Berlin tavern
History
Historic Berlin tavern
Food culture in Rakvere since 1866
Over two centuries ago, animals were herded in the courtyard of a Berlin building to the manor's pasture. No glamour or evening beer-drinking.
When Rakvere became a county town in 1783, the area gradually began to transform into a town. The Berlin Theater area has always belonged to the wealthy and successful. Initially, the owner of the property with a wooden gazebo was the prosperous Rakvere resident Johan Andreas Rosenmarck, later the widow Sophie Juliana Baroth.
Timeline
1864
New buildings are emerging
New buildings are rising on the Berlin Tavern property, replacing the old wooden gazebo. The owner of the property becomes Semjon Babin, an Old Believer from the Peipsi region.
1866
The beginning of Berlin tavern
The year 1866 can be considered the beginning of the Berlin Tavern, as historical records already mentioned that in Babin’s house, there operated a tavern called Berlin.
According to legend, the tavern tenant Pavel Pervoi was a unique character, the city’s largest tavern keeper, and a quite wealthy man.
1877
The owner of the Berlin Tavern plot is changing
In 1887, the plot was acquired by the Russian merchant Ivan Filipi, known as Bläch. Eleven years later, the illustrious journey of the Berlin Tavern came to an end in a major fire that originated from the Plevna tavern of the stagecoach station. In one of the rooms, a petroleum lamp overturned, igniting a blaze that destroyed all the wooden houses at the end of the street, including Berlin Tavern.
1889
The construction of the new Berlin Tavern building begins
Just a year after the fire, Rakvere’s most renowned construction engineer-architect, Friedrich Ferdinand Modi, outlined the project for the tavern building. In June 1889, the city council approved the plan, and construction began. This time, no more risks were taken with wood, and the new building was constructed using bricks. The building included residential apartments, tavern spaces, a kitchen, a billiard room, guest rooms, and several smaller utility rooms. The portion of Berlin Tavern designed by Modi is the southern part up to the firewall, and it has stood for over 130 years.
1930
There are shops operating in the building
In the early 20th century, the new owner, Aleksander Eduard Rossman, extended the building northward. In the 1930s, there were simultaneously four shops in the building. World War II brought about its own reorganization, leading to the establishment of the Põllumeeste Kodu guesthouse and the Tervis cafeteria in the older part of the building. Initially, the northern part of the building housed a store, later converted into a milk bar.
1994
The Berlin Tavern building has new owners
The building hosted various businesses until 1994 when it was acquired by Tõnu Läänemets. In 1998, entrepreneur Roman Kusma leased the space and reopened it as the Berlin Tavern. In 2003, he sold the business to the tavern’s bartender, who closed its operations in 2008.
2013
Roman Kusma's second time hosting the Berlin Tavern
