Rechenzentrum Potsdam

Good afternoon!

The Rechenzentrum Potsdam is located here, right next to the Garrison Church Tower:

The Rechenzentrum is a lively place for artistic and socio-creative production and encounters in the centre of Potsdam. Since 2015, the former administrative building from the 1970s has been a place for artists and creatives, for social projects and events – in short, Brandenburg’s largest socio-creative centre.

We would like to invite you to drop by.

The building is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and invites you to enjoy its diverse interior, artistic corridors, a room for foodsharing and with swap shelves and a green oasis in the inner courtyard.

On our first floor, you can visit the “Lernort Garnisonkirche” exhibition. This is open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is free of charge.

A pop-up exhibition at the entrance shows the contents and construction of the renovated and long-term preserved Rechenzentrum. Concerts, courses, cosmos canteens, vernissages and other events regularly invite a wide audience into the building.
You are also welcome to drop by.

You can also explore the mosaic “Man conquers the Cosmos” by Fritz Eisel on the first floor plinth of the building. It praises the socialist belief in progress and has been a listed historic monument since the 1970s.

TEN YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION

The transformation of the former Centre for Data Processing into a socio-creative centre began on 1 September 2015.

Since the start of use, our more than 220 rooms have been let at affordable prices: The RZ has over 300 tenants, including solo freelancers, collectives, small companies and non-profit organisations active in art, design, film, cultural work, music, media, inclusion and integration. In addition, there are hundreds of other users of courses, workshops and fair dividers every week, as well as numerous visitors to the events and exhibitions. The approximately 5000 m² of usable space is used intensively.

Operations and cultural management are financed from the rents. The building is designed and characterised by a high level of commitment from the user community and collaborative decisions.

SEVERAL EXTENSIONS ON THE WAY TO A LONG-TERM COEXISTENCE WITH THE GARRISON CHURCH TOWER?

The use was originally planned from 2015 to 2018 – was then extended until 2023 due to the lively use and revitalisation of Potsdam’s city centre – and currently runs until January 2026.

Preserving and renovating the data centre in the long term is the goal of its users, the members of FÜR e.V. and numerous Potsdam residents and external supporters. In the 2024 local election campaign, its preservation was enshrined in the election manifestos of numerous parties and groups. In December 2024, a majority of Potsdam’s city councillors spoke out in favour of extending the use of the RZ for a further five years.

In a joint process with representatives of the Garrison Church Foundation, the city administration and politicians, the long-term future of the site is also to be developed based on the coexistence of the Garrison Church Tower and the socio-creative data centre. However, this never really got off the ground and in spring 2025, the future of the data centre is written in the stars. For the current situation >>>> HERE.

The following picture shows (in German language) why the preservation of our building is important: there are cultural, scientific, ecologic and more reasons.