a former Jewish-owned bank that had remained untouched since 1945.The year was 1991, and Berliners were still basking in a newfound freedom following the fall of the Berlin Wall.The new era had ushered in a wave of creative energy, and people were eager for change in all aspects of society, Hegemann told Business Insider.In the world of music, the opportunity for change presented itself in the raw, wordless beats of Detroit techno pioneers such as Jeff Mills and Juan Atkins and Berlin's dark, abandoned buildings."It was the beginning of this new musical epoch," Hegemann said.A DJ performing during the Rave The Planet techno parade in Berlin, 2023.