Attraction in Berlin

You're standing at the Kunsthaus Tacheles on Oranienburger Straße, right in the middle of Berlin. This big building has lived more lives than most people. It started out in 1907 and 1908 as a shopping arcade, the Friedrichstraßenpassage, built under the supervision of Franz Ahrens. The covered passage ran all the way through to Friedrichstraße, so you could stroll from one busy street to the other. A huge dome crowned it. And instead of paying in each shop, everyone paid at one central checkout. Clever idea, but within six months the business was bankrupt.