History

The history of the Berlin French Centre is directly linked to the History of Berlin and the French-German relations. Until 1992, the former French Cultural Centre on 74 Müllerstraße was built by the French Forces Allied to Berlin. The Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the historic changes which arose from this also led to the withdrawal of the 4 Allied Forces of Germany. As a result of the “2+4 Treaty” and the Reunification Act, the majority of the Berlin French Centre’s buildings became the property of the German Federal Republic, represented by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

The Governments of the French and German Republics joined forces in order to ensure the continued activity of the French Centre, in the spirit of Franco/German friendship, and of the European idea of understanding between different people, in particular with regard to the participation of young Eastern Europeans.

However, the buildings of the Berlin French Centre, unused between 1990 and 1997, were showing certain signs of age. Much work turned out to be needed before commencing activities in our surroundings. Today, the buildings have been renovated and comply with all modern norms.

The French part of the Berlin French Centre is represented by the C/E/I Centre d’Echanges Internationaux of which the headquarters is in Paris. The German part is represented by the Stiftung Sozialpädagogisches Institut Berlin,of which the headquarters is in Berlin on 74 Müllerstraße.

Following institutions were involved in the creation of the Berlin French Centre:

The French Embassy in Germany, represents the French Republic.
The Federal Ministry for Families, the Elderly, Women and Young People represents the Federal Republic of Germany.
Department of the Berlin Senate in charge of schools, Young People and Sports, representing the City of Berlin;
The city of Paris;
The Bezirksamt (Borough) of Wedding replaced by what is now the Bezirksamt Mitte since the amalgamation of several boroughs in Berlin, in January 2001.