#361: The Karneval der Kulturen won't be in Kreuzberg

And how can you leave everything to the AfD?

Scene from a Valentine’s Day Spaziergang. Photo: Heipl Berlin

Hey 20 Percent!

I’m back on the citizenship trail. I’ve got a language test booked for March and I’ll hit my accountant up to audit my freelancing accounts to prove I make enough to be a German.

To be honest, I wasn’t putting a lot of effort into it because I didn’t need the citizenship, I just wanted it — and figure I’ve earned it after all these years (and tax money).

But the way President Musk and the US are heading, I can see a scenario where I need it. Sure, you say, wait to see the results of Germany’s upcoming election but I’m just trying to keep my options open.

On another note: Get out for a snow walk. It’s great out there. I love the stuff.

Have a good, snowy weekend,

Andrew

AfD funding from Berlin

And it’s not just America that has a sketchy, super-rich right-wing. A Berlin woman named the AfD as her sole heir when she died two years ago, leaving just under €6 million to the far right-wing party, according to Der Spiegel. Six million! We should have headed over to Helga Schwab’s place in Dahlem years ago and tried to weasel into her will. Neighbors told Tagesspiegel Schwab led an unassuming life — they spoke about her in the same tones most neighbors use when their neighbor turns out to be a serial killer. Three pieces of Berlin real estate were also donated to the party in 2023 — a Charlottenburg apartment worth €300,000, a Schöneberg apartment building worth €2.15 million and a multi-family unit in Dahlem worth €2 million (probably Schwab’s place but journalists said they couldn’t formally make the connection). And you thought having Vonovia as a landlord was bad…

Why have flats when you can have bureaucracy?

Did I say flats? Investor Christian Gérôme is suing Pankow for repeatedly preventing him from building 87 new flats in two eight-story buildings between Ernst-Thälman-Park and the S-Bahn, according to Tagesspiegel. Pankow says his plans are inadmissabe because his buildings have to have a similar height as the warehouses on the former cargo train station but he argues that the park itself has highrises — so so should he (and at least one court has agreed). Part of the deal would include land for a much-needed high school in Prenzlauer Berg but Pankow would apparently just rather have a legal battle than new flats (and a new school).

A non-Kreuzberg Karneval?

For years I’ve said the Karneval der Kulturen is my least favorite street fest for intangible reasons I’ve never been able to explain but it’s apparently DOCH important to me because I balked when I heard the parade this year will be on Frankfurter Allee and not Gneisenaustraße. Will it be the same without people peeing in every semi-private corner around Südstern? I can’t imagine. But construction work neccessitates the move for the June 8 parade and maybe it could find a permanent new home — Kreuzbergers have grown tired of the aforementioned wildpinkeln (public urination). The festival and stands will still be on Blücherstraße from June 6-9.

Election SNAFU

But while some things change others remain the same: Berlin still can’t do elections right. Six districts accidentally sent out a total of 800 mail-in ballots twice, which means all the ballots are invalid, according to RBB24. The voters have to get a third to be able to vote. The ballots are just a little over 1% of the total 744,000 mail-in ballots in Berlin. To be fair: Oregon has sent me two sets of ballots for the last two US presidential elections (I only voted once).

He did what?

And in odd news — the transport specialist for the Green party in Mitte switched to the CDU, this week. Hendrik Böckermann is now a conservative after being a hippy, according to taz. He said Die Grüne are too steeped in ideology and infighting. I prefer that to auto-centric politics and a fear of change.

🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺

🚗 Munich attack was religiously motivated

🃏 Is Chancellor Scholz racist?

🪖 German military better, but not ready

🏎️ Bouncer jailed in Schumacher extortion attempt

Factoid

Scraping up the difference. Photo: Sascha Kohlman via CC2.0

The gender pay gap in Berlin is well below the German average but still thriving — in Berlin women earn 10% less than male counterparts, or an average €24.33 per hour vs. €27.92, according to the Berlin-Brandenburg statistics office. The average gap in all of Germany is 16%. In surrounding Brandenburg the gap is less notable (2%) — €21.46 for women and €21.79 for men .

🔗 🔗 🔗 Useful links 🔗 🔗 🔗

Handpicked Berlin

FOMO Berlin

The Next Day Berlin

The Berlin Life

Berlin Events Weekly

🦋 20 Percent on Bluesky

🧵 20 Percent on Threads

🎙️ The 20% Berlin Podcast