Berlin Logs July 2015

OUR GUIDE: BERLIN’S LAKES
GENTRIFICATION & NEW RENT LAWS
Lake culture is one of the best parts about
summer in the city - Page 30
What should we make of the rent cap?
Page 2
Berlin Logs
LOCAL ENGLISH MAGAZINE
€1
06
VENTUROUS
VEGETARIAN
The move to Berlin as a
newly fledged vegetarian
brought with it a fear that I
was consciously destroying
any chance of maintaining
my new lifestyle choice.
GERMANY
MEETS ITALY
This year’s Coffi Festival
is offering a unique
opportunity: to meet Italian
culture head on.
10 ONE MAN’S TRASH
IS ANOTHER MAN’S
TREASURE
Perhaps Berlin’s most efficient
and effective recycling system.
Vol: 01 Issue: 02 | Berlinllogs.com | July 2015.

2 Berlin Logs
JULY
CONTENTS
04
06
08
What’s New: Festival season,
Wassermusik & more
The Venturous Vegetarian: Ethical
Eating in Berlin
Column: The Case for Späti
Drinking
16
18
20
Feature: One Man’s Trash is
Another Man’s Treasure
Discover Jyoti - A Berlin Start Up
With a Fashion Conscience
Paving the Way for Free and
Democratic Schools
T
09
Cultural Calendar: Your July Guide
to Art and Culture
23
Tempelhof Airport: A Grand Berlin
Tradition
12
A Risen Star: Gustavo Dudamel
Conducts Berliner Philharmoniker
28
Liquid Lunch: Berlin Smoothie
Bars
14
Interview with Minna Partanen,
Front of House ET Berlin
30
Summer in the City: Guide to
Berlin Lakes
Team
A Word
Managing Editor:
Daniyal Waseem
Senior Editor:
Linda O’Grady
Editors:
Conor O’Rourke
Sarah Coughlan
Art Editor:
Hazel Rowland
Office Manager:
Karmijn Simons
Berlin Logs.
Habsburger Str 10, 10781. Berlin
+ 49 (0)30 982 942 02
info@berlinlogs.com
www.berlinlogs.com
Moving to Berlin can be an intimidating experience.
Many of us arriving here have little grasp of the
language, nowhere to live and no job. Such is the pull of
Berlin that despite this, every year more and more people
flood the city, eager to be part of Europe’s cultural
capital. This issue deals with finding your feet in Berlin;
learning the nuances of life here and building your own
place among the multicultural milieu.
For some that means finding a way to cling on to your
vegetarianism in a city that loves meat (page 6), for
others it’s a matter of understanding the grey economy
at work on the Flaschenpfand and what that means for
a modern European city (page 16). For others still, its
about finding expressions of your own culture in your
adopted country (page 10). Thriving here is a matter of
carving out your own space, be it at the lake (page 30), at
the theatre (page 14) or at a Späti (page 8). Willkommen
in Berlin Logs.
The Berlin Logs Team

Berlin Logs
3
What Should We Make
Of The Rent Cap?
By Sarah Coughlan
There was much to celebrate for Berliners this month
with the announcement that the local government
has confirmed that housing in the city will be fully
rent controlled. Although previously landlords were
prevented from raising rents on old contracts more than
10% above market rates, this ruling means that this
condition will now also be applied to new contracts.
This is likely to prove hugely popular with the city’s
long term residents, many of whom have been forced
to remain in their rent controlled flats regardless of
their changing circumstances. As of today, old contracts
coming on to the market will be subject to rent controls,
something the council hope will go some way to
controlling rental prices in town.
In a city which has seen the average per/m2 cost of
renting go from €5.50 in 2005 to closer to €9 today,
there is no doubt that Berliners are starting to struggle
with rising rents. The ruling, which comes into force
immediately, seeks to rebalance things in favour of the
city’s renters who make up nearly 85% of all residents,
as compared with 50% in London. In an effort to offset
the effects of more than a decade of gentrification
that has seen the city transformed, for better and for
worse, the rent cap is a positive move for locals and
newcomers to the city alike. But for whom is the ruling
better news, the newbies or the natives?
In the past two years the average rent in Berlin has
increased 7.9% but this figure masks some of the
sharpest increases which has meant that some areas
are increasingly unaffordable (think Prenzlauerberg
and Kreuzberg) for the majority of the city’s low and
medium-income residents and are pushing locals out
toward Wedding, Reinickendorf and Lichtenberg. This
pressure on average-income residents to move out of
the city centre was something that was one of the first
indicators of a housing crisis for locals in London and
Paris, and Berlin’s government has proved itself to be
responsive to the needs of its residents with a desire
to distinguish Berlin from other European big cities
by putting renters first. In this way, both natives and
newcomers will benefit from the ruling.
But the rent cap raises other big questions: who is this
for, what does this mean for the future of the city and
will it slow the rising tide of gentrification? The short
answer is no one knows: this is the first experiment of
its kind in a Western European city, and, of course, Berlin
is a special case. Insofar as there’s an undeniable shift
towards relatively high rents, this looks set to stem
the rising rent problem for now. But for many native
Berliners, the reality is that the days of truly cheap rents
looks to be finished, and in their place, affordable rents
for foreigners looks set to continue. This, taken with the
extreme housing problems in other European capitals
(as well as places like Munich and Hamburg) means
that in all likelihood Berlin’s march towards total
gentrification looks set to continue, albeit at a
slower pace – people just keep coming to Berlin.
So the rent cap is very good news for newcomers,
but little consolation to those already priced out of
their local areas or stuck in flats that no longer fit
their circumstances.
Hence, in lieu of a commitment to building
more, widely available, social housing, with rent
controls and protection from privatisation, the
comfort of the rent cap can only reach so far. For
a real, implementable solution, a maximum price
per-square-metre based around the mietspiegel
(average price per-square-metre) offers an
alternative that doesn’t require yet another
expensive and inevitably over-budget building plan.
And here we might finally have found something to
redress the balance in favour of Berlin’s locals and
hold back the gentrification of the city, at least for
now.

4
Berlin Logs
WHAT’S
NEW
By Conor O’Rourke
FRIEDRICHSHAIN
DISNEYLAND ON
THE SPREE
Berlin’s newest Biergarten, Birgit & Bier, joins Ipse,
Chalet, and the more venerable Club der Visionaire
and Arena clubs in the bustling space between the
Wrangelkiez and Treptower Park. The area seems to
have been designated Berlin’s official full-service
millennial playground, where you can drink, eat, shop,
dance, and, thanks to Badeschiff, swim. At Birgit & Bier,
partiers can look forward to three dance floors and
a weekly Flöhmarkt, as well as the Berlin-standard
Kater-esque carnival imagery and rough, unfinished
wooden architecture.
NEUKÖLLN
GOODBYE O
TANNENBAUM
Neukölln institution O Tannenbaum closed its
doors on June 11. Low-key and relaxed, one of O
Tannenbaum’s perks was its changing selection
of beers. The collection focused on Belgian
and Dutch beers; a refreshing (if sometimes
purposefully lukewarm) departure from the
standard pint of pilsner available at most other
bars.
A skip and a jump away from Hermannplatz, this
ever-more-prime location was perhaps the bar’s
undoing—five years of near-daily noise complaints
from neighbors caused the bar’s lease renewal
application to be declined, and the beloved
Neukölln Stammkneipe closed its doors on June 11.
Its owners swear it will reopen as soon as suitable
location is found. O Tannenbaum, du kannst mir
gerne wieder gefallen.
SUMMER TIME
FESTIVAL SEASON
IS HERE
It’s here, the moment you’ve all been waiting for.
The Berlin summer is the reason all of us stay in
this cold, depressing city through the winter, isn’t
it? And one of the most important aspects of any
Berlin summer is the festivals. Everyone knows
about Melt! and Fashion Week, so we’ve spotlighted
a few of Berlin’s lesser-known July festivals—hurry
up and buy your tickets!

Berlin Logs
5
THE READER
FORT GORGAST
FESTIVAL
July 23-26, Fort Gorgast
Berlin’s own English-language publishing house
returns to the Polish border this July for its 3rd Fort
Gorgast Festival, a three-day celebration of all things
written and nerdy, where festival goers will read, write,
and workshop through the day and party through
the night. Music lineup TBA, find more information at
fortgorgastfestival.com.
KREUZBERG
2ND ANNUAL
TOMATO FEST
Throughout our hard, cruel winter, Berliners are
subjected to equally hard, cruel vegetables. And
tomatoes are perhaps the most affected of all, bearing
more resemblance to water balloons than plant matter
for six months out of the year. But summer is here,
and with it, juicy tomatoes. On July 12, taste-test 25
varieties of the noblest fruit, eat special, tomatocentric
preparations, and try to forget that you shop at
Netto.
HKW
MOTHER INDIA
WASSERMUSIK 2015
Wassermusik 2015 - July 17 to August 8, Haus der
Kulturen der Welt.
Wassermusik is Berlin’s annual world music
festival. In years previous, they’ve focused on
multinational regions—North Africa, or the lusophone
(portuguese-speaking) world—this year, they focus
on a multinational region contained within a single
country: we’re speaking, of course, of India. The threeweek
festival at HKW will include Bollywood movies
as well as musical performances from Asha Bhosle,
Tavin Singh, and more.

6 Berlin Logs
A Meat Free Life in Berlin
VENTUROUS
VEGETARIAN
By Liam McGuckin
T
The move to Berlin as a newly fledged vegetarian
brought with it a fear that I was consciously
destroying any chance of maintaining my new
lifestyle choice. Like my friends, I was of the
persuasion that a carnivorous Germany would
be the end of my vegetarian vows. Yet, in a land
brimming with Bratwurst and Schnitzels, Wieners and
Currywust, I have found it anything but arduous; in
fact, I think veganism may be just around the corner.
For a long time, vegetarianism and veganism have
lurked on the fringes of most people’s understanding,
and the rear side of most menus. But one needs
only to stroll through the streets of Friedrichshain,
Kreuzberg and Neukölln to see that things are
undoubtedly changing. No longer reduced to a
niche subculture, there is an increasing awareness
and acceptance among people, restaurants and
supermarkets. For those who are still unsure,
vegetarianism pertains to a meatless diet, whilst
veganism extends this to include all products derived
from animals.
Until recently I myself was guilty of not
understanding either vegetarianism or veganism.
Years spent working in the hospitality sector coerced
me to regard anyone with a dietary restriction as
awkward and difficult. I would welcome vegans into
the restaurant with the same disdain you would show
upon finding a stray hair in your meal. And here I was,
taking the same path as all those ‘difficult’ eaters.
I worried that I’d now be left staring at the back of
the menu as the waiter pointed an unruly finger over
the space that disappointingly read “garden salad”.
The reality is far from any apprehensions I may have
had. Berlin welcomes vegetarians and vegans with a

Berlin Logs
7
“On all fronts my life as a
vegetarian has improved. The
diet is healthier, I never go
without five fruit and veg a day,
and the risk of heart disease and
high cholesterol are massively
minimised.
plethora of creative, delicious and meat-free options.
Rootz, a restaurant here in Kreuzberg, is just one
of these places providing amazing vegetarian and
vegan choices for those that hold the same moral
and ethical code as myself. I recently indulged
myself with their spicy black bean burger and had
to immediately reconsider my position on the word
burger. A mere month ago I couldn’t conceive of
a burger that didn’t contain some form of ground
up animal meat. As I feverishly worked my way
through this delicious, mouth watering patty, safe
in the knowledge that no animal had been killed
in the process, I knew I’d solidified my position as a
vegetarian in this city.
The more I began to explore, the more I uncovered
brilliant and innovative alternatives to dishes I
loved. Yet I was still convinced there would be some
restrictions that could not be so easily overcome.
After my initial visit to Germany a little over four
years ago, I developed a love for Currywurst – to the
point that I incorporated it as my lunchtime go-to
meal, an evening quick bite and a post-pub treat.
Fearing I would never enjoy the strange combination
of that tangy curried sausage ever again, I had all
but given up hope of finding a replacement. That
was until I found a vegetarian alternative at Yellow
Sunshine bistro, again here in Kreuzberg. Now I
always like to maintain an open-mind when trying
new things but I have to say I was quietly expecting
this meatless German classic to fall flat on its face.
That couldn’t have been further from the truth. If my
expectations had been low, my taste sensation was
rocketing.
loosely here, relied upon a piece of meat, more often
than not overcooked, with the accompaniment of a
couple of vegetables or salad. Yet just the other day I
whipped up a vegan Moroccan tagine from scratch for
a few friends. My food previously would have induced
a kind of heavy silence amongst people as they in
turn exchanged glances to see who would break first
and put the plate down. This tagine, however, earned
me a rare compliment and people even returned for
second helpings.
On all fronts my life as a vegetarian has improved.
The diet is healthier, I never go without five fruit
and veg a day, and the risk of heart disease and
high cholesterol are massively minimised. Morally
knowing that I’ve not contributed to an exploitative
market of animal slaughter is also a great feeling. If
you want to give this lifestyle change a go, then do
a little research, make small changes, even cut out
meat a few days a week, and familiarise yourself with
vegetarian alternatives. There are tonnes of healthy
and creative options awaiting you, especially here in
Berlin. I have genuinely not missed meat. The most
challenging thing I’ve had to endure so far is the
habitual recollecting and packing of the thousands of
tiny chia seeds I spill every morning before breakfast.
Other than that I feel amazing.
And one doesn’t have to become dependent on
eating out all the time to sustain this vegetarian
diet. With the introduction of Veganz, an entirely
vegan supermarket here in Berlin, there are endless
animal-friendly products in store to choose from. We
regularly buy items from the Tofurky product line,
which has an extensive range of tofu-based foods
that closely mimic the real meat dishes. What they
lack in aesthetics, they more than make up for in
depth of flavour and composition. If you can look
past the earthy colour and spongy demeanour, it
really is pretty good.
The transition to vegetarianism has also brought
with it a culinary creativeness that I didn’t think I
had within me. My style, and I use the term style very

8 Berlin Logs
The case for
Späti drinking
By Conor O’Rourke
Throughout the dark, endless winters, one thought sustains you. In
the pit of your despair, when the sun dips below the horizon shortly
before 4 PM, a tiny candle flickers in the frozen darkness of your
consciousness. Summer, it whispers.
We all know summer is special in Berlin. But why? It could be the
weather. The contrast between summer and winter is especially
brutal here. But there are plenty places that are equally cold and
dark, and these places have summertime too. No, it’s something
more than that.
Some people will tell you that the best thing about the Berlin
summer is all the festivals and parties. And with 1. Mai, Karnival
der Kulturen, Fashion Week, Berlin Festival, and many others, they
at least have a lot of examples of what they’re talking about. These
people will tell you that the weekend-long open air parties are
the key to a good summer. There are indeed few things that feel
better than dancing under the sun with glitter on your face. But
sometimes, that sun is really hot, and somewhere along the way,
you lost your sunscreen, along with your phone reception, friends,
and after two days without showering, most of your dignity. Maybe
the summer parties aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be.
Others will tell you that Berlin’s strength lies in its geography—
specifically, the dozens of lakes that surround the city. Going to the
lake is a cherished part of summertime in Berlin, one that’s also had
its knock-on effects in wider German culture. Everyone’s favorite
nudist movement, FKK, evolved on the shores of Berlin’s many lakes.
So did all these nasty mosquitos. Moving on.
Let’s keep it simple. Some of the more German among us will attest
to ice cream as being the cherry on top of Berlin’s midsummer
sundae. But these people are ignoring a growing segment of
Berlin’s population that forgoes the pleasures of milk and cream
entirely.
“
Späti drinking
combines the all
best things about
summer in Berlin
with all the best
things about
drinking.
Maybe the key to summer in Berlin is grilling in the park. You only
need to stroll down to Tempelhof on a given Sunday to see that
the passion for coal and fire transcends all of Berlin’s cultural
divisions. Bare meters from a tattooed group of old school Berlin
punks drinking in the sun, a Turkish family unpacks what seems
like their entire living room—shisha, carpets, and canopy sun
covers included—onto the grass. Next to them, a young couple
and their baby soak up the rays. Whether you’re cooking up some
Nürnbergers, köfte and haloumi, or just some zucchini, everyone
likes grilling. But we didn’t say like. We said best.
All these people are wrong. No, the best thing about Berlin in the
summertime is drinking beers outside of a Späkauf. Späti drinking
combines the all best things about summer in Berlin with all the
best things about drinking.
Outside the Spätkauf, in the endless summer light, sitting at a
wooden table or just right there on the curb, things make sense.
Whether you’re young, old, a tourist or native or something between,
drinking Sterni or Augustiner, Pfeffi or Gorbatschow, things feel
right. Only here, in the slanted estival light, do the many pieces of
Berlin’s summer fall into place. The summer is bright and colorful.
Enjoy it.

Art & Culture
9
CULTURAL CALENDAR
Hauser Schwarz: 100 beste Plakate e. V.
12
Art not adverts
Berlin has so many posters plastered
everywhere that it is easy to overlook their
artistic merits. Yet the Kunstbibliothek Berlin is
eager to show the creative diversity and good
graphic design that the medium of the poster
can inspire. A jury of independent judges have
selected the 100 best posters from Germany,
Austria and Switzerland from the year 2014, now
on display until mid-July.
‘100 Best Posters 14. Germany Austria, Switzerland’
is on at the Kulturforum until 12 July. Admission is
free.
Another Berlin
It is difficult to imagine Berlin, a thriving and
lively city, as it was in 1945: completely wartorn
and ruined. Cecil F.S. Newman came to
the city in July 1945 with the British Royal
Engineers and played a key role in restoring
the city’s infrastructure. But he was also a
keen photographer. Seventy years later, the
Märkisches Museum is presenting a series of
Newman’s pictures, bringing to life the terrible
effects that the war had on Germany and
Berlin.
‘Berlin 1945/6: Photographs by Cecil F.S.
Newman’ opens at the Märkisches Museum on
17 July and will runs until 25 October. Tickets:
5€/3€.
The art of repetition
In Spring 2013 Icelandic artist, Ragnar
Kjartansson, recruited alt-rock group the
National to perform their song ‘Sorrow’ at New
York’s contemporary art institution MoMA PS1.
But with Kjartansson, the master of durational
art, this was hardly going to be your everyday
pop concert. The National played their threeminute
and 25-second song 105 times, resulting
in a six-hour performance. The piece ranges
from the meditative, the hypnotic, to the
melancholic. With Kjartansson’s film of the
performance ‘A Lot of Sorrow’, you can now reexperience
the whole six hours, or pop in for a
shorter stint.
‘A Lot of Sorrow’ is on at the König Galerie in St.
Agnes until 23 August. Admission is free.
Kosmostage
The Berlin-based 18-person ensemble, the
Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra, aims to
remain unpredictable and push every stylistic
boundary. Their latest project, ‘Kosmostage:
Festival für universelle Musik’ is boldly
eclectic. Over the course of two evenings,
the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra will
explore music ranging from 11th-century
choral works, original tribal rhythms from
Burkina-Faso, to avant-garde compositions
from Italy and Japan.
‘Kosmostage: Festival für universelle Musik’ is on
at Radial Systems V on 17 and 18 July. Tickets:
Friday 17 July 28€/20€; Saturday 18 July 24€/18€;
Festival Ticket 48€/34€.
06
PHOTO by Dominic Packulat

10 Art & Culture
COFFI FESTIVAL:
GERMANY MEETS ITALY
(PASSIONATELY)
By Diana Calvino
This year’s Coffi Festival is offering a unique
opportunity: to meet Italian culture head on. Diana
Calvino finds out what visitors can expect from festival
organizers Dominik Calzone and Almus Jenß.
Originally founded in Italy near Salerno in 2004, the
Coffi Festival started as an international short film
festival. Last year, however, Dominik Calzone, Markus
Meixner, and the festival’s founder, Andrea Recussi,
decided to take the festival to Berlin. The project
became even broader. For the Berlin edition, the
festival consisted not only of short films, but also
exhibitions, theatre, street art, concerts, workshop, and
(yes, in case you’re starving) street food with typical
Italian aperitivi.
This year’s theme will be “growing on diversity”,
focusing on cultural and personal diversity. Organized
by an international team of nearly 30 people, it will
present over 100 artists exhibiting their work.
As a half German half Italian, Dominik likes the
idea of letting these two different cultures make
the best out of their diversity. He sees it more as a
chance to balance strengths and weaknesses than
as an obstacle. In general, all the projects he is

Art & Culture
11
supporting are permeated by this idea, together with
the firm belief in flat hierarchies and the attempt to
value local resources. Coffi offers a rich and varied
programme, which drove me almost crazy when I read
the movie list. Though I am Italian and most of the
short films are directed by Italians, I could hardly find
someone I knew.
But what is amazing and peculiar about this festival
is its core concept: passion. Passion as a definition of
art is the key to widening the concept of art itself to
include food or business too. If art is what you do with
passion, artworks are just one side of a multifaceted
diamond. That’s why startups will also feature at Coffi.
As an example, Dominik also participates in a project
whose aim is to put almost forgotten places, little
towns lying far away from mainstream tourism, back
on our radar. Amavido.de – a soon to be launched
platform for “slow tourism” – gives the opportunity to
not only visit beautiful and uncontaminated places
and to experience the local culture, but also to help
prevent these places from vanishing as ghost towns.
The idea came to Dominik when he noticed that in
Calabria, where his father is from, there are beautiful
hidden places that seem to be sentenced to death.
There is no work and people are moving away. It all
leads back to business, local resources, and most of
all to passion, providing once again that link with
art. Amavido will be presented at Coffi, next to other
startups connected to Italian art and culture.
Coffi Festival Berlin is also an attempt to narrow
the gap between artists and visitors. The latter are
invited to contribute to the festival’s decorations
through workshops, street art, or upcycling. It has
been conceived as an interactive event, where visitors
do not go just to see what is going on as passive
spectators. They also get to decide how much they
want to pay. Festival attendees will be asked to pay
when they leave the festival area. The suggested
donation is 10 € for the whole day, but it is up to the
individual if they want to pay more or less.
The festival has not restricted itself to only one
weekend, however. A number of pre-events occurred
in June, including a pre-party and a screening of the
movie The Legend of Kaspar Hauser in the presence
of its director. If you cannot wait until the festival
weekend to get your fill of Italian culture, then you
can get involved now. You can join the team and help
prepare for the festival by creating decorations, street
art and upcycling. The professional Italian upcycling
designer team PLINTO will be coming from Turin, and
will be on-hand to help out. From 3rd to 5th July there
will also be a special workshop for more experienced
upcycling designers, where they can explore the art
of upcycling together in an intercultural designer
group. (If you are interested in getting involved with
the festival’s pre-events, email PLINTO directly at
info@plinto.org.)
The wide variety of events means that the Coffi
Festival will cater to all tastes whilst also providing
an opportunity to widen perspectives on Italian
culture. But most important are the links between
art and startups, and between artists and art lovers.
This melting pot of ideas that mixes art, business and
passion promises to be a refreshing experience.
When: 9th to 12th July
Where: WBB Willner Brauerei Berlin,
Berliner Strasse 80-82, 13189 Berlin
Website/Programme:
http://www.coffi-festival.de/
Price: up to you

12 Art & Culture
Gustavo Dudamel
Photo - Vern Evans

Art & Culture
13
A RISEN STAR
From 11th to 13th June, Gustavo Dudamel visited the German
capital to conduct the Berliner Philharmoniker. Berlin Logs
explains the hype surrounding the Venezuelan wunderkind.
By Hazel Rowland
Gone are the days when Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel was the
exciting new kid on the block. It is over ten years since he won the Gustav
Mahler Conducting Prize, which first brought him to international attention
in his early twenties. Since then, Dudamel has established himself as a worldclass
conductor. In 2009, he was appointed Music Director of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic Orchestra at the unbelievably young age of 26. He is now
comfortably entering his seventh season with them whilst simultaneously holding
the position of Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela.
Now aged 34, Dudamel is still young. But he can no longer be considered an
up-and-coming star: his star has very much already risen. Dudamel’s youthful
charisma plus his famously energetic curly hair (which cannot help but be flipped
and bounced around during his most impassioned moments on the podium)
certainly appeals to many of the conductor’s fans. But if he wants to be taken
seriously as he approaches maturity, then the Venezuelan cannot rely on these
traits alone.
Anyone hoping to see Dudamel’s hair in action for his series of concerts at the
Berliner Philharmonie from the 11th to 13th June may have been disappointed.
Youtube videos of the Venezuelan tend to show his impassioned face, hair
and gestures as he is moved – perhaps even overwhelmed – by the music he
is conducting. Yet Dudamel took a more restrained approach for his concerts
with the Berliner Philharmoniker. Although most audience members would not
have been able to see Dudamel’s face, what one could see from his general
movements was something more relaxed and less involved than expected.
This was not necessarily a bad thing, however. The resulting effect was a greater
distance between Dudamel and the music on the evening’s programme: Mozart’s
‘Posthorn’ Serenade, followed by Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. But this
distance did not make the performance any less passionate. Indeed, the Berliner
Philharmoniker is famous for its fervent playing. Dudamel therefore left the
passion to its players, whilst he remained a removed and guiding authority.
Dudamel struck the right balance between taking control and letting the
individual personalities of the Berlin Philharmoniker off the leash. The players
supplied the energy during fast moments in Mozart’s ‘Posthorn’ Serenade, whilst
Dudamel’s graceful gestures kept the orchestra responsive to the extreme
dynamic contrasts that Mozart asks for. Their playing was nimble and extremely
together. Dudamel knew better than to force anything from the strong-minded
players of the Berlin Philharmoniker. Instead there was a perfect collaboration,
resulting in a performance that felt completely natural.
This collaboration between orchestra and conductor came into its own for
Mahler’s First Symphony. Dudamel gave space to the individual personalities
of the Berliner Philharmoniker to speak. The solo double bass that opens the
haunting third movement, soon joined by timpani and bassoon, were captivating
on their own. Meanwhile the horn players were touchingly warm in the first
movement, turning this instrument associated with hunting and war into
something almost lullaby-like.
The Berlin Philharmoniker are yet to elect their next chief conductor due to
replace Sir Simon Rattle in 2018. But in March the Los Angeles Philharmonic
announced that Dudamel has extended his contract with the orchestra until the
2021-22 season. Dudamel might not currently be on the cards as a potential
successor to Rattle. But based on the success of his last visit to Berlin, one can
only hope that their collaboration will continue well into the future.

14 Art & Culture
INTERVIEW WITH MINNA PARTANEN
FRONT OF HOUSE,
ENGLISH THEATRE BERLIN
By Jane Walton
The English Theatre Berlin (www.etberlin.de) has
become somewhat of an institution since it first
opened its doors in 1990. Then known as Friends
of Italian Opera, it adopted its current name in
2006, and has since become a haven in Berlin for
culture vultures looking to soak up a bit of theatre
in the ‘21st century’s lingua franca’. I caught up
with Finnish-born Minna Partanen, Front of House
Manager and Drama Educator, to pick her brains about
theatre, multi-culturalism and the future of Berlin, the
European ‘capital of Kunst’…
Tell us about yourself. Why did you come to Berlin,
and how did you start working at English Theatre
Berlin?
I’m 33 years old, and I moved to Berlin four and a half
years ago. I graduated two years prior to that as a
Drama Instructor in Finland, and got a grant to work
abroad for 6 months. I looked up all different kinds of
organisations in Berlin and ended up with the English
Theatre Berlin. I noticed that they have a pedagogical
programme, and I thought, ‘Okay, this could be it...’ So
I contacted the drama educators there, and they were
happy to have me working for free for six months! So
that’s how I started; that was Autumn 2010.
And what is your daily role here?
I’m essentially a freelancer, but my biggest client is
English Theatre Berlin. During the day, I’m a Drama
Educator, and I work with different school projects.
Then I have a class that I teach every week, where I
work with a teacher and we do a year-long project
that ends in a performance. There’s a lot of this kind
of work in Berlin. All theatres have drama educators,
so there are all these organisations, such as the Tusch
(www.tusch-berlin.de) project, which bring together
all the different theatres and their partnership
schools, and there’s a festival in March. It’s really
organised here, which is what I also really liked,
because in Finland what we call ‘audience’ work isn’t
so advanced yet, but here I feel like theatres are really
building these more long-term collaborations with
different organisations and institutions. I think this is
important because then the theatre is part of society,
and not just a theatre.
In the evenings I am Front of House Manager, which
means that I’m in charge of the box office and the
bar, and I also communicate to the pool of volunteers,
welcome new ones and create shifts for them.
What do you think is special about this theatre, in
particular?
Well, it’s English language, and it’s existed for 25 years
but I guess at the time, when the theatre started,
Berlin was not yet the international ‘arts capital’ that
it is nowadays. So I think at first, the theatre was
really producing more American and English plays.
Whereas now the theatre is starting to look more at
what it means to be an international performing arts
centre. Because all of a sudden, so many international
artists and international groups have come to Berlin
and they don’t have a home, so this is kind of like the
biggest and the longest-existing institution in Berlin
that focuses on the English language.
So the focus has progressed to a more multicultural
arts scene, but using English as the working
language?
Exactly. And with more devised work; not necessarily
only producing existing plays, but also new work
that’s being created here in Berlin by the artistic
community.
My favourite show that I’ve seen here was The
Emigrants (created and performed by Marija Maki
Lipkovski and Miklós Miki Barna), which resonated
with me because I’d just moved here and didn’t speak
German, and it was all quite alienating. What do you
think the theatre could offer to English speaking
expats moving to the city?
I think it’s a two-way street. I think the theatre wants
to represent a home and a centre for international
artists and, at the same time, the theatre’s motivation
is also to be really in the current events in Berlin, to
be commenting on what’s happening in Berlin now.
So some of the issues that have been dealt with in
the plays that we’ve produced have been to do with
Berlin’s history, like Schwarz gemacht, or with race on
stage, like the whole Colourblind?series that we had,
or like Echter Berliner, which was about immigrants
in Berlin and phenomena like gentrification. We want
to be tied into the city, into what’s really happening
here. So the idea is not to create a kind of bubble for
the expat artists, where they’re just completely in a
home-away-from-home, but to deal with these two
questions at the same time: what does it mean to be
an expat or an immigrant in Berlin in 2015, and what
is happening here currently?
What kind of people come through the door? Do you
get a multi-cultural audience?
I’d say that it’s 50/50: a combo of expats and tourists,
and then German people. I also think that our
audience has gotten a little bit younger since we
started to comment a bit more on the current events

PHOTO by Dominic Packulat
Art & Culture
in Berlin and sort of be more… here,
in a way. There’s been a switch in the
audience.
What do you like about Berlin’s cultural
scene?
Wow! Hmm… It’s very…vibrant. I mean you
know, in a way it’s full of clichés [laughs],
but at the same time you genuinely do
meet a lot of interesting people all the
time, that are here doing their thing
and practising their art. People are not
just put into different boxes; you can
try different things as an artist that you
didn’t necessarily try before, which I
think is really encouraging. Where I come
from… the circles are small and it’s very
defined as to who gets to do what and
who should be doing what. Whereas
here, I think that because the artistic
community is in constant flux, no one can
set these kinds of boxes.
Do you think this influx will have a
positive or negative impact?
I think it’s both. I think it’s really both.
I think that the city is adjusting and I
think that the artists themselves are also
adjusting. But finding paid work in the
arts is very difficult as a result. And I think
that a lot of artists maybe come here
with a lot of dreams and then discover
that the reality of just making a living can
be a challenge.
Do you have any advice for young people
wanting to get into a similar profession?
15
“
There is also a
lot of talk about
how Berlin is
going to respond
to the reputation
of being the
arts capital of
Europe.
Studying is important. For me, study
really opened my mind about the things
that I was interested in. And schools also
help you network in the field, which is
very important. What we did in theatre
school every year is we would kind of
develop our own manifesto, and ask
things like: what is theatre for? Why am
I making theatre? What do I want to
say with my theatre? Clarifying these
questions and also redefining these
questions for yourself is important. And of
course, watch a lot of plays.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope that I’m doing things with passion.
What Berlin has reminded me of is this
freedom I talked about, these dreams that
I might have forgotten about at one point
in my life - I hope that I start fulfilling
them again. And right now I’m working
on a solo performance, so I’m also
hoping to rekindle my love affair with
performing. I hope I’m not stuck in a rut. I
hope that I’m looking for the things that
I’m interested in all the time, and doing
them passionately and thinking, how can
I do them differently so that they remain
interesting?

16 Feature
ONE MAN’S TRASH
IS ANOTHER MAN’S
TREASURE
By Liam McGuckin
Every day and night, a silent and untrained work
force takes to the streets in what is perhaps
Berlin’s most efficient and effective recycling
system. These individuals are collectively
responsible for one of Europe’s best glass and
plastic recycling operations. So what is it like to
be one of the faceless thousands who contribute
to cleaner streets and a more environmentallyactive
city? And just how sustainable is a life
recycling someone else’s garbage?
When I first arrived in Berlin I was compelled
to commend the recycling system adopted by
the country. There I was at the park enjoying a
beer when as soon as I’d finished it there was
someone waiting to take the empty from me.
The sensation of drinking a beer just kept getting
better, moving from the realms of an extremely
enjoyable beverage to that of a small charitable
donation. Feeling particularly altruistic that day, I
continued to drink several more – I had acquired
a taste for giving back.
But was that taste bittersweet? Naturally curious,
I was inclined to learn more - I had to be sure
it was a positive thing that the country had
implemented rather than an exploitative one. To
better understand the mentality of those who
collect bottles, I decided to take to the streets
and speak to the people directly involved.
Friday 11.05pm, Neukölln: Venturing over to an
event in Neukölln we cross paths with an angrylooking
man collecting bottles by the canal.
I’m fortunate enough to have a good friend
and native German speaker in my company to
translate the questions I’ve prepared. However,
there is a problem; my Dresden-born friend is
unable to decipher if the man makes five or fifty
euros a night. Confused, we leave with just one
seemingly implausible detail, that he makes
eighty euros per night. This would require a
mammoth effort of finding, transporting and
depositing 1,000 glass bottles.
Friday 11.53pm, Neukölln: Outside Loftus Hall,
I approach another gentleman collecting. With
a veneer of sweat rippling over his brow, he
appears to be working hard. We adopt the
same technique as before; I ask and my friend
PHOTO: dapd

17
PHOTO: dpa
translates. Just as before, things are getting lost
in translation. I’m seriously starting to doubt
whether my friend is in fact even German. A
small discussion ensues, and Freddie (my
friend), believes the man is foreign, most
probably from Russia. I am too drunk to be
sceptical. To show my thanks, I neck the
remainder of my beer and give it to the man as
a physical representation of my appreciation.
In turn I ask if I can lift his bag of bottles,
presumably as some form of fieldwork. It is
extremely heavy. As the man walks off we agree
that he probably said sixty euros, and that he
could only really achieve this on a Friday or
Saturday. Our discussion is punctuated by a
smash. A precarious bottle has escaped the
confines of his bag and dived for freedom, only
to be met by concrete. I feel bad. I hope it wasn’t
the one I just gave him.
Sunday 1.36pm, Görlitzer Park: An old woman
stops before us with her bike. The bike has
clearly been modified so that its primary
purpose is now some kind of bottle-collecting
system. With a keen eye she has obviously
spotted our near finished Sternies. Testing
out my German, I try to ascertain the lifestyle
of someone who recycles glass and plastic
bottles for money. She lets out a little smile and
responds in English. It is physically demanding
work, she whispers. With it being so strenuous
it limits her to just a couple of times a week.
But she claims it is a good way to get outside
and speak with people. Without trying to offend
her, I ask how much she can make per day.
From what I can make out, it’s between two
and four euros. I’m hesitant - her bike appears
to be holding more than that already. I thank
her profusely and we walk off, the mystery of
just how financially viable a job it is continuing
to evade me. With such disparity between the
figures I had been uncovering, it was time for
a change in strategy. Armed with an open LIDL
bag and an open mind, I took to the streets in
pursuit of bottles.
I was initially concerned that the underworld of
bottle collecting, although appearing to be an
individual endeavour on the outside, may in fact
be more of a collective enterprise, with many
boundaries and territories between those that
collect. My fear was unfounded. As I languidly
strolled between urban area and park collecting
bottles, I relished the freedom. When met by
someone who was on the same mission as I, but
appearing to be doing it out of necessity rather
than just curiosity, I gave them my bottles.
Initially believing myself to be selfless, this soon
gave way to the realisation that I was merely
doing it to relieve the strain on my fatigued
arms.
I was collecting at a rate of sixteen bottles per
hour, roughly converting into 1.28 euros per
hour. This number could almost certainly triple,
I believe, during a weekend. Although I didn’t
contemplate quitting my job for a life of bottle
hunting, I could see how it was certainly a viable
means of gaining an additional income. It can
be a physically demanding role, but there is a
freedom to it, and plenty of opportunities to
converse and stay social.
As Germany continues to top the league
of European countries for its recycling
merits, I have found the experience to be an
overwhelmingly positive one. It does give rise
to an alternative means of making some extra
income no matter what your position. And beer
drinkers can rejoice in the knowledge that each
beer carries with it a small donation to a fellow
human being.

18 Startup
JYOTI FAIRWORKS:
A BERLIN STARTUP WITH
A FASHION CONSCIENCE
By Daniyal Waseem
FFor over a year now, whenever I board the
U-Bahn at Kurfürsten Straße, I see a billboard
beside the train tracks about the unfair working
conditions for women in factories in China,
India and Bangladesh. These factories are major
producers for several international clothing
brands – including German ones; not just those
we read about in the press – who outsource
their manufacturing processes to these
countries and pay ridiculously low wages. The
economic divide is growing, and the solution
with the fewest flaws is fair trade. There are
a lot of companies, big and small, adopting
a number of different fair trade models but
there is one particular Berlin start-up is trying
something even better.
Jyoti – Fair Works is a social enterprise which
aims to empower Indian women through the
production of fair trade clothing. They have set
up their own sewing facilities in Chittapur,
India, where they train women in modern
sewing techniques and then offer them
permanent jobs with fair wages. The clothing
produced in these facilities is then sold all
over Europe at reasonable prices. The money
fund literacy and educational programs with
the emphasis on women’s labor rights in India.
One thing that separates Jyoti from other
companies is that they view the production
crew as their partners, not their employees,
which reflects their philosophy that Jyoti - Fair
Works is not about profit. As an extension
of this, while purchasing their fabrics, they
pay close attention to ecological and fair
manufacturing processes. If possible, they
prefer to support smaller and local fabric
businesses, dealers and merchants. The textile
industry is known for its intransparent supply

Startup
19
chain and its race to the bottom for the
ostensibly cheapest place of production. The
resulting labor conditions are often inhumane
and have devastating effects on workers.
Jyoti - Fair Works aims to demonstrate this
problematic ecosystem is unsustainable and
prove that attractive fashion can be both
ecological and fair.
The result is good news for consumers,
employees and the environment alike.
#WEARASTORY
The idea here is to focus on people rather
than products, and this makes the concept
very unique. Jyoti - Fair Works take their
customers on a journey – a journey shaped
by people, ideas and processes, to produce
clothing that tells a story; the story of the
people behind it. Working closely with Sarah,
a fashion designer, a collection is planned for
summer 2015.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROJECT:
Jeanine: co-founder of Jyoti – Fair Works and currently an student in London.
Caroline: co-founder of Jyoti – Fair Works and creative designer.
Christian: aspiring industrial engineer and Jeanine’s childhood friend.
Carolin: industrial engineer and talented seamstress.

20 Social
PAVING THE WAY FOR
FREE & DEMOCRATIC
SCHOOLS
By Diana Calvino
I
I went to a normal school and didn’t dislike it.
Actually, I quite liked it since I had great teachers
and I liked studying most of the subjects that were
taught. The only thing I could have done without
were the art classes, as I never liked them nor was
I able to draw.
But not everybody likes maths or history. Still, they
have to learn them. Even though they will just end
up forgetting everything when they finish school
if they are not interested in the subject, or don’t
need it for their job. I am Italian and I can tell you
for sure that, in Italy, not many adults can really
say what the French Revolution was about, or are
able to solve an equation, even if they attended
high school. Yet they spent so much time learning
this stuff; maybe they could have used this time to
learn something completely different?
Of course, it is very important that children have
the time and opportunity to learn and have
experiences in order to be able to manage their
lives after school. What is under discussion here is
what and how they learn, and I am not just talking
about subjects.
some of you are probably already imagining children
destroying schools or beating each other up all the
time while learning nothing, but here’s the surprise.
There are lots of Sudbury Schools in the world and this
is not the experience they’ve had.
In a Sudbury School, everybody takes part in every
decision. Hiring staff, firing staff and making rules are
processes in which children take part as well as adults.
Children have the right to talk in assemblies and the
power to make decisions, just as adults have. And if
something bad happens, or there is some conflict,
there are justice committees, where again adults and
children carry the same weight.
Secondly, children can spend their time in school doing
whatever they like - reading, playing, talking, listening
to music - they really have the right to be free, and the
time to discover their unique interests and abilities.
The children at Sudbury Schools learn to read and
write at different ages and in very different ways:
being read to, through game instructions, or whatever.
But learn they do, and normally the staff can’t really
guess when or how it happens.
School is not just about being fed information; in
reality, at school, we also learn how to behave, as
we are told what to do all the time. For instance,
we have to sit down for hours on end, we have to
eat at certain times, we have to ask permission
to go to the toilet, and only under particular
circumstances can we talk about what we want to.
We have to respect rules, roles and hierarchies we
haven’t chosen and can’t change.
So why is it that right after school we have to
become “adults”, confident enough to rely on our
own judgement, able to make decisions about our
lives, and become an active part of the democratic
process?
This is the question Sudbury Schools considered.
Named after the Sudbury Valley School, founded in
1968 in Massachusetts by Daniel Greenberg, their
answer is another model of school that, in their
opinion, better fits the concept of democracy.
First of all, the children have the right to be free
and have the opportunity to participate in the
decision-making process which creates the rules
they have to respect. This might sound chaotic, and

Social
21
I went to Ting Schule, a Sudbury School right here in
Berlin, and I talked to a staff member and to a young
student, who told me about her own experience. She
said that she was so bored during the first year she
spent in a normal school as she could already read
and write. However, she had to follow the programme
and do what the other students did, even if she
already knew it. She felt like she was wasting her
time and she didn’t want to go to school anymore,
until she finally ended up going to Ting Schule. She
is fourteen and speaks fluent English, even if she
hasn’t learnt it by attending courses, but by surfing
the internet. She told me how she normally spends
her days - going to the library, playing, and learning
science and languages. But she also explained that
as there are 55 students at the school, there would
probably be 55 different answers as everyone has
their own interests and preferences.
And in the end, why should we be so frightened of
freedom? Of children’s freedom? Of course they lack
experience and they are therefore not alone in the
school - there are adult staff - but still, why do we
cling to the idea that without adults children would
not learn anything? They taught themselves to walk
and talk, without anybody telling them when or how.
They simply learn from their environment because
they are curious. Most of the time, normal schools
don’t promote curiosity, forcing kids into standard
programmes, often with tight times and therefore
not much room for discussion, so that students feel
like containers that have to be filled. As we all know
we will soon forget most of the information we
studied, why is it so important to get that quota of
information? Shouldn’t schools prepare us for life?
Well, if they should, as we live in a democratic society,
school could be an area where democracy is exercised.
People should feel free and responsible for their acts,
rather than just obeying rules without questioning
them - and be able to find their own way in life.
It’s hard to believe that Sudbury Schools work, and
it was for me too; but I was really surprised by what
I read about them (you can find a list of books on
Sudbury Schools and Summerhill – a similar project
started in 1921 with similar ideas – on the related
Wiki pages) and learning of the experiences which
take place in these schools, and how it can actually
turn out to be really appropriate for children to have
the chance to follow their own inclinations.
It is obviously difficult to just throw away the model
of school you grew up with, which is perhaps the only
idea of school you could ever imagine. But my advice
is, give it a chance. Children can be happy, free and
responsible. Just as adults should be.

22 Berlin Logs
WISDOM IS ALWAYS
SIMPLE
AND SO IS A GREAT
H
DESIGN
We make awesome websites
www.naxaf.com 030 982 942 02 info@naxaf.com

Berlin Logs
23
TEMPELHOF AIRPORT:
Are You Plain Naive
or Plane Nerd?
By Alice Higgins
Happy in your allotment comfort zone slumped on
a makeshift wooden sofa? Perhaps you are guilty of
sipping on a Sterni as the sun drops on the infamous
Tempelhof skyline instead? Always wondered what
goes on inside that building which forms the backdrop
to your sunset snaps? Just take off that hipster hat for
a couple of hours and discover the tales of Tempelhof
from behind the scenes. Picknickers, musicians,
gardeners, jugglers and runners plus skateboarders,
bladers, kite flyers, windsurfers, as well as bikes,
buggies and BBQs dominate the abandoned airfield.
Locomotion takes every shape and form at Tempelhofer
Feld, proving that it really is a field of freedom as it is
known in German, ‘Tempelhofer Freiheit.’ Amidst the
buzz of leisure time activities however, it is impossible
to forget that you are indeed, sitting in the middle
of a former wartime airport. You definitely do not
need 20/20 vision to spot the airway traffic signs and
endless runways. A space now filled with frivolity it
may be. But it is a space which leads by example as
Tempelhof openly invites you to engage with its heavy
past. And if the information boards just leave you
wanting more, why not go a step further?
Step underground. Step back in time. Take a steep, dark
step into the depths of bunkers, bomb shelters and film
shelters tucked away 3 levels below ground. Not only
was Tempelhof crucial to civilians during WW2, but it
acted as a lifeline for the city’s residents between the
years 1948 and 1949 during the Berlin blockade. Over
2.5 million relied on daily, (almost every minute of
the day in fact) food deliveries supplied by the allies
through a narrow selection of three air corridors across
the Soviet zone of occupation. Keen to hear every truth
going, I opted for the ‘Secret Places of Tempelhof’ tour.
If you’re happy with a German speaking guide you
can choose from a selection of different tour titles,
all focusing on a different historic angle. Of course
English tours are available too and run on Saturdays
and Sundays at 3pm and 2pm respectively. The guide
leads you in, out, down and around the site for two
hours through the various wings, tunnels and bunkers
of the airport building detailing the Nazi era and
Tempelhof’s vital role in the cold war. Experience
the pungent smells and claustrophobia of an air raid
shelter first hand, glimpse into the life of an American
soldier to whom Tempelhof really was home and
finally, shudder as you realise how mechanical and
ugly the arrival hall used to be.
Best of all (after the untouched burnt remnants of the
film bunker); enjoy striding out of the airport building
with the iconic white watch tower covering you to
your left, aircraft to your right and just the exposed
vastness in front. Swamped by the airport’s albatrossesque
wing span, you feel miniscule yet mighty at the
same time. Face to face with the field of Tempelhof,
it’s a new perspective over familiar grounds. All in
all, it seems fitting that an area designed for transit,
destined to thrive off arrivals and departures, should
have then witnessed quite so many turbulent comings
and goings in its lifetime. A mini me of the capital
itself, the abandoned airport proudly acknowledges its
history, shares its stories, meanwhile offering itself up
as a progressive patch of social freedom and escapism.
What’s more, no one gets turned away by a bouncer
either.
So how can you visit the birthplace of the Deutsche
Lufthansa and set foot inside the former airport’s
central building, now the largest listed monument in
Europe? Nab your tickets online in advance or head to
the airport and book in person. Avid for Aviation? Then
I don’t need to tell you twice.
Useful Info: GAT (General Admission Terminal)
Entrance (Opposite the petrol station) Tempelhofer
Damm 1-7
Tickets-Adults: 13 EUR/ Students: 9 EUR /Kids: 7 EUR

24 Night Life
Chasing
The Chthonic
Mysteries at Subland
By Eileen Carelock
Berlin is the place to be for electronic music. This is a given. But
even for the enthusiastic electro-aficionado, sometimes you’re
just not feeling the usual minimal techno and house varieties.
You’re craving something different; something heavier perhaps,
something darker. Maybe you’re in the mood for something a bit
more deliberate, aggressive, dirty. Whatever your compulsion,
consider treading off the beaten party-path—consider a little
underground place called Subland. Situated on the fringes of
Friedrichshain, this rough little gem lies just across the S-Bahn
track on the other side of Gürtelstraße. Being that imaginary,
yet mostly psychological outward boundary, the other side of
Gürtelstraße symbolizes a passing from the familiarity of the
local ‘hood into the vast wilds beyond the Ring. Proximity to
stations at Nöldnerplatz, Frankfurter Allee, and Ostkreuz assure
that the journey is far from arduous, but the undeniable sense
that one is moving away from Party-Central increases the inertiafactor.
What if it’s lame there? Then everything else is soooo faaaar
awaaaaay …
Tell your internal dialogue to cool it. You’re broadening your
musical horizons. The folks at Subland cater to a harder sound,
one that finds encouragement in the fact that they have no sound
restrictions in their industrialized location. Thus, they assemble
a delightful bouquet of aural destruction, which includes genres
like industrial, dark techno, hard drum-n-bass, breakcore, dubstep,
and metal. This comprises their running theme: hard, grimey, and
bass-heavy. 1:30am. You pick your way along the heavily graffitied
Wiesenweg, following an auditory breadcrumb trail of bass beats
that grows in morselage as you draw nearer to an array of lights.
But don’t succumb yet to the hypnotic compulsion of the fouron-the-floor
beat. You’re premature. These lights with their line
of supplicants belong to Kosmonaut. Albeit a nice establishment,
but this is not the club you’re looking for.
Go further. Further into that dark night—but not too far. You’re
close.
Closer. Listen—your ears tune to a subtle, off-kilter syncopation. A
haphazard polyrhythm is unfolding, a not-so-distant beat pulsing
another tempo to challenge the first. Follow this. It leads you
right next door, just one warehouse further where no line or lit
entrance awaits. The only hint of a club breathing inside this
structure is the telltale 4/4 anthem being transmitted from its
very foundation. It has the entire semblance of an unguarded
back entry, or maybe a back lot where you don’t belong—oh, but
you do belong.

Night Life
25
Like many Berlin clubs, Subland inhabits the crumbling
remains of aged facilities, the likes of which underscore
the stark, dystopian vibe of the music generated
within it. This club is a stripped-down, no-frills kind
of place complete with the warmth and charm of a
subterranean bunker. Decor is broodingly functional:
minimal lighting, dark walls, a few benches behind
wooden partitions, netting on the ceilings— assumingly
intended for sound-dampening or cosmetic effect,
but it doesn’t really matter. No one comes here for
ambiance or artisan cocktails. People are here to chase
the bass. The pressure. They know exactly what they’re
doing here, creating a soundscape which deliberately,
almost gleefully, chooses to sacrifice quality and clarity
for pure monstrosity. Giant bass bins squat directly
on the club floor and masquerade as ogreish tables
where drinks inevitably come to rest. While sitting
atop, their liquid contents hold sonic waveforms that
manifest as spectral, geometric patterns. Be sure to
bring your earplugs. The sound system, at least on
the main floor, is provided by Clear Sound, an eastern
European company that boasts a sound on par with
Funktion-One. Whether that’s technically true or not,
you won’t be able to tell since the acoustics in this
place are only about one thing: sheer bone-rattling
sound pressure. Subjectively good or bad, they’ve surely
got a low end you’ve never encountered anywhere
else. The dance floor keeps going throughout the night,
bringing together an eclectic sampling of bassheads,
metalheads, Goths, old-schoolers, and new-schoolers.
After a while, would-be conversations among them ebb
into the brusquest of assertions, and then finally erode
into their most basic components until nothing else
remains. Dancing becomes the only thing left to do. It’s
the only thing you can do.
When you emerge an eternity later into the sunrise,
Subland will leave you feeling changed and smaller
than you were. It will punish you, but the damage will
be in relatively cathartic measure. Tracing your way
back past the once lit entrance of Kosmonaut and
graffitied Wiesenweg, you will be frail with trembling
mortality beating in your chest, marking a quiet,
terrestrial 4/4 cadence.

26 Night Life
HAVE WE MET BEFORE?
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO
BERLIN’S NIGHT OWLS
By Karmijn Simons and Sarah Coughlan
For those new to Berlin’s famous nightlife, things
can be a little daunting: aside from the constant
fear your new pals are going to try and get into
Berghain without speaking a single word of
German, and the maddening sound of minimal
techno (you’ll get used to it) there’s all these new
people. People unlike those you’ve met before,
from all walks of life, shaken and stirred in the
Berlin milieu. Don’t feel lost, we’ve conducted an in
depth study of the most common night owls in the
city, which you’re welcome to use until you’ve got a
more nuanced approach.
The Old Timer
Appearance: Almost aggressively German. Usually
a man, although they also come in female, this is
an original Berliner (or Easterner) who has lived
in this city longer than you have lived. Formerly
bewildered by the sight of all these newcomers,
The Old Timer is now mostly resolved to haunting
the pubs that you’re trying to gentrify and ordering
Bockwurst and sadly muttering into their beer.
Your opening line: Nothing. Do not approach
unless spoken to first, especially in English.
The Evangelical Vegan
Appearance: Equal parts male and female, The
Evangelical Vegan is probably a very highly
educated German between 25-35 years old. Liable
to be wearing hemp clothing, sandals, and may or
may not have dreadlocks, these guys are so at one
with nature that they don’t have to change their
clothes according to the weather. Typically not
drinking, these guys will be your best friends when
future drunk you needs to find your way home.
The downside is you’ll have to help them hand out
pro-vegan leaflets every other Sunday all summer.
Your opening line: No, my shoes aren’t leather,
and I’m very interested in hearing about your
homemade sustainable rucksack.
Fried Startup Underlings
Appearance: These guys only ever appear in packs,
and everyone is under 35. Definitely enormously
drunk, because they started drinking in the office
at 3:30pm and haven’t had any food since lunch,
these guys live their jobs and are talking (badly)
shop. This is fine for two reasons. The first is
you might need a job, and befriending one of
these drunk messes is your way in (yep, that
22-year-old hot mess over there is the ‘Head of
Culture’ somewhere, Berlin, eh?) and secondly
because start-ups are Anglo-friendly so you
don’t have to feel like a jerk in English.
Your opening line: What do you do? You won’t
have to say anything else, and boom, friends.
The Fashionable drinker
Appearance: You can recognise this type from
far, far away. Holding an eco-friendly mixdrink
in one hand, their phone for Instagram pictures
in the other, this lot are checking their hair and
/or beard on the hour, every hour.
They look like they just came from an fashion
shoot. Or they look homeless, but never in
between. They speak in a language that is
too cool for the average Berliner. Most of all,
they are interesting to watch. You can find
them at private parties, fashion events and in
mysterious clubs where they know the door
keeper. Keep your eyes open, because they are
everywhere in Berlin.
Your opening line: I know where you can get an
authentic Old Fashioned.

Night Life
27
CHAGALL:
UNCONSCIOUSLY
AUTHENTIC
By Paul Tobin
The glare of the neon sign, spelling out
RESTAURANT in red letters, shines through the
thick smoke from its place on the far wall in the
back room of Café Chagall. Candles, one to a
table, provide the only other light source flickering
in the often-packed room and illuminating the
faces of students, locals and tourists alike.
Moving through the bar towards the front
door, floorboards creak and mannequins linger
near empty corners. The gleaming sunlight
(or streetlight, depending on how long you’ve
stayed there drinking) is startling compared to
the shadowy interior. Here, on the terrace of the
bar, are tables and benches with friendly waiters
bringing food and beer from inside, while people
enjoy the warm summer evenings in Berlin. This is
Café Chagall.
The Festival Lover
Appearance: This one is probably younger
than your average stereotype. Summer is their
favorite season. Flowers in their hair, shorts
and crazy sunglasses. The Fesitval Lover saved
all their money to go to every festival in the
summer. Laying in the grass, with a beer or
mix drink in their hand, and will bore you with
stories from Melt two years ago. Often keen on
things a little stronger than beer, these guys
can show you a good time, if you can tolerate
them going on and on about DJs and lineups.
Your opening line: Are you going to Fusion this
year? I’m so over Burning Man.
The Networker
Appearance: Sales or insurance person, or
bizzarely, hyper art type. The Network is a
peculiar breed of nightclubber in the city, in
both cases The Networker is hoping to scrape
together a lead for business, but whether
that’s hard cash or gallery space depends on
the networker. Talking with everyone, these
guys have the chat. Drinks? Tequila shots with
everyone! Fun to hang out with, but not for
long. Beware, buyers can smell desperation.
Your opening line: Avoid, unless you’re hiring.
Named after the Russian Modernist painter, Marc
Chagall, this cafe on Senefelder Platz in P-Burg
is one of the few remnants of the bohemian 90s,
when this area was full of artists and students
rather than mothers with Kinderwagen and West
German architects. Coupled with another Russianthemed
bar, The Old CCCP, just around the corner
on Tor Strasse, Café Chagall is a both a portal and
a memorial to a very different Berlin than the one
we know today.
Café Chagall is unconsciously authentic; the beer
is cheap, the food is hearty and the staff always
ready for a bit of banter. Drinks cost about €3,
either for a glass of wine or a half litre of beer,
which go down well with Russian borscht or a
sandwich (€3.70 for either). Time can be whittled
away, hours and hours spent outside, feeling the
sounds of the city, before heading into the dense
fog and dim light of the smoking room. Not one
empty glass is placed on the table before a server
comes over offering a new one. Tabs are taken
and paid at the end of the night, usually through a
haze of alcohol. Yet it’s as easy to stumble out of
Chagall at 4 o’clock in the morning as it is to stroll
up at 1 o’clock in the afternoon for a cheap and
simple lunch. It has something for everybody and
this is reflected in the range of customers to be
seen here on an average night.
Stepping inside the door of Chagall, it’s easy to
sense that this bar has been standing on this
corner for 20 years. Taking a look around at the
crowded, convivial atmosphere, it’s easy to sense
that it will probably be there for another 20 years.
Nasdarovje!
Cafe Chagall, Kollwitzstr. 2, 10405 Berlin,
Prenzlauer Berg.

28 Food
BERLIN’S
SMOOTHIE BARS
GUIDE TO LIQUID LUNCHES
By Martyna Poważa
Sometimes there is nothing less appetizing
than yet another Döner, and with summer in full
swing, the vitamin-packed smoothie option is
very, very appealing. The simplicity of a smoothie
(stick some fruits together in a blender, wizz
them up together until they are more or less
liquid, serve) should not undermine the artistry
of the thing. Berlin, home of bio-Muttis and more
vegans than you can shake a meat-free stick at,
has more than a handful of great places offering
fantastic smoothies.
So please, be our guest and check out our run
down of all the best smoothies from organic
stores to cute cafes – that make up the Berlin
smoothie scene.
Vegan Detox Café – Rosa
Luxemburg Strasse 22,
Mitte
Near to Volksbühne Theatre, at Rosa Luxemburg
Straße, you can find Vegan Detox Café, connected
to the Ory Concept Store. This is a tiny place with
loads of organic juices and food. These guys offer
three types of smoothie (green, fruit and sweet)
for €4,20 (we never said smoothies were cheap).
Without any real idea as to what I was doing I
opted for the fruit one.
Rookie that I am, I’m not sure what’s in it, except
for apple, but at a push I’d say orange and some
surprisingly refreshing rosemary. It felt like a true
“detox” experience – you cannot buy something
like this in the supermarket or in an ordinary
café. Health attack!
Café Neundrei –
Monbijouplatz 2, Mitte
Another vegan café – and a cute one too. Here
you can buy a piece of vegan strawberry cake
or cinnamon buns, or a delicious smoothie,
of course. Every smoothie will set you back a
healthy €4,50 and there are four flavours to
choose from – orange, breakfast, green and pink
(long have we waited for a breakfast flavoured
drink).
These guys are not in the habit of keeping you
guessing and the menu lays out in detail what
goes into each type which is great for those with
allergies. After wrestling with it for ages, I decide
to take the breakfast type another time and
choose pink, which is very pink indeed.
A mix of raspberry, carrot, ginger, cranberry and
apple juice, but really it’s the raspberry that’s
dominant. Delicious, fresh and straightforward.

Food
29
The Juicery – Eberswalder
Strasse 2, Prenzlauerberg
The Juicery, located a few meters away from
the main entrance of the famous Mauer Park
Flohmarkt is another example of Berlin’s
flourishing smoothie economy. Hands up, I have
totally forgotten the names of the smoothies on
offer here, there are six or seven names with loads
of ingredients written down and it was too much
excitement for me to take in. €4,50 will get you a
small smoothie, its €5,90 for a big one and €3,90
for children. I do remember that I opted for a thing
called a Green Detox with spinach, lime, mint and
loads of other fresh stuff – and it came decorated
with huckleberry, cranberry and a basil leaf. Even
after a small portion I felt really full, and these
huckleberries… So delicious! A perfect, if pricey
spot in the north.
If you’re on a tighter budget (join the club) you
can find smoothies which make up for their use of
non-organic ingredients by being super tasty and
really affordable. Now, for those people I’ve tested
two easy and cheap smoothie-like drinks, drinks
which you can find everywhere in Berlin, for less
than €3. Please forgive the big brands, but really,
there is clearly economy in scale.
McDonalds; everywhere in
Berlin
That was the lowest price for something prepared
right in front of you – if by “preparation” you
mean pouring the thing into a cup. From a magic
distributor straight into classic plastic cup, the
McDonalds version a of smoothie contains loads of
crushed ice and awfully chemical juice, but there’s
still that unmistakable fruity punch you expect
from a smoothie. It wasn’t that bad in fact, was
good representation of how shampoo could taste.
That peach and passion fruit shampoo which
you always smell when you’re taking shower. Or
pineapple-mango shampoo. Or strawberry and
banana. Yes, in McDonalds you can choose one of
three flavours! But be careful – after five minutes
in your hand smoothie begins its metamorphosis
into an extremely diluted juice. Our advice is to
get it down your neck as soon as possible and ask
no questions.
Edeka; everywhere in
Berlin
The cheapest one I found! For 250ml of smoothie,
you need only 99c, although frankly “smoothie” in
this case is something of a misnomer. I’d probably
term this a “thick juice with some fruit pieces”
instead, although that’s not to say it wasn’t tasty.
But as a €1 item it was pretty good, and somehow
a touch less chemical than McDonalds’ idea of
the same and at least not so sweet. Also, Edeka’s
smoothie is healthy – or so their food experts
claim. Edeka has more complicated and interesting
flavours, from five to seven ingredients mixed
(like mango, banana, apple, orange and passion
fruit), but still – it’s more interesting than Maccies’
strawberry and banana.
“It felt like a true
“detox” experience
– you cannot buy
something like this
in the supermarket
or in an ordinary
café. Health attack!

30 Tips
OUR GUIDE TO
LAKES OF BERLIN
By Niklas Kossow and Laura Bithell
Berlin’s lake culture is one of the best parts about summer in the city
so we’ve got profiles to help you find the Berlin lake for you.
Schlachtensee, Zehlendorf
An all-time favourite, Schlachtensee is popular for its leafy setting on
the edge of Grunewald forest and the ease of reaching from the centre.
The S-Bahn will drop you off at Schlachtensee station, right next to the
lake. The other side of the lake can easily be reached by a short walk
from Mexikoplatz, taking you through streets lined with villas housing
Berlin’s bold and beautiful who evidently also fell for Schlachtensee.
During the summer it is always busy with weekend escapees and
students who evidently couldn’t care less about their coursework. Yet,
if you walk along the lake on either side you’ll be able to find a quiet
spot in bays separated by trees. FKK is less common at Schlachtensee,
but you’ll find a mix of all Berlin types – students, nudists, families.
There’s an Imbiss and a restaurant on hand, with the latter cashing
in on its lakeside views with pricey offerings; opt for the fruit market
instead.. Bring a blanket, as the ground is muddy and take your picnic
with you.
Best for: Busy people looking for a quick get-away, students, picnics.
Better to avoid: overpacked lawns, overpriced restaurants, dogs.
Liebnitzsee, Wandlitz
Writing about Liebnitzsee is tricky, given that you are talking about a
vital part of the childhood memories of so many Berliners. Venturing
out to this beautiful piece of Brandenburg is not an ordinary trip to a
Berlin lake – it’s more like a mission to escape the city and find peace
of mind (and great, clear, water). Head there during the week for peace

Tips
31
and quiet, and on a sunny weekend to find
yourself in a large group of Berliners eager for
relaxation. You’ll either have to pack your bike
on the S-Bahn to Bernau to take a leisurely cycle
from there, or take a bus which can get busy
over the summer. Either find yourself a quiet
spot in the forest surrounding the lake (bring
a blanket and your own supplies of food and
drinks!) or head to the western shore, which
offers a Strandbad including imbiss and boat
rental. In the middle of the lake there’s an island
which also offers a beach and can be reached
with a ferry shuttle from the northern shore or
by swimming over.
Best for: water purists, lake enthusiasts, day
trippers, cyclists.
Better to avoid: the overcrowded beach on hot
days, over-eager canoeists.
Plötzensee, Wedding
Unlike her bolshier, bigger neighbours,
Plötzensee is a kind of quiet idyll, unless of
course it’s a weekend. Head over during the
week (even after work has let out) and you’ll
find a handful of solitary swimmers steadfastly
ploughing the length of the thing and one or
two FKK enthusiasts sunning themselves. Over
the weekend the place is overrun by kiddies and
parents, pedallos and dinghies, as well as some
clandestine, verboten, grillen. There are better
places if you’re hoping to have a kick about or
play frisbee, but for serious lounging in the sun,
you’ll struggle to do better.
Unless you’re prepared to shell out for the
beach side, Plötzensee requires a little bit more
preparation that your average lake. There’s little
by the way of amenities, so pack carefully. Bring
a big sheet as well as your towels and bring
plenty to drink as you’ll be hard pushed to find
anywhere selling much of anything (save the
brave solider trawling up and down with a cool
box full of Späti-bought beer). Most Weddingers
head over to the stepped side for maximum sun
and minimal incline, away from the water’s edge
to enjoy a beer or two with some Kartoffelsalat.
Best for: Weddingers, families, FKK (limited
areas only), decent swimming.
Better to avoid: groups with dogs, BBQ keenos,
ball game hopefuls.
Krumme Lanke, Steglitz
A perfect spot to unwind after classes, Krumme
Lanke is a student summer favourite. Tucked
away at the bottom of the U3, it’s a short train
ride from the Freie Universität and easily
accessible from all over the city. The magic of
this lake is that it feels secluded and natural
despite being close to the station and local
shops. You can pick up a picnic from Kaisers
and be at the edge of Grunewald Forest in five
minutes.
Once you reach the lake you can choose to
sunbathe in a sandy clearing or find a more
private area of shade under the trees. Although
often busy on a hot day, it rarely feels crowded
and is clean and unspoiled. There’s plenty of
wildlife to be seen, from herons and frogs to the
rather friendly ducks (who may make a beeline
for your food!). With clear waters and beautiful
scenery, a swim is a must. Wade into the
shallows or climb one of the overhanging trees
and jump in, you’ll find that the local kids have
made their own make-shift swings out of ropes
and tyres too. The paths around the water are
great for a bicycle ride, jog or leisurely walk.
Best for: swimming, picnicking, escaping the
library.
Better to avoid if: you’re not keen on creatures
getting up close, East Berliners (too far), shy
folks (FKK alert!).

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