The Internationales Congress Centrum Berlin (abbreviated ICC Berlin), located in the

Westend Westend may refer to: * Westend (Trevilians, Virginia), an historic house in Virginia listed on the NRHP * Westend (Berlin), a locality of Berlin in Germany * Westend (Frankfurt am Main), a borough of Frankfurt am Main in Germany * Westend, Espoo, ...

locality of the

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

borough of

Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf () is the fourth borough of Berlin, formed in an administrative reform with effect from 1 January 2001, by merging the former boroughs of Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf. Overview Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf covers the w ...

, is one of the largest conference centres in the world. It is used for conventions, theatrical productions and concerts. In April 2014 it was closed in order to remove asbestos contamination, and remains closed . In October 2021, it was temporarily reopened for the art project ''The Sun Machine Is Coming Down'' as part of the

Berliner Festspiele The Berliner Festspiele (German for Berlin Festivals) are a series of festivals, art exhibitions, and other cultural events organized all year long by a common organization in Berlin. Events are held at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, a pre-ex ...

Overview

ICC Berlin opened in 1979 (three years after the opening of the Palace of the Republic), and its architects were Ursulina Schüler-Witte and Ralf Schüler. It is 320 metres long, 80 metres wide and 40 metres high. It is linked to the neighboring

Messe Berlin Messe Berlin (') are exhibition grounds in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf precinct of Berlin, Germany, at Masurenallee opposite the Haus des Rundfunks. Since 2011, they have officially been known as "Berlin ExpoCenter City" and operated by the M ...

fairgrounds; often joining in trade shows and exhibitions. As perhaps Europe's biggest such centre, it was instrumental to Berlin being one of the top congress cities in the world. It is serviced by

S-Bahn The S-Bahn is the name of hybrid urban- suburban rail systems serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble co ...

station Berlin Messe Nord/ICC. By its own reckoning, ICC Berlin is a landmark of

post-war In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period c ...

German architecture The architecture of Germany has a long, rich and diverse history. Every major European style from Roman to Postmodern is represented, including renowned examples of Carolingian, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Modern and ...

and has served as an inspiration for similar facilities around the globe. The current ICC is contaminated by

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

. Its removal will cost much more than the originally planned 259 million

Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

.Berliner Morgenpost, 12 May 2010
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In popular culture

The ICC features prominently in the 1980

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

''The Apple'', in which it appears as a futuristic concert venue. Many of the film's exterior and interior scenes were filmed in and around the building. The 2009 movie '' The International'' was partly filmed in the interior of ICC Berlin. The pedestrian tunnel was used as a set for popular dance track

Around the World (La La La La La) "Around the World (La La La La La)" is the debut single of German-based international Eurodance group ATC (also known as A Touch of Class). The song is a cover of the Russian hit "Pesenka" by Ruki Vverh! and uses the song's melody with addition ...

by German

Eurodance Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. This ...

group ATC in 1999.

References

External links

ICC Berlin descriptions
{{Coord, 52, 30, 16, N, 13, 16, 50, E, type:landmark_region:DE-BE, display=title Convention centres in Germany Theatres in Berlin Concert halls in Germany High-tech architecture Buildings and structures in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Buildings and structures completed in 1979 Music in Berlin