Travel inspirations: Berlin
Berlin is a popular place for visitors to Europe, especially for 20 to 30 something Australians. It possesses a fascinating history both in recent and more distant times, particularly in regard to the historic reunificiation of Germany, when Berlin reunited into a single city.
Renters building communities and sites of resistance in Berlin
Over 80% of Berliners reside in rental accommodation, largely within multi-story apartment buildings. We spoke to several Australian friends who'd lived in Berlin for various periods of time who commented on the ease of attaining rental accommodation, citing a higher level of rights for renters in Germany, with repairs and maintenance occuring promptly and reliably.
Reunification meant that previously unkempt buildings were gradually retrofitted and repaired thanks to Government funds with many people moving into East Berlin for cheap housing. An example of is K86, a building once owned by the DDR Municipal Housing Association which was occupied in 1990 and made habitable again by squatters. It's street frontage is decorated with the words "Capitalismus normiert, zerstört, tötet – und vertreibt alles, was kein Geld bringt! (Normalized capitalism, destroys, kills - and sells all that brings no money!)".
About 40 people reside at K86 at the moment and it is not merely a squat, it also houses a non-commercial gallery, a drive-through distribution points for free food that is collected from the surrounding supermarkets and distributed to low income and homeless people and community space for organising. One one side is a vegan restaurant and on the other a political bookshop. Luckily my German language skills do not extend to reading a whole book in German or I would have had to buy another suitcase for all the interesting books I saw. Everyone has their own views of squatting as a way of living and/or political action, particularly now that the house has been bought by developers who wish to renovate, which may result in relocation for the squatters. In reality there are very few squats currently active in Berlin but those that still exist have a strong history and are regarded by most as a good thing to have. East Berlin has been a site of rapid growth as in the 1990's East Berliners were given financial support to open up small businesses and regenerate the city. But they seem to have been too successful for some with rental prices rising in areas no longer controlled by Government fixed rental rates, such as Prenzlauer Berg, Nekolin and Kreuzberg. We were amused to see a newly constructed apartment building marketed itself as 'green' due to the absence of car parking. Some social commentators denounce the growth of East Berlin into a gentified play town for fashionable hipsters, and areas certainly are full of art galleries, cafes, coffee shops, boutiques and hipster bars like any inner urban suburb anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately gentrification is a reality everywhere and the unemployed and low-income earners are most negatively impacted upon.
However I did notice that whilst in Prenzlauer Berg in particular, gentrification was a direct response to the desires of inner city professionals and more affluent folk with kids, it was these very people who have been active in rejuvinating their community and creating sustainable environments. In Oderberger Strasse for example, the local community successfully overturned government efforts to remodel their street. In Kollwitzplatz, the Abenturelichen Bauspielplatz, an amazing adventure playground for kids builds on an old East German tradition of helping kids build playhouses within the confines of DDR controlled Berlin and expands it into a sustainable venture with a permanent home including materials for building even more tree houses and playhouses. The site itself is regularly used as a meeting place for neighborhood associations, tenant groups, political parties, professional bodies, parents and other agencies. Most of the site is for kids only, no adults allowed, allowing kids to foster creativity and independence. Playground Elefantenspielplatz is also a great example of local neighbourhood efforts creating a community space for all. The site was previously a deilapidated wasteland which was bought back to life by the actions of a Parent Action Group to become a community owned park, garden and adventure playground.
Having Fun in Berlin
We visited Berlin during the Berlin Festival, a large music festival which was held at an old airport. In the true spirit of sustainability the former airport is given a new life as a venue for large public events including music and fashion festivals and trade expos. The event was a sustainable event with recyclable foodstuffs and reusable drink containers requiring a token to be returned in exchange for a deposit, common practice in parts of Europe.
Transport
As a city, Berlin is well serviced by public transport including rail, tram and buses and welcomes cycling, with over 650 kilometres of bike paths. You often view more bicycles on the street than cars. Bikes are easily rented for about 8 Euros a day. This is course, can also be attributed to the relatively high expenses involved in car ownership (not to mention parking) but is nonetheless a fabulous thing to see.
Gardening in Berlin
There are over 930 allotment gardens in Berlin, usually homed in collective spaces. The allotment-garden system began during the 19th Century, in the context of industrialization and the rapid growth of commercial and industrial cities. The allotment gardens were designed to improve the self-sufficiency and the health conditions of low income earners, based around the idea of being able to grow produce rather than receive handouts for food. We did not visit any allotments ourselves, but viewed many (they almost looked like suburbs of allotments) along train routes in the suburbs. Some are maintained in the original sense of an allotment (growing produce) whilst many are now well laid out gardens with attractive cabins. They are extremely popular and their leases are handed down through families, due to their high demand. Despite being quite small they are used as second homes in the warmer months.
In most urban areas balcony gardening is plentiful and public streets also have their own portable gardens which are given to storeholders to care for. We also enjoyed viewing gardens made out of shopping trolleys, part of a public art exhibition.
Food and Drink
The stereotypes are true, Berlin, like other parts of Germany does offer much meat orientated cuisine. At every second corner in Berlin you can find these stands where you can buy typical Berlin dishes such as the Currywurst & Pommes, a fried sausage with a tomatoe curry sauce and french fries. However, migration has meant that you are equally likely to find plentiful Indian, Vietnamese and Turkish restaurants. I found it interesting that restaurant menus have to detail if a menu item contains various additives such as taurine, quinine, colouring, caffeine etc, useful for people who have food senstivities or allergies. Further, vegetarian and vegan food is not terribly diifficult to find. There is a significant trend towards organic food in Germany, with over 40 organic supermarkets and stores in Prenlzlauer Berg alone including LPG Biomarkt, Europe's largest organic supermarket. Sustainability efforts extend to the operation of eateries: glass bottles are recyclable and cashed in and outdoor eating areas have blankets instead of those ridiculous outdoor heaters we see around Melbourne.
Urban Planning goes green
Being an old town, Berlin is in some respects a living museum. The Berlin wall is still very visible in certain areas for example. But there are many progressive efforts to introduce sustianability into existing structures and also create new spaces. In Potzdammer Platz green roofs and rain water harvesting means all rainwater is available for reuse in toilets and watering city gardens.
People feel very passionate about city gardens in Berlin, understandable when most people do not possess private backyards. Mauerpark is a public park in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district. The name translates to "Wall Park", referring to its status as a former part of the Berlin Wall and its Death Strip. Mauerpark is a site for a weekly flea market of multitudes of crockery, fashion and tourist ephermera along with stalls for vegan and organic food and of course, currywurst. Enterprising vendors walk around selling bottles of beer and soft drink (bottles are refundable). People meet, hold barbeques and dance parties, play music and enjoy sitting in the open air. Particularly hilarious is the Sunday public karaoke spectacle held in the park, a free for all as people entertain a enthusiastic audience of thousands.
This article is merely a snap shop of Berlin. Like any city, it is full of thousands of stories, what are your experiences?
