From a potato factory
to a digital
high-performing
center
The WERK1 building has a long history: first a potato factory, then “Kultfabrik” and now home to digital startups, Coworkers and Colivers in the Werksviertel-Mitte district at Ostbahnhof.
How it all began…
1949 was the birth of the Pfanni brand in Munich. The brand was launched with the Pfanni potato pancake. The legendary potato dumpling followed a year later and mashed potatoes in 1959. Pfanni specialized in everything related to the German potato, and the company relied on advertising to promote its products from an early stage.
But what does all this have to do with today’s WERK1? Quite simple: in 1955, the WERK1 building became Pfanni’s administrative headquarter. Werner Eckart, the founder of Pfanni, the advertising department, accounting, and the cash register moved into the new office building.
A slide show about the history of the Werksviertel-Mitte site can be found here.
From a dumpling empire to a cultural capital
In 1996, the former potato stronghold at Ostbahnhof transformed into a vibrant cultural and artistic hub. In September 1996 the “Kunstpark Ost” was opened on the site of what is now Munich’s Werksviertel-Mitte. The repurposing of industrial facilities for rock and techno concerts embodied the allure of innovation. For the hipsters of the time, the location, events and lifestyle became symbols of the newfound freedom.
New clubs, bars and studios for artists were constantly emerging. Icons such as the “Nachtkantine”, New York Table Dance and Starskys were just some of the cultural institutions that made the district something very special even back then.
In 2003, “Kunstpark Ost” became the “Kultfabrik” with over 25 clubs, discos, bars, concert halls and various event locations. It became a hotspot for all kinds of music.
You can read more about “Kunstpark Ost” and the “Kultfabrik” here.
The WERK1 at Werksviertel-Mitte Munich
At the beginning of 2013, WERK1 finally became the home of the digital start-up scene. b-neun Media & Technology Center GmbH moved from Unterföhring to the premises in the Werksviertel and was renamed WERK1. It was one of the first projects in the newly emerging Werksviertel-Mitte. The large area, located directly at Munich’s Ostbahnhof, is one of the most exciting urban development projects in Germany. Where potato products and lubricants were once produced, a new urban district is now being created.
The largest part of the new Werksviertel Munich used to be the former Pfanni factories, where potato products were developed, produced, and packaged. Even the name WERK1 is a legacy of that time: today’s WERK1 was the former Pfanni Werk1, which was home to the laboratories and packaging of the local production.
WERK1.4 and startup hub
For 10 years now, digital game changers have found the ideal conditions at WERK1 to realize their entrepreneurial dreams. With a startup incubator, two Coworking spaces, a café, meeting rooms, an event location and a variety of events, we have become one of the central hubs for digital companies in Munich. With the new building WERK1.4, we expanded our space to over 10,000 sqm in summer 2023 and opened the first Coliving concept for startups in Munich.
After an exciting 2023, the momentum continues: In 2024, WERK1 opens the new WERK1 Startup Hub in the Stadtsparkasse Munich building at Friedenstraße. This expansion increases the total space to more than 11,000 sqm, providing affordable, light-filled offices for young tech startups shaping the digital business models and solutions of tomorrow.
vision 2030: what’s next…
The vision is clear: WERK1 is growing into THE place where Europe’s startup and tech scene comes together. Our goal is to bring the world’s best enablers, programs, and VCs to Munich and build a cluster that sets new benchmarks. Some partners have already moved into WERK1, helping ideas grow faster, giving talent easier access, and making innovation more visible.
WERK1 aims to create an environment where short distances, real collaboration, and an open atmosphere drive innovation. Here, founders meet investors, programs connect with startups, and ideas find their way to markets – all in one place.
Anyone who wants to help shape this vision will find the right place at WERK1.
One of the most exciting district development in the country
The Werksviertel is a prime example of a long-term transformation from an industrial area to a refreshing, mixed-use and vibrant district.
The creative revitalization of existing structures serves as the guiding principle throughout all the plans, whereby the recently opened Werk 1.4 is surprising as a new building, although it gives the impression of an extensively renovated old building structure – an effect of the intensive examination of the history, identity and architecture of the site by Hild und K (Munich/Berlin).
Press inquiries, Logos and images
Do you have any questions or are you looking for pictures? Then write us a mail! If you are looking for pictures of WERK1 or WERK1.4, you’ll find them in the press kit.
Awards and recognitions
