Nick Cave's Berlin Apartment
The Kreuzberg flat where Nick Cave wrote Bad Seeds albums and his debut novel
Dresdener Straße 11, Kreuzberg
Berlin, Germany
52.5008° N · 13.4177° W
Get DirectionsWhat happened here?
Nick Cave arrived in West Berlin in 1982 with The Birthday Party, moving into a tiny apartment at Dresdener Straße 11 in Kreuzberg. The flat belonged to Christoph Dreher, filmmaker and founder of the German band Die Haut, who had toured with The Birthday Party. Cave would spend the next seven years living on and off in this building.
He had come to Berlin to escape what he called the "unwelcome atmosphere" of London. Kreuzberg in the 1980s was a different world — war-damaged buildings, cheaply heated flats, and a large Turkish immigrant community. It was also the epicentre of West Berlin's post-punk scene.
The Bad Seeds and a Debut Novel
After The Birthday Party disbanded in 1983, Cave stayed in Berlin and formed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. In this cramped Kreuzberg flat he wrote the lyrics and music for several Bad Seeds albums and penned his debut novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel, published in 1989.
Cave frequented nearby venues like Risiko and SO36, and wielded a sizeable influence over Kreuzberg's post-punk scene. The 1988 film Dandy, featuring Cave and Blixa Bargeld of Einstürzende Neubauten, was shot at locations around the neighbourhood.
Visiting Today
Dresdener Straße 11 is a residential building in Kreuzberg, near Kottbusser Tor. The street and neighbourhood have changed considerably since the 1980s but the building still stands. The area is walkable from other Berlin music landmarks and the legendary SO36 club is nearby on Oranienstraße.
Nick Cave arrived in West Berlin in 1982 with The Birthday Party, moving into a tiny apartment at Dresdener Straße 11 in Kreuzberg. The flat belonged to Christoph Dreher, filmmaker and founder of the German band Die Haut, who had toured with The Birthday Party. Cave would spend the next seven years living on and off in this building.
He had come to Berlin to escape what he called the "unwelcome atmosphere" of London. Kreuzberg in the 1980s was a different world — war-damaged buildings, cheaply heated flats, and a large Turkish immigrant community. It was also the epicentre of West Berlin's post-punk scene.
The Bad Seeds and a Debut Novel
After The Birthday Party disbanded in 1983, Cave stayed in Berlin and formed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. In this cramped Kreuzberg flat he wrote the lyrics and music for several Bad Seeds albums and penned his debut novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel, published in 1989.
Cave frequented nearby venues like Risiko and SO36, and wielded a sizeable influence over Kreuzberg's post-punk scene. The 1988 film Dandy, featuring Cave and Blixa Bargeld of Einstürzende Neubauten, was shot at locations around the neighbourhood.
Visiting Today
Dresdener Straße 11 is a residential building in Kreuzberg, near Kottbusser Tor. The street and neighbourhood have changed considerably since the 1980s but the building still stands. The area is walkable from other Berlin music landmarks and the legendary SO36 club is nearby on Oranienstraße.
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