Mediaspree
A Berlin riverfront property-investment and urban-renewal initiative focused on the Spree corridor.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Mediaspree is a development label associated with one of Berlin's largest post-reunification property-investment and urban-renewal initiatives. It covers a roughly 3.7-kilometre section of the Spree riverfront extending across parts of Mitte, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg and Alt-Treptow. The area is approximately 180 hectares and runs broadly between Jannowitzbrücke and Elsenbrücke, with the S-Bahn railway tracks to the north and Köpenicker Straße and Schlesische Straße to the south. Rather than being a conventional company with a single owner, headquarters or centrally controlled property portfolio, Mediaspree describes a coordinated development concept and a shared marketing identity used by investors, landowners, public authorities and businesses. The initiative emerged from the restructuring of formerly industrial and underused land after German reunification. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the riverfront contained docks, warehouses, factories, utility facilities and other commercial premises. The East Harbor, opened in 1913, was an important logistics site. Other notable industrial structures included the Eierkühlhaus, or egg cold-storage building, and the Eisfabrik. The district was heavily affected by the Second World War and the subsequent division of Berlin. During the Cold War, the Spree formed part of the border between East and West Berlin, while the Berlin Wall and associated security infrastructure restricted commercial development and public movement. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, investors acquired many vacant or temporarily used properties. The preservation and artistic transformation of part of the Wall into the East Side Gallery gave the area an internationally recognizable cultural landmark. In the 1990s, planners and investors began promoting a larger riverfront transformation centered on telecommunications, media, offices, hotels, entertainment venues and mixed-use development. A decisive planning step took place in 2002, when the Berlin Senate advanced a land-development framework for the area. The project’s stated planning principles included public access to the waterfront, publicly accessible ground floors, a mixture of large and small users, ambitious architecture, and the integration of art and media. Projects associated with the Mediaspree area have included offices, hotels, renovated industrial buildings, energy-related businesses, public-service facilities, media headquarters and entertainment venues. Universal Music moved into the renovated Eierkühlhaus, MTV Networks Germany established itself at Osthafen, and the large indoor arena now known as Uber Arena became a major event and sports venue. Mediaspree has also been a major subject of civic controversy. Critics have argued that the initiative encourages the privatization or commercialization of valuable riverfront land, threatens alternative cultural uses, increases rents and traffic, and places development pressure on the East Side Gallery and public access to the river. Supporters have presented it as a way to reuse derelict industrial land, attract investment, create employment and improve infrastructure in former East Berlin. The dispute contributed to protests around the arena and other projects, as well as opposition to the proposed reconstruction of Brommybrücke. There has never been one institution with complete authority over all Mediaspree projects. The association Regionalmanagement mediaspree e.V., originally media spree Berlin GmbH, was established in 2004 as a contact point for investors and businesses. It was dissolved at the end of 2008 after public sponsorship ended, although a property association continued to use the Mediaspree name. Individual projects remain dependent on their owners, investors and the relevant Berlin boroughs. Mediaspree is therefore best understood as a place-based development brand and urban-planning concept rather than as a conventional operating company or consumer brand.
History
The Mediaspree area developed from a nineteenth- and early twentieth-century industrial corridor along the Spree. Warehouses, factories, docks and utility buildings served Berlin's commercial economy, with the Osthafen becoming a significant harbor after its opening in 1913. Buildings such as the Eierkühlhaus and Eisfabrik reflected the area's logistics and manufacturing role. During the Second World War, parts of the district were used for military and transport-related purposes, and foreign workers and prisoners of war were employed at harbor facilities. Wartime destruction and postwar dismantling further reduced the area's industrial capacity. The division of Berlin then made redevelopment particularly difficult. The Spree formed part of the border between East and West Berlin, and the Berlin Wall ran along the northern bank. Border restrictions, security installations and the area's peripheral position left many sites underused. On the West Berlin side, alternative cultural and community projects occupied some properties, while industrial buildings on the East Berlin side were adapted or abandoned. Following reunification, land ownership and investment patterns changed rapidly. Investors acquired unused properties, while parts of the Wall were preserved and transformed into the East Side Gallery beginning in 1990. The combination of central location, rail access, large plots and waterfront frontage encouraged plans for offices, media companies, hotels, housing, retail and entertainment. The Berlin Senate advanced a land-development plan in 2002, giving the emerging Mediaspree concept a stronger planning framework. A private-sector coalition subsequently promoted the area as a media and business location. Regionalmanagement mediaspree e.V., founded in 2004, served as a contact point for owners, prospective tenants, investors and public bodies. The association was not the owner or master developer of the entire corridor. Instead, projects were planned separately by property owners, investors and borough authorities, particularly Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. The association ended its operations on 31 December 2008 after public sponsorship ceased, although a successor property association continued to operate under the Mediaspree name. Early developments included Treptowers, the ver.di headquarters near Schillingbrücke, the conversion of the Eierkühlhaus into Universal Music's German headquarters, and the relocation of MTV Networks Germany to a former Osthafen warehouse. VIVA and VIVA Plus later joined the media presence after their acquisition by MTV. Other completed or renovated projects included EnergieForum Berlin, Industriepalast, BASF's Oberbaum-City service center, Fernsehwerft, Wissinger Höfe, the former army bakery and Josetti-Höfe. The arena built by Anschutz Entertainment Group on the former Ostgüterbahnhof site became the area's most prominent entertainment development and later changed names from O2 World to Mercedes-Benz Arena and then Uber Arena. The development model generated sustained opposition. Activists and local residents challenged the scale of new construction, the loss of informal cultural spaces, rising property values, traffic, visual advertising and restrictions on public access to the river. The arena and its associated waterfront works were especially controversial because a landing facility and related construction affected the setting of the protected East Side Gallery. The proposed rebuilding of Brommybrücke was abandoned after further protests, with a temporary artistic footbridge discussed but not built. Planned public-realm measures included a wider riverfront strip, parks, footpaths and cycle paths, but implementation has varied by site. Mediaspree remains a useful term for the development geography and investment narrative of this section of Berlin, but it is not a single corporation. Its identity is distributed among projects, landowners, investors, tenants and public authorities. The area's present character combines offices, media businesses, event infrastructure, protected heritage, public parks, transport connections and contested redevelopment sites.
- 2024
Arena adopts Uber Arena name
[1]The venue changed its commercial name again, becoming Uber Arena.
- 2015
Arena adopts Mercedes-Benz Arena name
[1]The venue changed its commercial name from O2 World to Mercedes-Benz Arena under a naming-rights agreement.
- 2008
Mediaspree association dissolved
[1]Regionalmanagement mediaspree e.V. ended its operations at the close of 2008 after public sponsorship ended.
- 2008
East Side Park completed
[1]A riverfront park beside the East Side Gallery was developed with a promenade, lawn areas and a boat-landing facility.
- 2008
O2 World opens
[1]The Anschutz Entertainment Group arena opened on 10 September, becoming a major sports, concert and convention venue.
- 2004
Regionalmanagement mediaspree e.V. founded
[1]The association was established as an investor, business and property-marketing contact point for the Spree corridor.
- 2002
Berlin Senate advances development framework
[1]A land-development plan gave the Mediaspree concept a formal planning foundation and encouraged further private investment.
- 2002
EnergieForum Berlin completed
[1]A historic municipal gasworks depot was converted and expanded into a complex focused on renewable energy, energy efficiency and related businesses.
- 2000
Ostbahnhof reopens
[1]The renovated station reopened, strengthening public transport access to the riverfront.
- 1998
Ostbahnhof renovation begins
[1]Renovation of Ostbahnhof began, improving the area's connection to Berlin's regional and long-distance rail network.
Products and positioning
A place-based Berlin development concept combining commercial investment, media and telecommunications uses, adaptive reuse of industrial property, entertainment infrastructure and riverfront urban renewal. Its public positioning emphasizes mixed use, architectural quality, public access and cultural integration, while its critics associate it with privatization, gentrification and commercial pressure on historically significant spaces.
Sports and entertainment venue · 2008
Uber Arena
A large multi-purpose indoor arena developed by Anschutz Entertainment Group on the former Ostgüterbahnhof site. It opened in 2008 and has a reported maximum capacity of approximately 17,000. The venue hosts concerts, conventions and professional sports, including games associated with Eisbären Berlin and Alba Berlin. Its construction and prominent illuminated advertising made it one of the most disputed Mediaspree projects. The venue has operated under several commercial names, including O2 World and Mercedes-Benz Arena, before adopting Uber Arena in 2024.
Adaptive-reuse office and energy complex · 2002
EnergieForum Berlin
A historic municipal gasworks depot built in the early twentieth century and converted into a modern office and business complex. The protected historic structure was linked to new wings by a glass atrium. Its tenants and institutional uses have been associated with renewable energy, energy efficiency and environmentally oriented businesses, making it a prominent example of industrial heritage reuse within the Mediaspree area.
Public waterfront park · 2009
East Side Park
A riverfront park between the East Side Gallery and the Spree. The approximately 1.5-hectare site includes a riverside promenade, lawn areas and a boat-landing plaza connected with the arena development. Its design references the former Berlin Wall border strip while providing recreational space along the water. The boat landing and the associated impact on the protected Wall section became focal points of criticism from local opponents of Mediaspree.
Media and commercial property cluster
Osthafen media district
A collection of renovated and newly used industrial and warehouse properties around Berlin's East Harbor. The area attracted media tenants including Universal Music and MTV Networks Germany, alongside offices, service businesses and cultural or event uses. It represents Mediaspree's original ambition to combine media-sector employment with the reuse of centrally located former industrial land.
Brand decisions
2024
Rename the arena Uber ArenaStrategyBackground
The venue's commercial naming partnership changed again after its period as Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Action taken
The arena adopted the Uber Arena name.
Aftermath
The change refreshed the venue's commercial identity without altering its role as a major arena within the Mediaspree district.
2015
Change arena naming-rights identityStrategyBackground
The existing O2 World commercial naming agreement was replaced by a new naming-rights arrangement.
Action taken
The venue was renamed Mercedes-Benz Arena from July 2015, with a reported 20-year term.
Aftermath
The arena continued operating as a central Mediaspree sports and entertainment asset under a new commercial brand.
2008
Open the major arena developmentProduct launchBackground
The Anschutz Entertainment Group developed a large indoor venue on the former Ostgüterbahnhof site as a centerpiece for sports, concerts and conventions.
Action taken
The arena opened on 10 September 2008 under the O2 World name.
Aftermath
It became a major Berlin event venue, while its scale, lighting, waterfront setting and relationship to the East Side Gallery remained controversial.
Reported construction cost. €165 million (At the arena's 2008 opening)
2002
Adopt a coordinated riverfront development strategyStrategyBackground
Berlin sought to reuse underused land along the Spree and attract private investment, media businesses and employment after reunification.
Action taken
The Berlin Senate advanced a land-development framework supporting mixed-use construction, media and telecommunications activity, public-realm improvements and adaptive reuse.
Aftermath
The framework accelerated investment but also intensified public debate over privatization, gentrification, heritage protection and public access to the waterfront.
- Abandon reconstruction of BrommybrückeStrategy
Background
Traffic forecasts and redevelopment plans prompted discussion of rebuilding the former Brommybrücke bridge across the Spree.
Action taken
The proposed reconstruction was abandoned following further protests; a temporary artistic pedestrian bridge was discussed but not built.
Aftermath
The decision reflected the continuing conflict between projected development needs, traffic planning, public space and local opposition.
Recent events
- 2024
Arena renamed Uber Arena[1]
Other
The Mediaspree-area arena was renamed Uber Arena, replacing the Mercedes-Benz Arena identity.
- 2015
Arena naming rights shift from O2 World to Mercedes-Benz Arena[1]
Other
The arena was scheduled to adopt the Mercedes-Benz Arena name from July 2015 under a 20-year naming-rights agreement.
- 2008
Mediaspree association dissolved after public sponsorship ended[1]
Other
Regionalmanagement mediaspree e.V., the investor and business contact organization associated with the initiative, was dissolved at the end of 2008. Its functions were subsequently carried by a property association that continued using the Mediaspree name.
- 2008
O2 World opens amid protests[1]
Product launch · Campaign
The large arena on the former Ostgüterbahnhof site opened on 10 September 2008. Its construction and effects on the surrounding riverfront generated protests connected with broader opposition to Mediaspree.
Sources1 sources
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