Berlin is a city known for its nightlife. Since the 1990s, it has become the capital of Techno music, growing together with electronic music and party culture.
But in the past decade, nearly one-third of nightclubs in the city have closed, and more nightclubs are facing crisis.
Since the beginning of the last century, the influence of gentrification has swept cities around the world, and people have lost space, culture and more. Griessmuehle, the iconic nightclub of the New Cohen district, is closed indefinitely. What does this mean for party lovers and what does it mean for the city?
This article comes from WeChat public account: wilderness Station (ID: Wildamaze) , author: integrated rotation, fish Albuquerque, FIG head source: IC photo
Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the municipal building in Berlin in January, dancing while holding signs. Several politicians, including Mayor Martin Hickel, spoke to the crowd in New Cohen, (Neukölln) .
A placard reads, “All clubs are beautiful.”
The other person held up: “The day I stopped dancing was the day I stopped breathing.”
Photo by Felix Dressler
This protest did not stem from any policy change or economic crisis, but the closure of a nightclub.
Griessmuehle (Neukölln) in New Kelln, south of Berlin, on one side is next to the New Kern Canal, and railway.
It used to be a noodle factory in the East German era. Now there are two dance floors hidden in the cement factory. There are outdoor seating areas and a garden overlooking the canal.
Since its opening in 2012, Griessmuehle has quickly become one of the most popular clubs in Berlin. Not only does it have two non-stop club nights on weekends, the music style ranges from Techno, House to Disco and British bass, but also the famous LGBTQ party Cocktail d’Amore.
Griessmuehle on weekdays is more like a cultural center, providing culture and entertainment to people in this community. Griessmuehle has sinceYour own record shop, restaurant.
Wednesday is an open-air movie night:
Ping-pong night on Tuesday:
On the first Friday of every month, this place will become a second-hand market.
It looks messy and even a little run-downCa n’t be a reason to stop people coming here, because that ’s what ’s so charming about Berlin nightclubs:
Ignore mainstream standards and rules without modification.
Griessmuehle brings people music, parties, and freedom; it’s not just content to be where people go on weekend nights, but to keep in touch with the communities in which they are located and to become part of the local culture.
Last Party
On December 30 last year, Griessmuehle posted a video on his Instagram #save our space, announcing that he might be facing a close and asking for help.
When Griessmuehle first landed in the new Köln district, the old factory was a logistics company. General Manager David Ciura spent only 5 minutes negotiating with the landlord to rent the area.
Four years ago, this property was acquired by an Austrian real estate company. It can only be renewed for half a year, and the landlord told them last summer that they decided not to renew the contract.
Griessmuehle was officially closed after the last Cocktail d’Amore was held in early February.
Griessmuehle after the party ｜ Photo by Gil Corujeira
Lutz Leichsenring of the Berlin Club Committee, which protects Berlin’s nightlife, said in an interview that Griessmuehle’s encounter is not unique in Berlin.
After 2012, as the impact of the financial crisis subsided, low interest rates and unstable markets allowed more companies to invest in real estate.
They bought the property at a high price, kicked out the nightclub they had rented, and raised the rent.
Leichsenring estimates that one-third of Berlin’s nightclubs have been lost in the past 10 years, and about 15 nightclubs are currently in crisis. Each venue has its own reasons, but most of them come from neighbors’ complaints, licenses or landlord problems.
This phenomenon has even become a proper term: Clubsterben, “Death at a Nightclub”.
The nightclub culture in Berlin goes back 30 years.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, young people in East and West Germany danced together in clubs and clubs, hugging their long lost compatriots. They don’t know what the future will look like, but at least for now, no country or military can bar them from doing anything.
Cocktail d’Amore founders Giacomo Garavelloni and Giovanni Turco said:
“Nightclubs not only represent carnivals, but the meaning of a party is not just a party. It can change people’s lives, directly or indirectly change the entire society, create different communities, and help people escape the mainstream oppression.” < / p>
Griessmuehle party crowd in outdoor area ｜ Photo by Gordon Welters
The nightclub culture sets Berlin apart from other European cities, and its reputation for “freedom and tolerance” brings tourists, economy, jobs, and talent to the city.
Since the 1990s, Berlin, as the second home of Techno music, has produced many world-renowned nightclubs such as Berghain, KitKatClub and Tresor.
Techno Club Tresor, the longest-opening business in the world, opened in 1991. It was transformed from a vault. In 2005, it was closed and relocated to an abandoned building. Inside the factory
Parties in Berlin bring 3 million people to the city every year, and Berlin nightlife consumption reached 1.5 billion euros in 2018 . This is undoubtedly a city cultural income that many European cities are eyeing.
Nightlife not only inspires creativity, it is also the key to maintaining urban prosperity.
Three quarters of tourists say that nightlife and nightclubs are one of the reasons to attract them to Berlin, and almost half of Berliners say that is why they stay in Berlin.
Griessmuehle protest graffiti on the roof: “Embrace our culture”
When nightclubs with historical and iconic significance are no longer open, mainstream nightclubs that just want to maximize profits, play leaderboard music, and provide bottled drinks occupy the street. The nightclubs can bring social and social benefits to the city. Cultural value is continuously decreasing.
Inevitable gentrification
Griessmuehle’s district of Neukern is one of the regions with the highest proportion of immigrants in Berlin.
The busy streets here are famous for their international flavors, with hummus, Middle Eastern pastry shops and antique shops everywhere. The Turkish market by the canal sells produce, spices and textiles.
Market by the Canal
Because of the high rents in other parts of Berlin, a large number of students from the West, creatives, artists and other young professionals have poured into New Kern, and rents in New Kern have also started to rise.
So, local and foreign companies invest in New Kern, buy land, raise rents or build new buildings. For example, the landlord of Griessmuehle, a real estate development company from Austria, wants to build new apartments, hotels or office facilities in this area.
Like many other cities around the world, New Kern cannot escape the influence of gentrification. When you type “Neukölln” into Google’s search bar, “gentrifizierung” (gentrification) appears in the auto association.
Sociologist Luth Grasse first used the term gentrification in 1964 to describe the Islington district of London:
“Poverty-stricken labor areas have been invaded by the middle class. When the leases of the ruined houses expire, they turn into elegant and expensive mansions …
Once the process of gentrification has begun, it will only accelerate without hesitation; until the inhabitants of the original working class move out, the whole community’s outlook will completely change. “
Now Islington
A more modern example is San Francisco, USA.
With the outbreak of the Internet industry in the 1990s, shuttle buses from companies like Google pushed up rents near stops and eventually made San Francisco the most expensive city in the United States. More high-income and educated young people moved in, while the original residents moved out.
The “club death” in Berlin symbolizes a paradox:
Berlin has numerous startups that are expanding, hiring more employees, and attracting talent to the city. The job ads for engineers and IT people said: “Come to Berlin, here is the best club culture in the world.”
Nightlife is an iconic feature of the city, attracting migrants and boosting the economy, but it also creates housing difficulties.
Investors flooded in to buy areas with “potential,” and places like Griessmuehle, which made up the city’s “charm,” were forced to leave.
Griessmuehle’s Last Party Scene ｜ Photo by Gordon Welters
Be optimistic
Fortunately, Griessmuehle hasn’t really disappeared.
The petition they initiated on change.org # save our spaces (Protect our space) collected over 50,000 signatures. For a while, “GriessmuehleIm Exil “ (Wandering Griessmuehle) will borrow a temporary venue to operate and continue club night and other cultural activities.
The new location of Griessmuehle’s record store Latitude Record Store is under construction. The restaurant Bistro CCNeukölln will no longer exist in its current form, but the Griessmuehle team is developing a new gastronomic project in a nearby area and is expected to open in the spring.
Old Latitude Record Store
This is not a lonely battle, GriessmuehLe received support from members of the Berlin Club and the municipality.
In the cultural committee of the Berlin parliament, parties voted unanimously for Griessmuehle. The council will also continue to negotiate with the landlord on behalf of Griessmuehle. Perhaps someday in the future, Griessmuehle will be able to return to the original site or find a suitable new home.
Griessmuehle wrote on their website: “The root of the problem lies in the lack of protection of cultural venues. Therefore, we must continue to work to protect the existence of clubs and recognize the status of” cultural sites “. We hope to cooperate with others Together with the threatened nightclub clubs, they continue to call for attention and expand the campaign launched under the #saveourspaces tag. “
Griessmuehle protest graffiti on the roof
Berlin has recognized the importance of protecting nightclub culture: In 2016, the German court announced that Berghain, Berlin ’s famous nightclub, could be classified as a “cultural place” like a theater, and only pay a 7% income tax instead of 19% as a “entertainment place”;
Berghain, people waiting in line at the entrance
Just nowIn the past February, a committee focused on protecting the culture of underground clubs in Berlin has proposed in parliament that according to Berlin ’s (BuildingUsage Ordinance) , Should reclassify all clubs and live music venues as cultural institutions, giving them equal legal status with concert halls, opera houses and theaters.
Map of Berlin Club
“The difference between the opera house and the club is the style of the music,” Pamela Schobess, chairman of the Berlin Club Committee and an activist representing nightlife, said in the interview.
Techno music in Berlin is like classical music and Vienna, opera art and Milan. This music form has deeply shaped the cultural personality and urban style of the city, but compared with classical music and opera, Techno is still very young.
But because of its youth, Techno, which has been dubbed the “Voice of the Future” at its birthplace, has more vitality. This vitality is with the creative class who loves it. With Berlin’s irreplaceable urban personality.
This article is from the WeChat public account: Wild Weather Station (ID: Wildamaze) , author : Comprehensive Rotation, Fish Elbokke