Originally conceived of as a place of congregation for crew-members after long transatlantic flights, the legendary luxury Berlin lounge was inaugurated by Pan American Airways in 1966. It was not long before the lounge became a hush-hush hot-spot at the center of the divided city’s Western Sector.

Glamorous parties, galas and receptions – this is where high society was likely to rendezvous. While the bourbon never ceased flowing over at the bar, (“Bourbon gladly, never Scotch.” This saying of Captain Hank Miller’s made it fairly plain – many of the pilots who enjoyed unwinding at the Pan Am Lounge were particularly fond of drinking bourbon. Popular with the other guests as well, the American whiskey remained a favourite staple at the Lounge throughout the decades.) the discreet atmosphere of the Lounge provided the era’s notables in politics and society with tranquil retreat, in which to negotiate the issues of the day. It was not until the airline’s final swan-song and the fall of the Berlin wall that the lounge fell into slumber for a time and became a sleeping beauty.