Ballsaal Blume, Germany

Ballsaal Blume is an abandoned ballroom, tucked away in a small town in East Germany. The name translates to “Ballroom Flower”. This location is sometimes called Kulturhaus Blumendecke; or “Culture House Flower Ceiling”. Certainly, these codenames have a flowery trend to them! The entire ceiling of the ballroom is painted with motifs that are usually described as flowers. Personally, I think they look more like simple abstract radial patterns (perhaps that is just me not squinting, or tilting my head enough!).

I explored Ballsaal Blume during the Summer 2020 Ballroom Tour. Where we zigzagged across East Germany filling our trip (and camera SD cards!) with ballrooms. Kulturhaus Blumendecke

Inside the abandoned abandoned Kulturhaus Blumendecke

Considering the other ballrooms I have visited, I admit Ballsaal Blume is not the most grand. Likewise, it is not the most pristine. This location does, however, tick both boxes for rustic charm and natural decay (two things I adore!). The wooden floor is splintered with a pleasing texture. Also, there is something about excessive use of yellow paint in East Germany buildings of this age that appeals to me. The simple colours also really let the red parts of the ceiling pattern pop.

Ballsaal Blume has a second area that I found interesting; a bar area leading off from the main room. The curved wooden bar looks so welcoming, I could imagine people retreating to this room for a drink and to socialise. The ceiling tells an interesting tale of changing decoration style. Beneath the peeling paint panels, brown and orange radial patterns can be seen which look to be contemporary to the main room. However, it appears that at some point these were painted over with solid colours (pink, lilac, bright yellow and cornflower blue). The lower portion of the walls is also painted pink, which likely was also done during the redecoration.