It was formerly a residence for nuns called the Martha Maria Haus, which was left derelict in 1970.
[1] On December 8, 1971, a teach-in was organised at the Technische Universität Berlin to commemorate the death of activist Georg von Rauch.
Following a concert by Ton Steine Scherben, the building was squatted by 300 people and named after von Rauch.
[3][1] The occupation was legalized by the local authorities and inspired Ton Steine Scherben's "Rauch-Haus-Song".
[1][4] It became an important center for the city's left-wing/countercultural milieu and was raided in 1972 by the police looking for Bommi Baumann.