DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Lifestyle
German news & articles
UNESCO lists Berlin's techno scene as intangible cultural heritage
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

UNESCO lists Berlin's techno scene as intangible cultural heritage

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

Blood donors offered free entry to Berlin vampire exhibitionBlood donors offered free entry to Berlin vampire exhibition
3 German cities named among 20 happiest in the world3 German cities named among 20 happiest in the world
2014-2024: Who has come and gone from Berlin in the past decade?2014-2024: Who has come and gone from Berlin in the past decade?
4 German cities see record-breaking public transport use in 20244 German cities see record-breaking public transport use in 2024
Cinemas where you can watch English-language movies in BerlinCinemas where you can watch English-language movies in Berlin
February 2025: 8 changes affecting expats in GermanyFebruary 2025: 8 changes affecting expats in Germany
Berlin theatre offers on-stage sleepover in eBay auctionBerlin theatre offers on-stage sleepover in eBay auction
Frankfurt named 7th-best international city for quality of livingFrankfurt named 7th-best international city for quality of living
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usImpressumSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Mar 15, 2024
Olivia Logan

Editor at IamExpat Media

Editor for Germany at IamExpat Media. Olivia first came to Germany in 2013 to work as an Au Pair. Since studying English Literature and German in Scotland, Freiburg and Berlin she has worked as a features journalist and news editor.Read more

To celebrate how the genre has shaped Belin’s cultural identity, UNESCO has named the city’s techno scene as an intangible cultural heritage.

Berlin techno listed as UNESCO heritage

Among “the practice of opera singing in Italy”, the “grass mowing competition custom in Kupres, Bosnia and Herzegovina” and “Artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread in France”, Berlin’s techno scene has been listed by UNESCO as an “intangible cultural heritage”. 

Celebrating techno’s contribution to the city’s identity, Berlin’s Clubcomission - an official body which “protect[s] and develop[s] a diverse and sustainable club scene” - said on X that the announcement marked “another milestone for Berlin techno producers, artists, club operators and event organisers”.

UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list was first established in 2003 and recognises practices in art, music, cuisine, crafts and dance across the world. While additions to the list are often linked to older traditions - other German listings include the 400-year-old Hessian embroidery craft Schwälmer Weißstickerei and Apfelwein - UNESCO’s recent decision to add Jamaican reggae prompted stalwarts of the techno scene to campaign for its inclusion.

For the Clubcommission, Berlin’s techno scene being added to the list isn’t just symbolic. According to SPIEGEL, members of the organisation hope that it will bring some more practical advantages, such as further government funding and the possibility of opening new clubs in the capital.

How did Berlin come to love techno so much?

Today, Berlin is known across the world for its never-ending techno parties, but as any true techno fan knows, Detroit is the oft-forgotten home of techno where the first tracks were laid in the early 1980s.

With the fall of the wall in 1989, the then-wasteland of Berlin-Mitte became a playground for artists and musicians, with new squats, clubs and venues in disused buildings popping up everywhere. 

Tresor was at the heart of this scene; the nightclub in a former department store began flying over Techno DJs from Detroit who would capture the hearts of Berliners just as they suddenly had the energy to dance all night long. 

Thumb image credit: Filmbildfabrik / Shutterstock.com

By Olivia Logan