191MARCH 2020 | €3.90 | WHO OWNS BERLIN? RENT REVOLUTION TEMPELHOF DILEMMA CLUBSTERBEN Sharks, crime and big bucks: How the Mietendeckel came Building on the Feld is back Griessmuehle and KitKat welcome to the anonymous about and what it means on the table. Have Berliners are fighting for the survival property swamp. for you. changed their minds? of Berlin club culture.
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CONTENTS EXB191 March 2020
REGULARS SPECIAL — — 03 Real estate Political Notebook The CDU’s AfD undercurrent 08 Clärchens’ new boss 04 Yoram Roth reveals Best of Berlin his plans Power tool empowerment, moo-free protein and a 12 queer Wedding update Your business, our house Lefty house projects vs 49 real estate speculation Comic #Instabunnies have apartment 14 envy Gentrification on the dancefloor Griessmuehle and KitKat 50 are fighting for survival The Gay Berliner Jens Spahn and the crystal ceiling young 16 The Green knight 50 spontaneous of public housing Berlin Bites everywhere Florian Schmidt’s legacy The hype queens as city councillor of Reichenberger Straße
18 52 sit at the front for a year Who owns Berlin? The Berlinoscope opera and ballets for 10 EURO Meet the researcher unmasking What the stars hold for you concerts for 8 EURO the hidden profiteers this March all advantages for 15 EURO per year 21 Frozen! The Berlin rent revolution WHAT’S ON > 030-20 35 45 55 The story behind the Mietendeckel — and how it affects you Film 28 Deutsche Oper Berlin Music 32 Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin 24 Stage 36 Komische Oper Berlin An egalitarian estate Art 40 Konzerthaus Berlin Prenzlauer Berg’s RIAS Kammerchor World Heritage Site 44 Rundfunkchor Berlin Events calendar 26 Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin The Tempelhof dilemma 46 Staatsballett Berlin Urban nature vs The Berlin guide Staatsoper Unter den Linden affordable housing
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Éliane Radigue Les Percussions de Strasbourg Halim El-Dabh Orquesta Experimental Gérard Grisey de Instrumentos Nativos Younghi Pagh-Paan PHØNIX16 Marisol Jimenez Quatuor Bozzini Carlos Gutiérrez Quiroga Myriam Van Imschoot Mark Andre Iannis Xenakis Pierluigi Billone Phill Niblock Myriam Van Imschoot Cassandra Miller & and many more Juliet Fraser Ensemble Resonanz Ensemble Modern Junge Deutsche Philharmonie
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191MARCH 2020 | €3.90 | WHO OWNS BERLIN? RENT REVOLUTION TEMPELHOF DILEMMA CLUBSTERBEN Sharks, crime and big bucks: How the Mietendeckel came Building on the Feld is back Griessmuehle and KitKat welcome to the anonymous about and what it means on the table. Have Berliners are fi ghting for the survival property swamp. for you. changed their minds? of Berlin club culture. The CDU’s AfD undercurrent Why the outrage over last month’s Thuringia election isn’t as comforting as it ought to be.
| 100% MADE IN BERLIN | PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER | | U1 Cover 191.indd 1 24.02.20 03:15 ome things that happen just look im- vative politicians, like Markus Söder, head of Xenia Latii and René Blixer portant. Events crash into a stream of the CSU, agreed with Merkel with an unusual S mingling causes and consequences and passion. It felt like Germany’s conscience had Publishers make a noise that can’t be ignored. But the awoken, as if somewhere buried deep in their Martin Frank Nadja Vancauwenberghe stream is still there all the time anyway, and all weary bodies, politicians had finally located its many strands are impossible to tell apart, a backbone. But then older truths began to Editorial much less understand. Last month, Annegret filter out from the lower reaches of the party Editor-in-chief Music Kramp-Karrenbauer quit the leadership of the structure. People remembered that Söder has Nadja Vancauwenberghe Damien Cummings CDU because she couldn’t stop the Thuringia been aping the AfD’s policies and rhetoric in Deputy editor Art section of her party from voting Bavaria in an effort to stem its Franziska Helms Anna Larkin with the Alternative for Germany influence, for example. And others Web editor Stage (AfD) to install a centre-right-ish remembered that last September, Beth Cherryman Nicholas Potter candidate, the Free Democrats’ the ARD’s investigative show Film Food Thomas Kemmerich, as the new Report Mainz had uncovered at David Mouriquand Jane Silver state premier. It didn’t look good least 18 local district authorities Design for AKK: Angela Merkel had to where the AfD and the CDU were step in by saying the vote was already working together. One Art director Graphic design Martin N. Hinze Larissa Matheus “unforgivable”, even though the CDU leader in a small town in main reason that the chancellor Konrad Werner Saxony-Anhalt, where the CDU Copy editing gave up the party leadership was had allowed an AfD councillor Benjamin Haughton, Alex Pichaloff explains German so her chosen successor could into their parliamentary group, Junior contributors get the CDU under control ahead politics admitted during a meeting they Matthew Berks, Liliana Guerreiro, of the next election. And Merkel would have to end the cooperation Sarah Ollivier, Michael O’Ryan, John Mark Shorack, Marcelina Wellmer meant it: within a week, not only “as soon as a press circus starts.” had AKK resigned, but so had Kemmerich, Yeah, it turns out that press circuses, along Ad sales / Marketing Thuringian CDU leader Mike Mohring, and, with Twitter storms and spontaneous demos – Julia Belyaeva, Frieder Schmid (advertising), just for the hell of it even though no one knew like those that happened in Thuringia and Berlin Fanny Zschau (partnerships) who he was or his job even existed, Christian on the evening after Kemmerich was elected To discuss advertising please contact us: Hirte, the German government commissioner in parliament – do at least sometimes remind Tel 030 2576 0874, [email protected] for the eastern German states. Thuringia might some political leaders about the whispers in Distribution / Subscriptions now be heading for new elections. their conscience. But the other scary truth is Stefanie Gilissen In short, everyone agreed it was a big deal. that the vote in the Thuringian parliament and www.exberliner.com/subscribe Any politician or journalist anywhere near a the revelations from the local councils show Iomauna Media GmbH microphone said a taboo and/or a “dam” had that, in fact, the centre-right parties are already Max-Beer-Straße 48, 10119 Berlin-Mitte been broken, that any kind of cooperation with conceiving of the possibility of one day form- Tel 030 2463 2563, Fax 030 4737 2963 the AfD (whose leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, ing coalitions with the AfD, because they agree www.exberliner.com, Issn 1610-9015 can legally be called a fascist, according to one about a lot of stuff. The outrage was big enough Exberliner was founded in 2002 by Maurice Frank, court ruling) is beyond the German political this time – thanks, as ever, to the people who Ioana Veleanu and Nadja Vancauwenberghe pale. For a moment it felt good: other conser- annoy centrists. But how long for? T
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o you’ve finally landed a flat. Congratu- lations! Only thing is, in all that time S bouncing between sublets you never bothered to put up a single shelf or curtain rod, and now you’re wandering the aisles of Bauhaus like a lost little lamb. Where do you even start? Maybe with an English-language workshop from Driller Queens, a female/ trans/non-binary-forward home improvement collective founded by British ex-graphic designer and lifelong DIYer Charly Machin on International Women’s Day last year. Since October, she’s been teaching small groups not to fear the Bohrmaschine with her “Skills With Drills” courses, held at Kreuzberg event space The Workshop (Forster Str. 51, next events on March 7 and 14). Over the course of three hours you’ll learn the basics of hole spackling, wire detecting and anchor fitting, before strapping on a tool belt and gaining some zero-stakes drilling experience on an idiot-proof practice wall. While you could pick up a lot of this on the internet, your €65 fee (€45 if you’re unemployed or on a low income) also buys you Machin’s invaluable Berlin-specific advice – which devices and techniques work best on crumbly Altbau plasterboard or impenetrable Neubau concrete, where to scrimp on costs and where to splurge on the big German brands. You’re then let out into the world with newfound confidence, a voucher for tool rental startup Toolbot, and Driller Queens’ contact info, just in case you get in over your head and need to call in the cavalry after all. — Rachel Glassberg
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Café bar BEST QUEER WEDDING UPDATE
hen Moritz Bar closed last June after more than six years on Wedding’s Adolfstraße, it seemed that Antonkiez had lost its prized queer location. This January though, the operators behind Neukölln W haunt Silver Future (Weserstr. 206) stepped in and opened café bar Curly (because what could be less straight?) in the same petite space, offering another inclusive home for all “kings, queens and criminal queers”. Curly’s non-smoking, snug interior packs its punch with window seating, retro desk stools and an adjacent candle-lit space. Plush silk curtains, old-fashioned chandeliers and a moody interior pro- vide a quaint backdrop, with an emergency make-up counter on-hand. During the day, get some work done over a latte macchiato (€2.80, bio or Hafermilch available) or choice of tea (all €2.30). To eat, order a toasted flatbread with a vegan topping (choose from baba ghanoush, hummus or roasted vegetables, €2.50). In the evenings, the café lets its hair down under its pink ‘C’ neon sign and transforms into a bar, with a selection of drinks (0.5L Flaschenbier from €1.70, 0.1L Queer Royal prosecco for €2.80 and 5cl Pussy Love gin for €6) to see you through the night. Their non-white, queer-themed playlists (featuring Frank Ocean, Joy Crookes and Xenia Franca) and weekly raucous drag
Liliana Guerreiro nights make Curly the promising update the Wedding scene needed. — Matthew Berks Vly
Curly Adolfstr. 17, Wedding, Mon-Thu 11-2, Fri 11-3, Sat 14-3, Sun 14-2
4 EXBERLINER 191 BEST OF BERLIN
alternative Milk BEST MOO-FREE PROTEIN
f you’re vegan, you’re probably sick of people asking where you get your protein from. While I there are plenty of plant-based sources for your daily nutrients, ex-basketballer and five-year vegan Nicolas Hartmann specifically wanted his own protein-rich vegan milk alternative. The 26-year-old former German youth national player partnered Liliana Guerreiro up with a business graduate and a food technolo- gist to set up VlyFoods. They experimented with soy, oats, chickpeas and even poppy seeds before finally settling on peas as the basis for their ‘milk’. During production, the pea protein is extracted, pasteurised and blended with water, rapeseed oil, raw cane sugar, potassium, calcium and natural flavouring. The milk is then steamed to remove residual pea flavour. Vly’s ‘Original’ option is noticeably thicker and creamier than other milk alternatives, while the ‘Unsweetened’ and ‘Barista’ varieties are thinner, with the former boasting an extra high protein level of 6.2 percent, the latter holding a good foam (but careful, it’s sweet and may also curdle in very acidic coffee). The Berlin start-up sources its peas from northern France and processes them in North Rhine-Westphalia, but Berliners are still the first to get a taste, with select Edeka stores stocking it as of last month (€2.49/litre). So, if you’re looking for a protein- rich alternative to cow’s milk, VlyFoods is vying for your attention. — John Mark Shorack vlyfoods.com PETER THE DISTILLERS FRAMPTON 08.06.20 · Zitadelle 04.06.20 · Tempodrom
BODY COUNT 3 DOORS DOWN FEAT. ICE-T 11.06.20 · Tempodrom + LIONHEART 24.06.20 · Tempodrom
DIONNE WARWICK ZUCCHERO MIT DER NEUEN PHILHARMONIE FRANKFURT 21.11.20 · Mercedes-Benz Arena 22.10.20 · Vert Music Hall
TOVE LO + MILLIE TURNER WILLIAM PRINCE 20.03.20 · Huxleys 24.03.20 · Privatclub
THE PICTUREBOOKS JOHNOSSI + BLACK MIRRORS + LINN KOCH-EMMERY 22.03.20 · SO36 27.03.20 · Columbiahalle POPPY THE SNUTS 22.03.20 · Columbia Theater 27.03.20 · Pfefferberg Haus 13 SLOW CRUSH GREG DULLI + CULTDREAMS + JOSEPH ARTHUR 23.03.20 · Badehaus 31.03.20 · Lido MARCH 2020 WWW.TRINITYMUSIC.DE ADVERTORIAL— Großes B Big B – 13 times Berlin The Stadtmuseum and regional museums team up to celebrate 100 years of metropolitan city life.
Chaos & renewal: Berlin 1920 | 2020 www.stadtmuseum.de Housing, traffic, admin. Many hic- cups the Hauptstadt is facing now were already causing issues a century ago, when the number of Berliners doubled overnight. The city museum’s feature anniversary show at Märkisches Museum (Am Köllnischen Park 5) looks at parallels between then and now to find out what makes a city tick. In addition to showing Berlin’s biography, they’re also treating you to a varied display of artistic, participatory and journalistic explorations. Apr 26 – Jan 10, Märkisches Museum
Reluctant Berliners: Spandau www.zitadelle-berlin.de The city of Berlin as we know it Who wouldn’t want to be part of the Big B? In 1919, proud (well, almost) is only 100 years Spandauers were not keen to say the least! The heated debate surrounding the city merger is laid bare in an interactive ex- Reinickendorf old! On April 27 1920, under hibition including original artefacts at the district’s iconic citadel. At the old Citadel (Am Juliusturm 64), take a curated ride through history the Greater Berlin Act the cities amongst artefacts, documents and interactive scenes spotlighting of Charlottenburg, Köpenick, traffic, work, leisure, housing and the military. Make a day of it and you might just come away with a new fondness for the balky Bezirk! Lichtenberg, Neukölln, Schöneberg, May 18 – Jan 24 2021, Zeughaus, Zitadelle Spandau Jun 19 – Nov 22, Gotisches Haus Spandau Spandau and Wilmersdorf were Spandau merged alongside 59 municipalities A Schloss of their own: Charlottenburg and Wilmers- and 27 smaller boroughs, creating dorf www.villa-oppenheim-berlin.de Among those not so thrilled about being swallowed up by the Berlin juggernaut Europe’s largest metropolis. To Charlottenburg- were Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf. This exhibition explores Wilmersdorf celebrate the Big B’s anniversary, what was at stake for these formerly independent cities and what they, in turn, brought to the table. For example, the Prussian summer innovative urban development and residence Charlottenburg Castle is just down the street from the kiez culture, the Märkisches Museum Neo-Renaissance museum (Schloßstr. 55) and its lovely in-house café. Aug 22 – Jan 24, Villa Oppenheim Steglitz-Zehlendorf and Berlin’s regional museums have put together a 13-stop mix- New, big, green: Steglitz-Zehlendorf www.kultur- and-match itinerary. Discover local steglitz-zehlendorf.de When Steglitz and Zehlendorf were integrated into the city’s borders, they soon rivalries of temperamental Bezirke, became home to impressive modernist architecture. These 20th-century buildings are now being explored at Gutshaus Steglitz historic solutions to previous housing (Schloßstr. 48), with 12 (then) new, large and green buildings demon- crises and what it took to achieve strating key elements of 1920s city landscaping. At Schwartzsche Villa (Grunewaldstr. 55) you’ll find the second half of the exhibition, consist- cosmopolitan cool. ing of film sequences, videos and interviews with artists, residents and architects. Jan 27 – Jun 28, Gutshaus Steglitz, Schwartzsche Villa Also check out www.1000x.berlin online for a digital history of Berlin, Building for Berlin: Tempelhof-Schöneberg www.museen-tempelhof- illustrated with photos from Weimar schoeneberg.de During the Weimar Republic, scarce and poor housing were central challengers for Berlin. Schöneberg Museum (Hauptstr. 40-42) and Tem- times to today, and biographies that pelhof Museum’s (Alt-Mariendorf 43) exhibitions on “Ways out of the housing chart the city’s path to becoming the crisis – Construction for Greater Berlin in Schöneberg and Tempelhof” show the creativity deployed to realise projects of ideal construction for quality living. Jun 12 – Jan 3, 2021, booming cultural hub it is now. Schöneberg Museum | Jun 19 – Sep 13, 2021, Tempelhof Museum
6 EXBERLINER 191 ADVERTORIAL— Großes B
A town hall for the future: Wedding The city with no centre: Reinickendorf www.museum-reinickendorf.de The www.mittemuseum.de When Wedding was exhibition “Mitten in Reinickendorf” reflects on Berlin’s different centres and public wedded to Berlin, the new district needed spaces: how did these develop? And what do they mean to residents today? A a town hall. In 1928-1930, a brand spank- visit to the Reinickendorf Museum (Alt-Hermsdorf 35), located in an old village ing new building on Müllerstraße embodied the idea school building, is also a trip through German history, exploring Reinickendorf’s role in of a functional, democratic new Berlin as formed in Nazi-era armament production, the post-war French occupation and the ramifications of 1920. Now, in 2020, could it be a model for the new Germany’s division on the surrounding landscape. A perfect opportunity to review history Mitte Rathaus in the making at Haus der Statistik just from a local perspective. Apr 24 – Aug 23, Museum Reinickendorf off Alexanderplatz? Just what does it take to be a “townhall of the future”? Get the facts and decide for yourself (Pankstr. 47). Oct 10 – Jan 31, Mitte Museum Social work pioneers: Pankow www.berlin.de/museum-pankow Walk around Kollwitz market on a Saturday and you might be hard-pressed to imagine the slum that was once Prenzlauer Berg. After WWI, it was home to many impoverished widows, their children and orphans. But in 1920, teacher and social education worker Walter Friedländer turned the district’s youth welfare office into a veritable bea- con for the city at large – not least because he found his employees in a rather unusual way. The Pankow district museum (Prenzlauer Allee 227/228) dedicated an exhibition to Friedländer’s work there until 1933. Starting from October, Museum Pankow
Meet one of Berlin’s fathers: Lichtenberg www.museum-lichtenberg.de For its reopening after the installation of the new permanent exhibition, Museum Lichtenberg im Stadthaus (Türrschmidtstr. 24) revisits the biography of the dis- Reinickendorf Pankow trict’s first mayor, Oskar Ziethen, who guided the integration into greater Berlin. Some small steps for one Lichtenberger, big steps for Berlin’s administrative union. Only a 10-minute walk from S-Ostkreuz, it’s an easy upgrade to your traditional Sunday Boxi flea market visit. May 17 – Dec 20, Museum Lichtenberg im Stadthaus
Times are a-changing: Marzahn-Hellersdorf Marzahn- www.museum-marzahn-hellersdorf.de Take a short trip east Mitte Hellersdorf to learn about the ups and downs of Marzahn-Hellersdorf Lichtenberg history. From the late 19th century solution to the urban sanita- tion problem to the dark chapter of 1930s/1940s forced labour and the post-WWII high rises, the Bezirksmuseum looks at decisive moments Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Charlottenburg- in the changing relationship of the district with Berlin. Located in the quaint historic village of Alt-Marzahn, (Alt-Marzahn 51). Wilmersdorf Tempelhof-Schöneberg Aug 17-Apr 16, Bezirksmuseum Marzahn-Hellersdorf
Brimming at the brims: Treptow and Köpenick Steglitz-Zehlendorf Neukölln Treptow-Köpenick www.berlin.de/museum-treptow-koepenick What’s now known as Treptow-Köpenick – Berlin’s largest district – used to be an agglom- erate of 15 boroughs. That all changed in 1920. Museum Köpenick (Alter Markt 1) looks at how the former villages and small towns – from Bohnsdorf to Wilhelmshagen – established themselves at the new mega city’s periphery. Come see what Berlin looks like from the (south-)east and how much Hauptstadt you’ll find here! Jun 19 – Dec 27, Museum Köpenick
Kiez stories: Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain www.fhxb-museum.de Kreuzberg and Urban laboratory: Neukölln www.museum-neukoelln.de Friedrichshain were born a hundred years Neukölln’s current issues are representative of any cosmo- ago, as the Big B was founded. Since then, politan city today (gentrification, anyone?). Museum Neukölln they’ve shaped their identities around places such (Alt-Britz 81) explores eight characteristic places to take you as SO36, the Golden Mile, the newspaper district, through the different stages theBezirk has gone through, from its in- the Samaritan district, the Southern Kiez... But what tegration to the Big B in 1920 to life in the American sector, to today’s are the stories behind these iconic neighbourhoods? urban policies aiming to involve Neuköllners in local decision-making. Get to know your Kiez at Kotti (Adalbertstraße 95A) May 8 – 27 Dec, Museum Neukölln and gather great conversation material for your next neighborhood chat at the Späti. Apr 24 – Oct 4, FHXB Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Museum for more info visit www.grossesb.berlin
MARCH 2020 7 CULTURE, CLUBS AND CAPITAL-
ISMBy N. Vancauwenberghe
Clärchens Ballhaus’ new proprietor Yoram Roth on the natural laws of the real estate market,
misguided nostalgia YORAM ROTH was born in West Berlin in 1968. The son of Berlin-Jewish real estate billionaire and Jewish Museum patron Rafael Roth, he studied photography in LA be- for the 1990s and what fore becoming an entrepreneur in his own right. His focus lies firmly on culture, media and art. Today he owns three photography museums under the brand Fotografiska, he’s planning for the which he hopes to expand to Berlin. He’s a main shareholder behind publishing house Go City Media (which puts out tip and Zitty) and funds KCRW. He bought Clärchens beloved Mitte institution. Ballhaus in July 2019.
8 EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE
lthough a born and bred and then there was furniture that was made I think Berliner, Yoram Roth was out of hay that was wrapped in cloth. And A unknown to most residents of everyone was smoking and completely fuck- there's a very the city until his purchase of century- ing high. It was a death trap! It’s amazing old Mitte institution Clärchens that nothing ever happened! And if you think privileged idealism Ballhaus made local news last July. about the Love Parades, from 1991 until 1994 Another unique piece of Berlin culture we had a truck. It was on the Ku’damm and about squats snatched away from the people, it went from a few hundreds to about 30,000 grabbed by another profit-driven and they ended up having like 1.5 million that goes, ‘oh we gentrifier? Or a dilapidated building people when it moved to the Siegessäule. It rescued from ruin by a man who un- was nuts, but nothing ever happened. Yes discovered this derstands and loves the city? Amidst a people got dehydrated and maybe they took climate of mistrust towards real estate a little too much of something, but there was empty city and we investors and Berliners’ legendary never any violence. Not like what I expe- defiance of change, the self-described rienced in New York in the 1980s, where made it ours.’ You “culture entrepreneur” (he has photo things were a little rough in certain corners. museums in Stockholm, New York You might get mugged, people had guns know, a lot of the and Tallinn, and has invested in and people were doing crazy drugs. But, you culture here and abroad) vows to try know, Berlin was not that. abandoned houses and secure a new, bright future for the derelict institution. And he has more It was also the time of Berlin’s legend- used to be owned plans for the city he calls home. ary squat scene, which people are still fighting for to this day... I think the squat by Jews – including You don’t really sound or look scene got a little romanticised. I don’t share like it, the way you’re dressed the enthusiasm for living in a commune my family. now, but you were born and with people who don’t wash. I, personally, raised in Berlin – West Berlin, have always been a huge fan of plumbing right? I don’t dress like this every day (laughs). But it certainly contributed to (laughs). And yes, I speak English like the spirit that makes Berlin what it is. I just an American because I went to the think people have this romantic attachment or heating. Nobody had touched anything Kennedy School out in Zehlendorf! I to a unique time – but you can’t preserve since the 1930s. I obviously knew nothing grew up in Charlottenburg and speak it in amber. You can’t hold on to it forever about gentrification and how a place like real Berlinerisch German. I went to because it was literally just a moment. And Prenzlauer Berg could become so attractive boarding school in England and the it wasn’t necessarily a happy moment for so quickly! But honestly we only did office US, and I studied photography in everyone. I think there’s a very privileged buildings, so apartments were not some- New York. But I was always a Berliner. idealism that goes, “oh we came and we thing we understood well. My family always lived here and I’d discovered this empty city and we made it come back for every vacation – like a ours.” You know, I’m Jewish, and a lot of the Some spots in the former East have couple of weeks after the Wall fell, for abandoned houses used to be owned by Jews among the most expensive rents Thanksgiving 1989. After that I stayed – including my family. these days. Up to €23/sqm near Koll- here for about five years, until 1995. witzplatz. Do you think it was time Your family fled Nazi Germany in the that Berlin put a cap on rents? What do So you lived through the post- 1930s, right? My father was born in 1933 on you think about the Mietendeckel? It’s Wende heyday – exciting times, Schönhauser Allee, on the corner of Milas- a decision largely driven by politics, by the right? I was 21 and those were super traße. We had a very big building there with desire to show that you are doing some- exciting times. In 1991 with two several apartments that were all occupied thing that resonates with the average voter, friends I founded D’Vision Records by different Roths. My grandparents man- like “we’re sticking it to the rich guys”. Put- and we produced techno and house. I aged to flee with their kids to Israel in 1938. ting a cap on rents right now – fine, I think was working in real estate during the Everybody else got murdered. that’s a valuable tool. But I think what’s day, working for my father as his ju- more important is to admit that there is nior assistant, carrying his bag around Your dad came back to Berlin after the such a thing as supply and demand, which Michael O’Ryan – my father was a real estate devel- war to become a successful real estate means you just need to build more apart- oper. And then I’d go take a disco nap, developer. Did you recover your Pren- ments. That’s the only solution. And the and then go out and do the record zlauer Berg property after the Fall of Senat needs to let people build. I don’t do label. When you’re that young you the Wall? Yeah. In 1992 or 1993 my father real estate: Clärchens is the only property don’t need to sleep – you can do that said “look we’re getting back some real I personally own. But I do understand the on a Tuesday. And yes, there was that estate from your great grandfather. Go take business. And they need to let people build. unlimited DIY vibe, you didn’t need a busi- a look.” So I drove over there – and I came And they need to incentivise it. In the last ness plan, you just did things. Sometimes back, and I said “Papi, we have to get rid of 20 years they’ve passed so many regulations it was crazy dangerous. The original Tresor that shit as quickly as humanly possible.” I and requirements that new construction was literally a safe several floors down. There couldn’t imagine who would ever want to has become crazy expensive. Anything new was one staircase that was about as wide as live on Kastanienallee or Zionskirchplatz. that comes to the market automatically has your arm. And you went down three flights Those buildings didn’t even have toilets to be a ‘Luxuswohnung’.
MARCH 2020 9 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE
ferent when I was 22. But So why did you buy Clärchens? I’d been you know what, the city here a bunch of times and totally loved it. will change. It will change There was a deal, somebody was supposed and in ways that will feel to buy it, but the deal fell apart, everybody like the original spirit is ended up angry at each other, and then some getting lost. I don’t think friend came in and said, you know what, if we can stop it. you make an offer right now you could prob- ably buy this thing. I paid a lot for it, and I But we can help miti- will have to invest that much on top… but it’s gate consequences for my personal investment, so I don’t want to people. In Germany, disclose the numbers. the real estate business is pretty opaque about The previous owner was an heir to who owns what, and beauty company Wella, right? What Berliners have been happened? Yes, Hans-Joachim Sander. I’m subjected to specula- told he owns the fast food chain Vapiano and tion and investment hoped to put one of those pasta restaurants companies pushing out in here. He also had received a construc- tenants to squeeze out tion permit to close the front courtyard as much profit as pos- with another building. I think the sale of the sible... I know, but hon- front part fell through and then he was just estly those are anecdotes. done with it. Do you remember there was Here’s a fact: 80 percent a petition around Christmas to get me to of the buildings here are keep things the way they were? The initia- owned by large real estate tors literally wrote that Sander had never Clärchens Ballhaus on funds. They’re not owned looked to maximise profitability! I was like, Auguststraße 24 was loved by weird, anonymous in- who are these people? They have no idea! by locals and tourists alike for vestors from the Cayman He absolutely did maximise profitability Michael O’Ryan its ballroom and latin nights, islands. We all hear those here. For 15 years, nobody touched a thing. beautiful Biergarten and stories and they’re real Nothing! It’s this close to falling apart. Go to unique dilapidated charm. and it’s fucked up. Those the bathrooms – they didn’t even put a new people should be exposed toilet seat in it in 15 years. It’s foul. and we should know who owns which building. But I think if you were So you see yourself as saving the place? The Mietendeckel might turn out to be to find out who owns most of the buildings Yes, absolutely. I’m gonna save it. Everybody an incentive to build because new flats you’d realise that it’s about 20 large real is like “oh it’s so charming”. If they could trav- aren’t subjected to the rent cap. And estate funds, instead of government bonds. el back in time to 15 years ago, it was not this that’s fine. The more luxury flats there are, Basically people who saved some money beat up. And if you let this go on for another the less pressure there is on normal apart- went to the bank and bought this real estate five years, people would just be like “okay, ments. For instance build the outer ring fund. So you know who owns most of these this place needs to be burned down”. And, I of Tempelhofer Feld for instance – just 30 buildings? It’s old age pensioners. At the end don’t think that’s right. The goal right now is metres wide! It still leaves a magnificent of the chain it’s just other people. It’s not a to do some basic repairs and open up again huge field but you could build 10-12,000 bunch of rich guys sitting like Montgomery as soon as possible – hopefully by the time it apartments there quickly. And you know Burns going “ha ha ha, I’m gonna screw the gets warmer. We’ve started with some dance what? Make them affordable. Make them so little guy.” evenings already. But then at some point, that the socially weaker people actually also probably at the end of 2021, we’ll have to re- get to live with a view onto the park. How What about famous clubs like Griess- ally fully shut down and renovate this building awesome would that be? And make smaller muehle being evicted because the from the ground up: pull out every cable and apartments. Two-thirds of Berliners are peo- new landlord wants to build on the every pipe in the wall. That will take a year ple living alone in an oversized apartment. property? The problem is that it was a and a half. I won’t change it a lot, though. I relatively empty space and everyone knew think it’s important that it remains in spirit Well, people voted against building on it was zoned for construction, including the exact same thing it was beforehand. Tempelhof six years ago. Now, with the Griessmuehle when they signed the lease. housing crisis, it’s a bit of a dilemma Look, I’m happy for them that they have What is Clärchens’ spirit for you? It’s a between quality of life and affordable a loud enough voice and can draw atten- Ballhaus – it’s about dancing and having fun. homes. They should have another refer- tion to it. I think Clubsterben is real and a The Schwoof night used to be a huge hit, and endum! There’s no dilemma. Politics and serious thing – I experienced it first hand in so were the swing and salsa nights. We’ll have laws are supposed to help us. And if the Manhattan. Griessmuehle is super fun and I those. It’s also a great place to hang and meet situation has changed, you pass new laws. think it should exist. But to be honest, I also over a drink or some food. We also want to I like Berlin, but this idea that people want think the Berlin culture is defined as much do good, solid German food, schnitzel or everything to stay exactly the way it is, by Clärchens as by the city’s clubs. I don’t goulash... Look, it’s getting harder to meet you know, it doesn’t work. We all change. I know a lot of other cities that have such a people. You don’t date at work anymore mean, Jesus Christ, I’m 52, and it was dif- diverse nightlife. because of, you know, modern sexual politics.
10 EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE
I love Berlin, but this idea that people Rumours say in Berlin soon too... Yes, hopefully really soon. I really want to tell want everything to stay exactly the you but I’m not allowed. We have others in the pipeline and it’s really a question of how way it is, you know, it doesn't work. We all they happen and when. But, you know, we’re looking at Shanghai and we’re looking at change. I mean, Jesus Christ, I'm 52, and it Berlin. I would love to open in Paris. I would love to be in Toronto, or Los Angeles, where was different when I was 22! I used to live… Do you think Berlin needs a new pho- tography space? Will you be competing You just literally can’t. You can’t go and hang back into functioning apartments. with C/O Berlin? I support C/O Berlin a around the gym because that’s pretty douchey. They want you to use Clärchens’ upper lot. I’m very good friends with the founder And clubs are great – but they’re loud, and floors for housing?! Yeah. There’s four flats Stefan Erfurt; I was a founding supporter. some of us don’t rely on our looks to find and they want me to refurbish them, because We won’t be direct competition because partners, but rather on our ability to tell a there’s the housing crisis and they want to we’ll be a Kunsthalle and do what we do in decent joke, and so we need to go to a place be politically active! But if I have to rent out Stockholm, Tallinn or New York: show the where we can be heard, and where we can talk, those apartments then this place is dead. You work of contemporary photographers while and maybe dancing isn’t my strong point but know, people always ask “is there gonna be offering a full experience – workshops, con- you know... (laughing) If you can come with dancing?” I don’t know if there’s gonna be certs, DJs, a really cool restaurant, a bar, a a couple friends to a place like this, it’s just dancing because if I have to put fucking apart- shop, etc. Another reason we won’t compete great! I think Clärchens is a special place. ments up there then I’ll have to close it at with C/O Berlin is because anybody who is 10pm! And that’s what they don’t understand. interested in photography will go see more What are you saying to people who wor- This is why the clubs are dying in Berlin. photography – you either like photography ry that Clärchens will lose flair? That’s or you don’t. Honestly, like all the other always a risk when you’re renovating So you are a businessman who invests cultural entrepreneurs I ultimately compete from scratch. Well you have to mitigate that in culture – which you did in Berlin, for with Netflix. I’ve gotta get people off the risk and one way I am doing this is to do this example with Kater Blau and Holzmarkt. fucking couch! project with David Chipperfield who’s a well- Can culture be good business and retain known architect in Berlin and proved with the its edge and quality? Holzmarkt is a good As a Berliner, how do you look back at Alte Nationalgalerie that he understands how example of a cultural business. We have a the last 50 years and the internationali- the old can mix with the new. You need to nightclub there, a restaurant, lots of little sation, but also gentrification, of Berlin? come in here and be like, “wow”. But it can’t shops, events, flea markets... it’s a form of I think it’s great that Berlin is so interna- be totally new and shiny. It can’t be that. culture but it’s also a for-profit undertaking. tional. I think it’s wonderful, but I think it At the end of the day, the people who invest- will change the culture and I think that pisses So when will the new, fully refurbished ed in it hope to see a return on the money people off. And the people who complain Clärchens reopen? I would love to close at they put in. But they also put in the money the loudest are people who’ve heard stories the end of the year to start but I think it’s go- because they believe in what it does. If you about Berlin being €200 for an apartment. ing to take longer. We are really in the hands do it well, you can come up with something Dude, that was 20 years ago. And there are of the government. They will decide what is that’s culturally important and earns money. the expats who come here and speak English protected and what is not. They will decide It can be a nightclub. Or a Ballhaus. and maybe a little German with a foreign how quickly we get the permits. We’re actu- accent, and it’s not just the cool areas. ally in relatively good dialogue with them. But Or museums. Your main business is When I go out to Tempelhof or Wedding it’s the biggest problem that I have right now is Fotografiska, a brand of photography changing there as well. And in good ways, they’re mandating that the empty spaces that museums and you now have three – in too. I think the Germans have become more were being used as offices upstairs get turned Estonia, New York and Stockholm. worldly and more open-minded. T
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11. / 21. MARCH AND 1. APRIL +49 30 47 99 74 00 ------Neukölln’s lefty Neukölln’s community pub A controversial landlord A controversial The company’s approach to business is to The company’s approach evict them The company is now trying to While Liebig34 and its supporters wait for a While Liebig34 and its supporters leftie hangout bar Neukölln’s final decision, Syndikat is also under with its fight threat, for survival unmasking a Berlin property gi Openedant in the process. in 1985 by squat on a neighbouring housing project from ters controversial. Its strategy generally consists controversial. strategy Its of buying up cheap, old houses and renovat in results often ing them, which critics say out or being kicked longstanding tenants The rents afterwards. hit with extortionate company has also gained a reputation for du well documented which are bious practices, set up by disgruntled tenants: on a website 2008, Padovicz In padowatch.noblogs.org. a lease agreement Liebig34 for 10 years, gave on Decemberwhich expired 31, 2018. But the move out and, since last residents to refused rent – thus paying stopped have summer, a squat again. making the project technically An initial hearing in the courts. through was quickly abandoned after November residents and sympathisers staged a bare- The in the courtroom. protest breasted squatters were subsequently banned from be the courthouse and a decision is set to handed down on April 30 – on the eve of enormous political 1. Given the date’s May for an the left, it could make importance to not moving “We’re explosive eviction date. not giving up this house,” Jes out and we’re will resist.” “We adamantly. sie says ing a few paint bombs down the roof? from to Or daily violence is it the subjected we’re 2015, the police In police checks?” through a Gefahrengebiet the neighbourhood declared Tor Kottbusser (dangerous – just like area) to and Alexanderplatz that allows – officers at any time and search carry out ID checks passersby “They a reason. without even look Jessie, under of our shoes,” says the insoles herself. searches to who has been subjected The house was previously ownedby a was huge debts, but, due to joint-heirship The auction in 2007. put on sale in a forced the acquire residents tried to of the project house themselves a co-operative, through but the property specula sold to it was instead in 2008 for the bargain Padovicz Gijora tor Unterneh company, price of €600,000. His owns than 200 more mensgruppe Padovicz, alone. housing buildings in Friedrichshain facing charges, but thinks that “we have to to “we have but thinks that facing charges, it throw Is consider violence what is. really - - - - -
Nicholas Potter - By Nicholas Potter EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE ESTATE THE REAL Despite its many friends, it’s fair to say the say its many friends, it’s fair to Despite Liebig34 offers than just accom far more sie confirmed that 12 residentssie confirmed that 12 currently are ment in Friedrichshain, while the building while the building ment in Friedrichshain, (Küche KüFa also houses a bar and offers a with vegan für Alle) – a community canteen the public – twice a week on food open to Last summer, evenings. and Sunday Friday to they organised a Dorffest (or village fête) gether Rigaer94 with their neighbours in the with a cinema, painting work – complete shops, performances, variety shows and a flea the Kiez came,” “Lots of kids from market. while sipping her recalls cola. Jessie isn’t universallyproject loved. Critics speak attackwho violentJes of police. autonomists course and put it into action.” course and put it into floor contains an info modation. The ground on the squatterspace with an archive move ised with a rental contract. Until recently, recently, Until ised with a rental contract. basis starting rent pay-what-you-can was on a at €140 per also had month, but the project for those who couldn’t ‘solidarity rooms’ free residentsto 30 It is currently home it. afford a 27-year-old the world. Jessie, around from German who has lived in the house for the offer a past two years, is one of them. “We rents, high people who can’t afford home to find a place in Berlin’s to struggling who are or who perhaps property market cut-throat explains, sitting an illegal status,” Jessie have “But it’s the building. from in a café across also a space where we can organise resistance develop feminist dis against the patriarchy, -
- - - social activism social housing sanctuary Berlin’s last feminist erlin has long been of radical a hub mark on the This has left its protest. leftie anarcho-squats, city through
Berlin’s last alternative house projects are getting ready to getting are house projects Berlin’s to last alternative ready eviction.resist bar Syndikat The struggles of Liebig34 and show how property speculation affects the city.
12 chist stronghold Rigaer94,chist stronghold is Liebig34. The 34 is one of the city’s building at Liebigstraße last remaining a collective housing projects, for women, solely refuge and intersex trans describes itself as an anarcha- people. It – the only one of its space queer-feminist the Squatted in 1990 after kind in the city. Liebig quickly became legal of the Wall, Fall Situated in Friedrichshain’s Nordkiez, just Nordkiez, in Friedrichshain’s Situated anar throw the notorious from a stone’s pelago of collective-run bars and autonomous pelago of collective-run bars and autonomous fabric of the spaces that formed the left-wing the last few bastions of a today, However, city. once-blossoming scene under are threat. lective living based around principles of self- lective living based around organisation, while others offered a safe space These housing marginalised communities. to by were an archi projects complemented B
our house! Your business, business, Your bars and autonomous youth centres. The youth centres. bars and autonomous and 1980s derelict of 1970s neighbourhoods Berlin provided a fertile for ground West of the Wall while the Fall projects, alternative of abandoned, run-downleft scores buildings Wende post- quickly transforming in its wake, for squatters the world a Mecca Berlin into than just illegal homes, many More over. forms of col alternative championed projects THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE
SQUAT EVICTION WARFARE
Between 1970 and 2014, there were at least 610 political squats in housing projects. Today, there are at least 140 house collectives, the city. When faced with eviction, most fought until the bitter end. project spaces, community pubs, caravan parks and youth centres In 1990, the eviction of 13 squats on Friedrichshain’s Mainzer Straße remaining within the left-wing and autonomous spectrum. But required 3000 officers, 10 water cannons and a squad of helicopters from the autonomous youth centre Potse in Schöneberg, to the in what was one of the largest police operations in post-war Ger- punk squat Køpi on Köpenicker Straße, to Friedrichshain’s notorious many. Following this violent break-up, a number of projects were anarchist stronghold Rigaer94, many left-wing institutions face an legalised through rental agreements and existed as collectively-run uncertain future.
Weisestraße, the collective-run pub has been border drove to the firm’s address and found eviction hearing took place on October 29 a Schillerkiez staple for 34 years. But Syndi- a PO box with 76 other company names listed. last year. No one from Pears Global attended. kat isn’t just a haven for left-wing scenesters Eventually, after a search that saw them scour Syndikat’s lawyers argued that the shell com- planning their next demo over a 1312 Sabo- Danish commercial registries, they found a pany wasn’t adequately represented through tage Pils. “We’re a community pub,” stresses company with links to Firman: UK-headquart- a lawyer and criticised the fact that the Christian, a 39-year-old Cologne native who’s ed Pears Global. company had been registered in Luxembourg. been a member of the collective for 12 years. Unfortunately, the judge wasn’t convinced The pub is dingy, but in a charming way; its Pears vs the pub by Syndikat’s anti-capitalist critique, and walls are lined with posters from demos past, on November 26 the court ruled in Firman while above the bar hang two scarves with Pears Global Real Estate is owned by three Properties’ favour. Syndikat have appealed the slogans: “one struggle, one fight” and brothers from the UK. An old version of the the decision but Christian’s faith in the courts “Syndikat bleibt” (Syndikat is staying). company’s website, which has since been to save the bar isn’t particularly strong. “It’s Highlighting its community credentials, taken offline, stated that Pears owned 6200 pretty clear. The state protects property and Syndikat hosts regular Kiez meetings where flats and commercial units in Berlin. Mean- capital but not social spaces like ours.” local residents can seek advice for their own while, more recent research from Syndikat, While Liebig34 and Syndikat hope for the housing struggles, with lawyers and rent spe- verified by investigative research centre best and plan for the worst, alternative hous- cialists on hand to help out. This is a particu- Correctiv and the Tagesspiegel, found that the ing projects in the city are banding together larly pertinent issue in Schillerkiez, which company owned at least 3000 apartments in to defend their very existence. A campaign over the past 10 years has witnessed some the Haupstadt – all managed through a diz- has been launched under the title “Kein Haus of the most rapid gentrification in Berlin. zying string of shell companies. Subsequent weniger” (not one house fewer), garnering Between 2010 and 2015, the typical purchase research by the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung support from prominent cultural figures such price per square metre of property doubled revealed that Firman Properties – the owner as Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek, choreog- to €3500, according to the taz newspaper. of Syndikat’s building – is owned by Knights rapher at Berlin’s State Ballet Sasha Waltz, With all this change, Syndikat is one of the Properties, also based in Luxembourg, Schaubühne intendant Thomas Ostermeier few remnants of former times still left in the which in turn belongs to Knapwed Holdings and the directors René Pollesch, Milo Rau, neighbourhood. Limited in Cyprus, which itself belongs to Ersan Mondtag and Leander Haußmann. But soon it could be last orders. In July 2018, Karayan Limited in the British Virgin Islands. The campaign recently published an open Syndikat received notice that their contract And sitting at the top of this tree is Pears letter demanding the protection of these free, was to be terminated, and that they had until Global. So while Firman Properties officially alternative spaces. Its message: “Without the end of that year to hand over the keys. The owns just five buildings in Berlin, it is part of its alternative housing and cultural projects, collective immediately looked to negotiate a much larger web controlling a much larger Berlin would only be the city where the Wall with the property management firm, but that’s chunk of the city’s real estate pie. Neverthe- once stood. Socially, politically and culturally, where things got complicated. They found less, in 2017 Firman recorded a turnover of it would be much poorer.” The protest may out the legal owner was a Luxembourg-based €1.2 million, but in Luxembourg paid just appear to be little more than a tempest in the company called Firman Properties S.à.r.l., but €535 in tax. “That just shows how this whole teacups of the Pears and Padoviczs of this after struggling to find any further information system is built,” Christian fumes. world, but the point it makes might be worth online, decided to do some sleuthing. Friends So far, every attempt to contact the three keeping in mind for investors hoping to ben- of the bar who live near the Luxembourgish Pears brothers has proved unsuccessful. An efit from Berlin’s identity in the future. T
PREMIERE
Giovanni Boccaccio in ten stories Director: Kirill Serebrennikov by Kirill Serebrennikov based on the work by Co-production with the Gogol-Center Moscow Premiere: 8 March 2020 DECAMERONDates with English surtitles: 28, 29 March + 18, 19 April THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE
clubsterben
Gentrification on the dancefloor
KitKat and Griessmuehle – even the city’s most iconic night- Every attempt to contact the owners proved fruitless. The club’s management life institutions are fighting for survival against real estate suggested two investors willing to buy speculation. Is the party over? Politicians are feeling the the property and secure the existence of the club, both of which the new landlords pressure to step in and curb Berlin’s ‘club death’. By Nicholas Potter refused to consider. Most of the ensuing negotiations – or lack thereof – were marred echno helped put Berlin on the map, Griessmuehle: city to the rescue? by a culture clash: there, the Austrian inves- but now the scene is partly fall- tors; here the Neukölln club kids. “Robert T ing victim to its own success. In Located in a disused pasta factory behind Neumüller, the director of S IMMO, actually the post-Wende years, ravers carved out Sonnenallee S-Bahn station, the recently came to visit the club,” Michaela Krüger, a dancefloors in the nooks and crannies of evicted Griessmuehle was one of Berlin’s Griessmuehle clubber and – as of Novem- Berlin’s post-industrial urban fabric. Some most cherished venues. It all started in 2011, ber – its publicist, told us during a Saturday of these places became crucial bastions of when founder David Ciura spotted the site afternoon party at the club before its closure. queer, alternative counterculture, offering from the Ringbahn and got off to check it “I don’t think he could understand why emancipated spaces to marginalised identi- out. Sandwiched between a canal and train people would want to spend their free time ties. Others became international brands, tracks, and far away from any residential in a disused factory.” drawing in punters from across the globe. neighbours, the area was perfect for an A petition to save the space quickly gained According to a study released by Berlin open-air party. Over the years, Ciura and 50,000 signatures, as heartfelt messages club lobbyists Club Commission, Berlin’s his team expanded into the adjacent factory, from ravers, DJs, collectives and fellow clubs club culture adds €1.48 billion to the city’s quickly establishing Griessmuehle as one of flooded social media. The topic quickly economy each year. Berlin’s top clubs. But more than just a party garnered the attention of Berlin’s politicians But the Hauptstadt’s clubland is in an place, Griessmuehle also housed a record too, who passed a motion committing them increasingly precarious position. As the shop and canteen, hosted flea markets, ping to finding an alternative, city-owned location population of the oh-so-cool metropolis pong events and cinema evenings, and even for the club. While the Senat is searching, soars and property investors ruthlessly add organised workshops for kids. Griessmuehle has gone into exile: its upcom- to their portfolios and as startups advertise The club’s seemingly smooth expansion ing events will be housed in the Friedrichs- jobs with the lure of Berlin’s cultural capital, continued until 2016, when the property was hain club Polygon (formerly Kosmonaut) and the city’s clubs are losing out. Over the last bought by SIAG Property II GmbH, a subsidy Alte Münze in Mitte. A sale of the Sonnenal- 10 years, around 100 of them have closed of the Austrian Sparkasse Immobilien AG. lee property in the immediate future seems their doors for good, including famous Managing the property for them is the Vien- to be off the table, as S IMMO appears to be haunts like Stattbad Wedding, Horst Krzbg, na-based S IMMO AG, which by the end of planning to “develop” the land first. Despite Farbfernseher and Chalet. Admittedly, new 2018 had a portfolio worth €2.2 billion. Soon being evicted, Griessmuehle is taking heart locations have opened during this time – after the purchase, management terminated from its successes – and vows to fight on. but it’s becoming harder and harder to find Griessmuehle’s contract, replacing it with a “Our petition showed that we can make an suitable spaces, resulting in a net loss. The new agreement that had to be renewed every impact. We’re going to continue campaigning phenomenon has been so stark that the Ger- six months. This precarious situation con- for club culture,” Krüger says defiantly. mans even have a word for it: Clubsterben, or tinued until November 2019, when the city ‘club death’. According to Club Commission, approved a building permit for the location, KitKat: the party isn’t over! 24 of Berlin’s approximately 280 clubs are in thus increasing its value 10-fold. S IMMO acute danger. But they certainly aren’t going then started planning the sale of the land and Meanwhile, another beloved Berlin institu- down without a fight as the iconic institu- declined to renew the contract, meaning that tion – KitKatClub – is also under threat. tions Griessmuehle and KitKatClub have Griessmuehle had until January 31, 2020 to Named after the variety club in the 1972 film proven most recently. try and save their space. Cabaret starring Liza Minelli, the fetish club
14 EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE WWW.BERLINER-ENSEMBLE.DE/SURTITLES has been hosted at various locations since Disselkamp said. “It’s unrealistic to think its inception in 1994. Since 2008, it’s that we’ll just vanish into thin air.” ENGLISH SURTITLES been located in Sage Club on Köpenicker Straße, where it is a subtenant. The To the Bundestag and back building itself was formerly part of the A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE Heinrich-Heine-Straße U-Bahn station, Both Griessmuehle and KitKat are prime by Tennessee Wllams which, due to its location on the border examples of how fragile Berlin’s world-re- 03/04/2020, 7.30 – 9.15 p.m. of East and West Berlin, was a ghost sta- nowned club cultural heritage is. Without tion during the city’s division. In 1990, decisive action, there are concerns we THE TIN DRUM the station reopened and in 1991, the leg- could sleepwalk into a situation where by Günter Grass endary after-hour club Walfisch opened the forces of gentrification decimate the 03/12/2020, 8.00 – 9.50 p.m. on the mezzanine level of the building. city’s nightlife. As the property situation In 1997, Sage Club – a cavernous, psyche- becomes more tense, clubs are sitting FELIX KRULL delic adult playground, complete with a ducks. Noise complaints, extortionate based on Thomas Mann swimming pool – moved in, with KitKat rents, flimsy subtenant contracts and a 03/20/2020, 8.00 – 9.30 p.m. joining a decade later. Once again, the lack of legal tenancy protections all pose arrangement seemed to be working for all existential threats. So what would save LIFE X 3 involved. That is, until November 2019, Berlin’s nightlife? by Yasmna Reza when Sage boss Sascha Disselkamp, the In November, Die Linke’s Caren Lay 03/22/2020, 6.00 – 8.00 p.m. main tenant of the property, received a introduced a motion to the Bundestag termination notice from the owner – a with several measures that would protect For the best vew on both property investor from Munich who owns clubs. One proposal is to introduce Kul- stage and surttles we re commend the majority of the space. The club previ- turschutzgebiete – or cultural protection gallery seats or rows 11-18 n the orchestra. ously had a 10-year contract that would areas – into building law, which would renew automatically if neither party protect existing venues and enable the intervened. But instead of simply negoti- establishment of new clubs in inner-city ating a new contract, as some expected, areas. “The R.A.W site would be a perfect IN ENGLISH there was talk of developing and then candidate,” Lay suggests. The former selling the land. Disselkamp instantly railway repair site in Friedrichshain is one GUIDED TOUR BEHIND THE SCENES suggested that he find investors to buy of the largest cultural spaces in Germany. 3/4/2020, 5.30 – 6.30 p.m. the property and secure the future of For years, plans by investors to develop both clubs, however the owners wanted the land have been met with resistance by For group bookngs please contact to sell it to someone who would do some- local residents and politicians alike. enblcke@berlner-ensemble.de thing “sensible” with the plot. “I asked Further measures in Lay’s motion if he thought what we do isn’t sensible. include introducing a federal fund for He said he didn’t mean it like that, but he noise protection measures and an “agent wants to sell it to someone who develops of change” principle, which would require it in a way that corresponds to the poten- investors to pay for sound-proofing tial value of what one could build there,” themselves when buying or develop- Disselkamp says carefully. This echoes S ing property next to existing clubs. The IMMO’s reluctance to treat Griessmuehle proposal also seeks to limit rent increases, as a genuine business partner. It also il- introduce regulations for minimum con- lustrates why those in the industry voice tract lengths and offer more protection frustration with investors often failing to against terminating contracts – policies take club culture seriously, overlooking that would help both Griessmuehle and its integral artistic and economic value to KitKatClub. Meanwhile, the Green Party the capital. has introduced a largely similar proposal The news of the clubs’ apparent closure and the FDP has authored their own mo- sent shockwaves through the interna- tion which seeks to reduce the “bureau- tional press. The support for KitKat and cracy madness” and “tax burden” that it Sage was loud but there was also a lot of sees as responsible for the hardships clubs confusion over the exact circumstances. are facing. Disselkamp confirmed to Exberliner that These motions are now being discussed a new contract between KitKat and the in the Bundestag’s building committee. owner is currently under negotiation A more radical measure would be to sub- and both clubs will likely be able to stay. sidise clubs with public money, already Since KitKat uses the space more often, standard practice with other cultural it’s thought that the new contract will list institutions. As Pamela Schobeß, chair KitKat as the main tenant – and prob- of the Club Commission and owner of ably include a rent increase. Selling the the club Gretchen, said at a recent open property no longer seems to be on the hearing on the issue in the Bundestag: cards. “Neither Sage nor KitKat are going “We are no less valuable than theatres or © JR Berlner Ensemble down without making a lot of noise,” opera houses.” T
MARCH 2020 WWW.BERLINER-ENSEMBLE.DE THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE
politics head of Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain’s department for building and planning. Faced with the current housing crisis, Schmidt found himself at the forefront of the struggle to reverse public policy direction – for 25 years, the govern- ment has allowed market forces to steer urban planning policy, which critics say has led to our current predicament. In 2017, he was behind the city’s purchase of Kottbusser Tor’s iconic Neues Kreuz- berger Zentrum for €56.5 million to stop the mammoth housing block from being converted into luxury flats. In 2019, he got the Berlin government to buy 800 flats on Karl-Marx-Allee, pushing away real estate giant Deutsche Wohnen. All in all he claims having saved over 4000 flats (2 percent of the housing stock) in his district. Here are some other real estate projects with the Florian Schmidt stamp on them.
Media Spree’s middle finger Marcelina Wellmer Twenty years ago, Berlin’s planners cleared an industrial wasteland along the Spree in Friedrichshain and called it Media Spree, intended to be a The Green knight home for Europe’s entertainment biz. Instead, it has morphed into the Zalando Campus. The Berlin-based online retailer has 10 completed office buildings surround- of public housing ing the Mercedes Benz Arena, with three more given the green light for construction. Hailed as a Robin Hood-like figure for championing small This includes plans for a 90-metre-tall tower tenants’ rights against big developers’ interests, disctrict by architect Gewers Pudewill named Stream. Like other Zalando buildings, the high rise councillor Florian Schmidt is now under political fire radiates a slick corporate sheen at odds with from his political enemies for alleged wrongdoings. the district’s gritty character. Dan Borden looks into the Green politician’s legacy after Still, it’s nothing compared to Edge East Side Tower, the skyscraper going up across his three ground-breaking years at the helm of Kreuzberg- from Warschauer Straße U-Bahn station. Friedrichshain’s building and planning policy. Better known as the “Amazon Tower”, the 140-metre office block will house 3400 of the retail giant’s high-tech minions. For locals ast July, investor Signa Holding unveiled “No KaDeWe-isation of Hermannplatz,” who’ve spent decades fighting the corporate plans to rebuild the original Karstadt declared the 45-year-old.Schmidt is either a invasion of their Kiez, this looming glass slab Ldepartment store on Hermannplatz. courageous community-minded Robin Hood feels like a triumphant “fuck you”. With its 56-metre towers, the 1929 building figure or a dangerous leftist radical, depend- When star-architect Bjarke Ingels presented was a glamorous landmark of Weimar-era ing on who you ask. When we first profiled updated plans last October, Schmidt did his Berlin. Destroyed by vindictive Nazis in 1945, the Green politician in October 2010, he was best to torpedo the tower. The new design, its 21st-century resurrection was praised by still a young community activist touting plans Schmidt said, looked nothing like the origi- many as correcting an act of architectural to build a Berlin Kunsthalle to house con- nal competition-winning scheme and lacked vandalism. But then suddenly, in August, the temporary art. Since then, the Cologne-born people-friendly amenities agreed to in previous building commission of Kreuzberg-Fried- Berliner fought to expand the city’s supply of workshops. Scrap the project, he said, and start richshain vetoed the project. Mayor Michael artist studios and social initiatives via projects over. That drew the ire of Jan Eder, chief execu- Müller was pissed, criticising the “short-sight- like the Haus der Statistik on Alexanderplatz. tive of Berlin’s Chamber of Commerce. He ed” municipal bureaucrats and their vocal But it was the 2011 initiative “Rethinking the called Schmidt’s opposition to the €400 mil- ringleader Florian Schmidt. As the district’s City” promoting new real estate politics that lion project “an economic hara-kiri strategy” building councillor, Schmidt gave the project brought him into the public limelight. When designed to scare global investors away from a big thumbs down. He predicted the slick the green party joined the local governing the city. The Berlin city government overruled faux-Deco behemoth would drive up rents. coalition in 2016, Schmidt was appointed the Schmidt and gave Amazon the go-ahead.
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30 years to extinction apartments. The investor cast himself as a rooftop greenhouse for urban gardening. white knight resurrecting a 1960s landmark; Commercial spaces and over 500 apartments Across the Warschauer Brücke, down behind Schmidt accused Gröner of reneging on his will be built around landscaped squares and the octagonal Döner stand, lies the R.A.W. commitment to include 5000 square metres playgrounds. But the project’s centrepiece Gelände. It’s a time capsule of 1990s DIY of affordable housing. When Gröner threat- is a 16-storey residential tower, which the Berlin: century-old industrial buildings re- ened to walk away from the project, Schmidt architects have promoted as the heart of a purposed as bars, art spaces, food and music was happy to show him the door – then model residential quarter. The scheme bears venues that are glorious in their romantic promptly pulled together a new development the hallmarks of Schmidt’s planning philoso- decay. Throw in some drug-dealing and petty team. Cologne-based Art-Invest will revive phy: a family and eco-friendly upgrade that crime, and R.A.W. has evolved into an anar- the building as 70,000 square metres of office preserves an authentic Berlin mix of func- chic annex to Simon-Dach-Straße’s abrasive space, while Berlin-owned Degewo will con- tions and residents. party scene. R.A.W.’s awkward location along struct 320 new apartments on the land around But closer to his heart is the new purchase the S-Bahn tracks kept it off investors’ radars it, with 200 of those to be subsidised. strategy he’s recently developed to help – until now. When its new owners proposed Berliners buy back real estate: a bold, new clearing the property for high rises, Schmidt One utopia too far? financing model that mixes public subven- spearheaded a months-long design workshop tions and a cooperative system involving the that united investors with locals and led to In October 2014, developer Arne Piepgras an- locals. “My utopia of buying back the city, a compromise that makes the area more nounced he’d bought a prime chunk of Kreuz- isn’t about getting the city to own new build- family-friendly while preserving its character. berg from the German government for €36 ings, but about enabling people to take con- Key buildings – like the World War II bunker million. Known as the Dragoner-Areal, it’s a trol over their own housing,” says Schmidt. reused as a climbing wall – are protected as collection of former stables located behind “We managed to buy back 10 buildings that landmarks, while locals get wish-list items the long, castle-like Finanzamt building on way,” he adds proudly. like a new grocery store and a swimming Mehringdamm. Piepgras planned to demolish But today, Schmidt finds himself under a pool. Meanwhile, those endangered legacy the 19th-century buildings – displacing health political cloud. FDP, CDU and now also SPD tenants also received a new lease on life, food store LPG and the Gretchen club – to politicians have accused him of withholding literally: the bars and clubs are guaranteed make way for luxury condos. Local politicians documents relating to the city’s purchase low rents for 30 years. In exchange, investor cried foul, and Berlin’s Senat pushed Piepgras of apartment buildings through the hous- Kurth Group can build a 100-metre office out and took control. Planners united the ing co-operative Diese eG. Schmidt denies tower – a victory for Schmidt’s brand of property with neighbouring city-owned plots any wrongdoings. “My new strategy to buy community-focused give-and-take. to create a 21,000sqm block, then launched back the city is meeting incredibly strong an ambitious, years-long planning process resistance, including from some parts of the Return to sender that involved three competing design teams SPD – they want to stick by their good old in dialogue with stakeholders. public housing policy,” he explains. In September 2018, Schmidt took his anti- On February 1, Florian Schmidt helped In his zealous push to buy back Berlin’s gentrification message to national TV, debat- unveil the winning scheme, developed by housing, did Schmidt break the rules? Or ing against developer Christoph Gröner on SMAQ Architektur & Stadt and collaborators did he just step on too many powerful toes? the ARD talk show Maischberger. Last year, Man Made Land. The plan will preserve not Either way, the investigation seems timed the men were locked in another battle, this only the historic buildings but also less-de- to undermine Schmidt’s leverage and could time over a scheme by Gröner’s company CG sirable long-term tenants like metal-working possibly put a stop to his bold new plans for Gruppe, to convert the abandoned Postcheck- and car repair shops, while the largest indus- bringing back the city to the people who live amt tower on Hallesches Ufer into luxury trial building in theEN complex will get a new in it. T
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11. – 13. 3. 2020 ExBerliner Aisha and Abhaya 230 × 100 mm + 5 mm, 4c Director: Kibwe Tavares 1/3 page Choreoraphy: Sharon Eyal Choreoraphy co-creator: ANNE TERESA DE BALLET Gai Behar KEERSMAEKER / PSO Unocated v3 Fogra 52 300 dpi minimum Bleed 5mm on all sides RAM ROSAS make sure all artwork extends to the full bleed full page: 230 x 305 2. – 4.4.2020 BERT Rain (Live) — no crop marks M u s i c : I c t u s E n s e m b l e 5. – 7. 3. 2020 — no bleed marks 7. – 9.4. 2020 — no registration marks Enter Achilles — no color bars A Ballet Rambert & Sadler’s Wells co-production Achterland — no page information A work by Lloyd Newson (DV8 Physical Theatre) — Please leave a safety margin of 3mm from the trim edge for type and logos that are not meant to bleed The Berlin performances are made possible Haus der Berliner Festspiele Huo Glendinnin Huo Aerschot Van Anne
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property market For the past three years, you have been researching the inner works of Berlin’s property market, and who owns what. What got you involved? My expertise is in illicit financial flows and tax havens, but in 2017 I was approached by a local journalist investigating the Who owns Büchertisch, a sort of social book exchange being pushed out of Mehring- hof in Kreuzberg by some investor. We discovered an investment fund from Jersey had bought the house in 2005 and that Lehman Brothers were involved. We ended up writing an article about it for the Tagesspie- Berlin? gel. In 2018, the building was sold to Blackstone, a big US private equity firm that recently bought close to 5000 apartments in Berlin. I thought it Ever wondered who really was a very interesting story and wanted to know more about who owns owns your flat? Anti- what in the city. In total, there are about two million flats in Berlin and corruption expert and wealth more than a quarter are owned by private companies. I thought people should be able to know whose bank account their rent really goes into. campaigner Christoph But in many cases it’s impossible – not even the city knows. Trautvetter tells Exberliner about his painstaking What do you mean by ‘not even the city knows’? In Germany the land register isn’t public, but surely transfers of ownership must foray into the world of Berlin be listed... In the real estate register you just find a load of subsidiaries. real estate – a market he Deutsche Wohnen (DW), for example, has more than 100 companies sees dominated by anonymous that own their apartments. To find out how many apartments they own, you have to take this list to each of Berlin’s registry offices. Whether they billionaire landlords and actually give you the information is up to them. And, again, big players so badly lacking transparency like the Pears brothers from the UK don’t appear on the registers at all. that it’s turned Germany into a They have about 50 companies in Luxembourg who own around 6000 apartments in Berlin and the link between these companies is hidden hotbed of money laundering. behind shell companies in Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands.
By Ruth Schneider Your study outs 12 top companies that own real estate in the city. The biggest one is Deutsche Wohnen, right? Yes, with nearly 120,000 apartments, they are by far the biggest. But in a way DW are very transparent – they publish annual and even quarterly reports with several hundred pages of information on their apartments, average rents, profits and much more. Their biggest shareholder is Blackrock, but there are lots of other institutional investors that invest money from pension plans, life-insurance policies, etc. like the Ärzteversorgung Westfalen (Pension Fund of the Doctors of Westphalia). Usually they own more than half of the shares of big companies. But not even DW knows everyone who owns their stock. So if you are a dictator’s son and you stole €1 billion and moved it around different banks and from there into a fund and into DW, they are not going to know.
Later this month, you’re speaking at a Disruption Network Lab conference and giving a guided tour of some of the Berlin real estate owned by “anonymous investors” – who are they? When you think of anonymously owned real estate, what comes to mind are these stories of letterbox companies secretly owned by oligarchs and klepto- crats, or billionaires wanting to evade tax. Or you think of the local crimi- nal or the mafia strawmen buying real estate. You definitely find some of these in Berlin, but they make up just a small share of dirty money. If you have bigger amounts to invest, things usually get more complicated. Then you might use one of the investment funds that own five to 10 percent of Berlin apartments for example. These funds are very difficult to trace and often completely anonymous. Especially those that operate via the Cay- man Islands, Jersey, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar or any other of the many secrecy jurisdictions. There’s no way to find out who’s behind them.
“Real estate companies are greedy emperors made of bricks, concrete and smog,” says subvertising collective Steal This Poster. “Deutsche Wohnen is the first we’re targeting. There’s more to come.” On March 26 they’ll hold a workshop on the art of spoofing corporate advertisements
Illustration by Hogre, source stealthisposter.org source by Hogre, Illustration as part of Disruption Network Lab.
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Transparency International exposed UK. They invest through two companies from empty and decaying. Some anonymous inves- the German real estate market as a the British Virgin Islands but they use inter- tors of dirty money just rent out apartments hotbed of money laundering, especially mediaries in Luxembourg and Cyprus. So they at the normal rate, not wanting to make a favoured by the Italian mafia. Why is don’t have to register because EU companies huge profit and cause any trouble. But very that and who is involved? One element are excluded from that duty. In theory that’s often, once you give your money to a profes- is the use of cash. In Italy it is forbidden to fine because all EU countries are supposed to sional money launderer, he will also take care buy anything for more than €1000 in cash. have open public registers listing the com- of making a good profit. Sometimes the dirty But in Germany, you can bring suitcases full panies’ beneficial owners. So in Luxembourg money is greedy and sometimes it’s not. of cash and buy a house. And obviously the everyone can now see that those companies mafia has a lot of cash, right? Another reason belong to the Pears brothers. But Cyprus So you’re saying the greediest landlords is that if you are a drug dealer and have €1 hasn’t implemented the law yet and there are are not necessarily the criminal ones, billion worth of assets you don’t want to still many other ways around registration. At right? Private equity funds are probably buy real estate in Italy, because there is a least now the Berlin government has hired the worst. Blackstone, Carlyle and smaller good chance that the Guardia di Finanza is three people to check on the notaries. investment funds promise their investors an going to come and take it away. In Germany annual return of 10 to 15 percent and to make no one’s going to ask questions – there’s no But how can investors still manage to this money quickly – usually in less than 10 transparency of real estate ownership, no stay anonymous despite these new con- or even four years. To make this amount of checks. In 2018 there was a case where 77 trols? For example, what you can do is open money from real estate in Berlin so quickly flats worth €10 million were seized from a an investment fund in the Cayman Islands, you have to be really aggressive. Neukölln family clan. They had bought them where the investment manager will mix the with criminal cash and were only found out money of nine legitimate clients with your What strategies do they use to maximise much later. There’s very little control. We non-legitimate money, put it into the invest- profit? In Germany you can’t just raise have the same rules that the whole world ment fund and no one will ever know you rents the way you like, or evict tenants... has: when someone comes to a car dealer or invested. If this investment fund then buys There are different strategies. Some like estate agent with a suitcase full of cash and something, in the transparency register you to buy cheap apartment blocks and social they find it suspicious, they have to report it. would just see the name of the investment housing, let them get run-down, don’t invest But the enforcement is really weak. Take the manager. And he will say there is no official in upkeep, and just make money from the guy who worked as security at Bode Museum owner – because only those who own more rent. That’s one approach. Another popular and helped to steal the 100kg gold coin two than 25 percent have to register – so the in- approach in the past decade has been to buy years ago: he never had any money and then vestment manager will say that ownership is an apartment building, renovate, add a lift suddenly comes with a bag full of cash to buy split between many people and that he is the or balcony, and then increase the rents to a an apartment and no one filed a suspicious one who makes the decisions. So his name level the tenants can’t afford. When the old transaction report! will be there and the notary will say that it’s tenants are gone, they bring in new people perfectly fine. who pay three times as much. Sometimes But what about Germany’s new anti- they’ll offer tenants €10,000 or more to leave money laundering measures? Notaries How do you spot real estate that’s being and then rent out the same apartment for are supposed to report suspicious used to ‘store’ money? There’s the story of €15/sqm. You can find some of the Black- transactions and carry out background The Bishops Avenue in London with Russian stone apartments in Kreuzberg – not even in checks, from now on including that for- oligarchs buying fancy villas left empty. We the nicest streets – for rent at €18 and above! eign companies are registered with the have a few notorious housing blocks here in Others rent small rooms, furnished and German transparency register. Why isn’t Berlin: for example around Alexanderplatz serviced apartments for more than €40/sqm. it working? Take the Pears brothers from the or in Mehringhof several apartments are left Or they turn first-floor shops into homes for
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