ICC - International Congress Centre

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  Internationales Congress Centrum Berlin (ICC)

• Visitors come to the former International Congress Center (ICC) Berlin during the "48 h ICC" event.

• The first visitors tour Hall 1 during the "48 Stunden ICC" event at the former International Congress Center (ICC) Berlin.

• The International Congress Center Berlin (ICC Berlin) at the Funkturm (r).

To this day, the ICC is considered the prototype of a modern conference centre. The impressive building covers the entire traffic island between the highway, Messedamm and Kantstraße.

The ICC, the International Congress Center Berlin, has often been the most popular conference venue in the world. But that was once upon a time - the eye-catching building right next to the highway has been empty for years. Thanks to its extraordinary architecture, the ICC is one of Berlin's landmarks.

ICC: A new congress hall for Berlin

Until 1979, Berlin's congress hall was located in the Schwangere Auster. As the city developed into an internationally popular trade fair location, it quickly became clear that the hall in today's Haus der Kulturen der Welt, with a capacity of 1,200 people, was too small. A competition was held to commission the construction of a multifunctional hall. The location was to be the exhibition grounds.

The design by the architect couple Ralf Schüler and Ursulina Schüler-Witte won the competition in 1965, but work on the large-scale project did not begin until ten years later. Due to frequent changes to the specifications for the International Congress Center, the building, which was originally planned as a simple hall, became the largest and most expensive construction project since the Second World War.

Europe's largest congress center

With the opening of the ICC in 1979, Berlin was home to the largest congress center in Europe. The interior and exterior of the building was unique for its time. Due to its location on a traffic island between the Autobahn and the Messedamm, the architects had the idea of building the ICC like a ship with several decks. The exterior is reminiscent of a glazed (ship's) bridge. Inside, there are two large and around 80 small halls, event rooms and supply centers on several floors, including below ground. Sophisticated architecture and the installation of rubber-like damping prevent the transmission of sound and vibrations. The ICC could accommodate more than 20,000 people.

Modern conference center and yet impractical

Despite the well thought-out interior design by the two architects, the modern technology and the reputation as a prototype of a modern conference center, the ICC turned out to be too small and uneconomical in terms of room layout. In addition to the expensive operating costs, the contamination with asbestos was a negative factor. Major events were held in the International Congress Center until 2014. The building then served as emergency accommodation for refugees for another two years. The ICC has been a listed building since 2019. There are plans to renovate and remove asbestos. The renovation plans have not yet been implemented and a new idea for its use has not yet been found. An international competition for the design of the huge building is to bring forth new ideas.

Information

• Address:
  Messedamm 22
  14055 Berlin
  City map
• Opening Hours: The ICC is closed until further notice.