Door policy at the Berghain nightclub - Berlin

to whom it may concern,
i dont even know how to explain what Ive been through in your club tonight. I went in with 2 friends and we were looking forward to a good night in Berlin's Berghain. We went in and had our bags checked, nothing was said to us about the contents of our bag. We went through and paid our entrance fee. I was having a good time withe my friend on the second floor and decided to take a picture of her ont he swing when an insane "boy" came over and grabbed my camera and walked off. I went after him and asked him could I have my camera back when he grabbed my arm and dragged me down stairs unbeliveably aggressively and told me to get out bacause you can't take pictures in Berghain. Nobody had told me this the was the way on the way in and so I told him I didn't know and I wouldn't take any more pictures. The only way I can describe it is that I was dragged around to look for my coat by two lunatice bouncers, one was an oldish girl and muscular and mental because I kept on trying to tell her I did nothing wrong but try and take a picture of my friend on the swing, she was so aggesive and rough I have never seen anything like it in my life. They through me out without my friends or my jacket and the black bouncer on the door told me he was going to take me around the side and kick my ass. I am never going to go back to Berghain again and out of all the places Ive ever been in the world I have never experienced anything like it in the world. This is completely unacceptable and I am reporting this to Toytown and exberliner and any blog that will listen to me. Your door staff and your floor staff is deplorable and I have never experienced anything like this in my entire life. I am a teacher from Ireland and am very conciencious and have never experienced such depolorable hateful treatment. I will never recommend this nightclub to anyone. It is "apparently" the best nightclub in Europe. I realise you have a huge amount of people coming to your door but regardless you should keep a check on who you employ.
Kind regards

I'd have to say it doesn't sound like the best nightclub in Europe. I hope you got your camera, your coat and your friend back.

Olga no one cares. I like the fact that there was a, 'Black bouncer'. You can take the girl out of the country but never the country out of the girl. Anyone out taking pictures at a club should be shot as far as I'm concerned so you were lucky.
I'm glad your friends walked out with you in protest.
Could you post the picture?

they have my camera, there was a "black bouncer" which was said for differentiation and nothing more

Sue the buggers.

WTF???! Are you on drugs or something?!

I googled to learn more about the "Berghain", and google suggests Berghain + Türsteher (bouncer), so you are definitely not the first to have had problems. It appears there is one "legendary" bouncer by the name of Sven Marquardt with tattoos in his face, and it is considered an achievement to be admitted by him. See also this comical little taz article. Incidentally, the author describes an altercation between two men and a black bouncer. One of the two is described as looking like a Russian mafioso and not exactly slim, when he gets rejected by the bouncer, he calls the bouncer racist and says he would spend a lot of money in the club. The doorman: it's not about money, but "atmosphere ... underground, you know". The 'Russian' insists on knowing exactly why he isn't admitted, the bouncer's answer: "You don't have the right type of body."

Apparently it is one of their commandments that no photos or videos should be taken, it even says so in the Wiki entry. And since the Berghain is so famous, everyone is supposed to know this rule. I try not to spend money in shops and restaurants etc. with this false notion of 'world class' and exclusiveness. One of the basic purposes of any establishment that ultimately depends on guests is to make them feel welcome, and if they have to turn down someone, to do it in a polite manner.

Berghain is famous for now letting in with a camera. Hardly a shock when you consider what goes on in that place!

two of my boyfriend's cousins work the door at Berghain and from what I've heard, people who waste their time and money trying to get into that place are chasing dreams. Call me unsophisticated if you will but there is no way in hell I would wait for two hours in line to see if I have a chance at getting into a club just because it is gay and exclusive. It is possible to grease the wheels of admission, which is why anyone works the door--you can believe it's not the hourly wage paid by the club that keeps them fed and clothed.

There are fairly strict rules about who can and cannot come in and there are quotas as well. For example, once the Spanish tourist quota is filled, no more are getting in. Just like that.

What puzzles me is why anyone (namely, the OP)would waste their time and energy crying about getting kicked out of a club? It is a private establishment, they are under no obligation to provide any services not explicity spelled out. And I hope the subject you teach in Ireland isn't English. FFS.

The OP's post isn't at all futile- it's good for them to share this experience so nobody else does the same thing. The way they were treated was really shitty- such aggressiveness is unnecessary and just damn well shocking. Being Europe's number one club is no excuse to treat people that way.

But to the OP- to be fair, I went there for the first time last night and there are signs all over the place saying photography is not allowed. Plus, the member of staff searching your bag should have asked if you have a camera. If the answer to that question was "yes", you should've been told to check in your camera at the door. I'm not excusing the violence that you seemed to be subject to, I'm just stating the facts. If you still feel unhappy about being handled and threatened, I would suggest going to the police.

Yes, Berghain seems to have a strict door policy- many people were turned away last night and after a half hour wait, I was worried that I wouldn't be admitted. Looking at the people there when I finally got in, it seems the main role of the bouncers is making sure the club gets a diverse crowd in there and it definitely succeeds. The thing with the photography sucks but when you consider that the layout and ambience of the club is its USP, of course you're going to want to protect that from being copied by other wannabes.

Well said, Geordie.

Xargon: "WTF???! Are you on drugs or something?!"

Yes I like clubbing.

BTW: If the camera is gone it can be reported as being stolen so go to the Police. If you were injured put in a claim. If you can't read signs then go to the optician. If you don't want to stick to basic club rules... go home and learn how to spell experience.

If the place has all over it feel free to come over to my place and I'll give you the kick you deserve.

If clubbing is something new for you (how old are you? 13?) be reminded that fcking with the bouncers gets you in trouble no matter where you are. They have enough idiots to take care of so get in line.

And I thought it was general knowledge that you are not allowed to take pictures in that sort of club... You know with all that stuff that is suppossed to go on in there...

But honestly since that Berghain name is now so famous you can count on the experience in there being bullshit. My guess is that you are probably together with 90 percent tourists still having there lonely planet in their back-pocket.

Still sorry for your loss. You can of course call the police because of it...

Wait a minute: I have just reread your post and you are seriously saying that your from Ireland, but you have never experienced a bouncer treat someone like that??? What has become of the Irish... Its the wealth... It mashes peoples heads...

Eh, I'm not feeling any sympathy. The no camera notices are up very clearly and you'd have to be blind not to see them.

'out of all the places Ive ever been in the world I have never experienced anything like it in the world'.

Once one has got their head around that sentence from a Milly I'm considering what other planets have been visited. Apart from that the Irish have a terrible persecution complex wherever they go. Always first to shout the line, 'two thousand years of repression', or was that, 'oppression'? I'm never quite sure. Apart from that I haven't been in Dublin, Belfast, Limerick or Derry, when an evening didn't pass without people knocking the shite out of each other on the streets and outside the clubs / bars/ venues or whatever and stupid beasts spending all evening taking pictures of each other for Bebo as if it was making their evening more, 'real'. I didn't notice any, 'black bouncers' mind you. Perhaps they were, 'chalked', up for the night?

Yeah, I take it all back. You are not on drugs. You are just an idiot.

Fine. I don't accept that advising someone to go to the police if they have been robbed or hurt is such a bad thing. If one thinks it is then perhaps I'm on the wrong planet???
Apart from that the Kindergarten is on strike... again as you can see.

I would go to the police and give a statement if I had witnesses.

I would go back next week and gather witness reports, photos (errr perhaps not), names, passport numbers, set lists, toilet paper and whatever is necessary. It is always vital to get in first with a police complaint however.

If only that rule were applied everywhere, those fuckers have absolutely no social graces at all.

well said. And while we're on the subject - why do all Spaniards (both male and female) have mullets, or some version thereof?

Some yes, but even so, coming from you this is absolutely hilarious regardless!

90% of your posts on here seem to be about arabs hassling you or your girlfriend lol.

To be honest, I'd never go into a club like Berghain to be 'inspected' at the door by some arsehole before admission and after a long queue to boot. Fuck that for a game of marbles.

It's a game of soldiers Murph. You must not forget Christy Moore's words.

The pettiness of some TT-ers never fails to astound and amaze! Pointless racism isn't big, nor is it clever (and yes, talking shit about the Irish and the Spanish for that matter IS racism in my book, before some clever TTer reels out a Wikipedia definition or similar).
Grow up people and check yourselves- I really don't think you would say any of those things if you didn't have an anonymous user name to hide behind.

o disrespect to the OP but it really hasn't been a great week for you has it?

hahahahaha no it's kinda sucked really!!! I went back to Berghain this morning and they didn't have my camera. They said they gave it back to me but they didn't. Not on, totally unacceptable.

I bet they are shaking in their boots...

Very pissed out of your mind by the looks of things but looks may be deceiving.

cheers for that but ye I agree Im sure they dont give a monkeys but still not on...

I'd report it as stolen then and give the police a full statement of events. Have you got travel insurance? It might be covered on that but you'll certainly need a crime reference number from the cops if you want to claim on it.

Fcuking someone out of a (poncey) club for taking a picture is one thing. Stealing their camera is quite another.

this club is barely on the d-list... for perhaps that very reason of unprofessional, unfriendly atmosphere... no one even knows this club exist... just stay away from it and boycott it... its a dive/dump anyway... wouldnt you think the type of people they would employ would be any grade above trash?

just give the anonymous tip about their soliciting illicit drugs in the place (all clubs basically have their club dealers)... however, no one acts unless tipped off... it brings down heat on em... old trick ;-)

well actually I do need to find a police station in Mitte but for another reason, also a post office, do you know where I could find one?

about Berghain: I think there's a$$hole bouncers & policy actually works for them, people think that it's something special to go in because it seems so "exclusive", it's almost gives it more cred than it's worth. I was in it and it's not ALL that. It's big and raw but I've been in better clubs.

Let me google that for you
Twice, even

I wonder how many Jellybeans there are in the world and it worries me for the future. If you can't get your head round finding a Police Station or Post office??? You were ejected from the club for being too stupid to live perhaps. Do you like blinking?

I like pie.

ye I love it, do you like being rude and obnoxious in life or just online?

Why not do a search on the internet for "Berghain bewertung" and give a bad review on every listing you can find and access? At least it might make you feel better.

edit: nobody has the right to be rude. Security personnel especially should know when a little tact and diplomacy is enough without escalating it to physical force. A really good bouncer rarely has to resort to violence except as a last resort. It's only punks who have little training and less brains who think that doing security for a club means getting immediately physical with a person.

if you had done any research, you would've known about their strict no-camera policy. everybody knows about it. they have every right to throw you out, and rudely. normally they ask you if you have a camera during your check and confiscate them on the spot. it's rare that you got by that somehow.

in any case, don't be a baby and get over it. posting a letter to somebody else all over the internet just makes you look like a knob.

and by the way, posting to english/expat forums will get you nowhere since they don't want tourists there in the first place. the bulk of people who are turned away at the door are foreigners.

depends what you think a knob is really don't you. I maybe should have considered doing a bit of research but to be honest never even crossed my mind. Thought when your woman took my camera out of the bag and back in that she would have mentioned it

ye true and it explains why they were so unreasonable. I reckon when they heard my English they thought feck it. I dont really care too much now, that was Saturday this is Monday but I think they're a pack of knobs to be honest. Ego maniacs on power trips, mind you it's a $hite job so they must need to vent somehow, maybe something happened before me that turned them looney???? all they had to do was take the camera which was what the bouncer the next day said they should of done.

i agree that:

• it's a bit OCD to "do research" on a club before going
  
• but all the same, everyone really does know about their no-photo policy so what rock do you live under
  
• that berghain is wayyyy overrated and full of self-important knob-jobs
  
• that taking someone's camera and kicking them out is a bit harsh--you could also accomodate your customers and "hold" the camera and give the person a card or number with which to get it back on the way out
  
• that someone who can't figure out where the nearest cop shop and a post office are is too stupid to live
  
• there are better ways to spend your Saturday night and sometimes you have to learn that the hard way
  

@jb100 check out dessa's signature on her profile:


I've never been to a club where taking photos is forbidden, chucking you out was a bit harsh but if they consider this their policy you have to live with it I guess. good story to tell the grandkids.
good luck getting your camera back

'life or just online'

All I can say is stop bringing your attempt at a spide filled evening of great disappointment life online.

If I lost my wallet a couple of nights before I wouldn't be going out partying

i was in berghain last year, they are strict, not because of dress code (its an old powerstation). i was lucky my mate told us to leave the phone/camera at home, mind you theres a dark room where basically anything goes so im sure they dont want spanish students photographin them. you can say goodbye to your camera, forget the cops, you have 1 witness, they have 'every bouncer'

panorama bar was cool, shutters down at 12 in the day!

lol, "research". She went to a club for a few drinks (I presume) and a laugh, not to to her post-doc.

what's the matter with most of you people. it's not common knowledge that you can't take photos in a club. in most clubs people take photos all the time. if there are signs up then one might still not notice after a few drinks or whatever. i think it's cool sometimes not to take photos, and i've worked in places where it's not been ok. but if i've seen someone using a camera i've just asked them nicely not to. it would also be possible to demand to see the photo and have it erased.

it's not in anyway cool for some asshole bouncer to grab someone and drag them around, throw them out without their stuff, steal their camera and not let them get their friend and then threaten to beat them up. how any of you can think that's ok i don't undertstand. it's ok to make mistakes and have misunderstandings. and we're all foreigners or tourists on this forum, we should be a bit more understanding. there are negative stereotypes about everyone but i don't really wanna be judged by them. and i like being a foreigner.

sorry you had such a crap experience, it's completely inexcusable. i hate clubs like that.

welcome to TT, the land of regular sized egos rapidly inflated by the lack of being able to express one's self to the level one would in their homeland and/or native language...and of course boredom and antagonism.

my views on the topic, yes, there are signs, yes it is obviously possible to miss them (i took a camera in there the 1st time and had taken 5 or 6 photos before i even noticed a sign), yes she broke the rules which means they do have a right to eject her from the premises, and of course yes bouncers can be, and mostly are, aggressive pricks but of course that doesn't make it ok to drag her around, etc. OP, if YOU believe you were assaulted simply go to the police. don't ask us cunts for advice