This gallery and cocktail bar, opened in 1946, was started by pioneering gallerist, Anja Bremer. Making a splash on the still-war frazzled city, the opening exhibition included works by Max Beckammn, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paul Klee, Oskar Kokoschka and Käthe Kollwitz, among others. The adjoining bar was fronted by Bremer’s husband and Suriman native, Rudi van der Lak for over 40 years until his death at age 85 in 2005.

The bar, founded as a cultural salon to complement the gallery, was designed by architect Hans Scharoun, who would later go on to design the Berlin Philharmonie. Claiming to be Berlin’s oldest cocktail bar, the dark walled establishment is a living legend in itself, having served West Berlin’s intelligentsia for over six decades.

When the windows of the gallery are closed in the evening, the bar is hidden from view making the atmosphere seem secret or forgotten in its rich dark colors and ‘50s ambiance.