<translation>New Berlin Synagogue in the former transformer station</translation>

Today, a Jewish family and cultural center opened on Berlin's Münstersche Strasse, which has moved into a converted electrical substation. The historic building was constructed in 1922 by the predecessor of today's Bewag and was used as a distribution station, transformer station, and later as a street lighting laboratory. The station was acquired in 2004 by a Jewish foundation, which renovated it and made it available to the Orthodox Jewish organization Chabad Lubavitch for 99 years. The architectural firm nps tchoban voss was commissioned to design the renovation. The building remains virtually untouched from the outside, gaining only a more representative entrance. An Orthodox synagogue was created in the former transformer hall, and a traditional Jewish ritual bath (Mikveh) was established in the basement. Additionally, there are seminar rooms, a library, a space for children's services, a café, and a community hall with an associated kosher kitchen.
The synagogue itself consists of a closed elevated space that serves as both the spiritual and cultural center, as well as the spatial focal point of the entire complex. The character of the hall is defined by dark walnut wood paneling that spans the full height. The roof's structure is supported by a single column placed asymmetrically in the space of the synagogue. The hall has an extremely compact feel due to its dimensions. The women's gallery is shaped like an amorphous form "flowing" from the northern wall of the hall. It attaches to the freestanding column but avoids it, "surrounding" it instead. Furthermore, it horizontally "cuts through" the space. The main hall is illuminated by an oval "heavenly window," which symbolizes the spiritual connection between the believers and the divine entity, as well as by "light slits" left in the walls that resonate with the dark walnut wood and the deep red upholstery of the seats, creating a festive yet warm atmosphere in the hall. Link>