Witness Gentrification

Peter Woelck is dead

For 28 years, the GDR photographer Peter Woelck, reknown all over the world, lived in a modest studio in Kastanienallee, corner Schwedter Straße. As a result of a so called »Verwertungskündigung« (the new owner of the house canceled his lease contract to »utilise« the building) he was forced to leave the house on 28 February 2010. By this, he felt like being deprived from his artistic and creative life, as a pauper he had no chance to find an appropriate place to stay.
The day after his GDR lease contract was canceled, it was the 1st of March 2010, Peter Woelck died suddenly.

The Case of Berlin photographer Peter Woelck

Greetings from East Berlin, watching the symbolic tumbling dices at the night of celebrating 20 years fall of the Berlin Wall, I would like to tell you something about gentrification in Berlin. We have an actual case which you might find interesting, of a quite prominent photographer from former GDR who lives in Prenzlauer Berg since almost 25 years, Peter Woelck

Peter Woelck moved into Kastanienallee 36a in 1984. He still holds a lease contract of former GDR, the rental is low, he lives as a pauper. The house where he lives is located at the corner Schwedter Strasse/ Kastanienallee. He is reknown as a photographer who has an eye for the working class people of former GDR. He is integral part of this kiez Prenzlauer Berg, part of the so called creative and artistic community which people from outside find so attractive.

Now the new owners of the house in which he lives and works since many years want to get rid of him, push him to move out by presenting specious pleaded reasons for the cancellation of his leave agreement at the court. They call it »Verwertungskuendigung« which means that the interest of the owner to get the most profit out of his real estate prevails the needs of the individual who is expelled out of the place where he is enrooted. They do not care about the individual fate.

Some people say that the ones complaining of gentrification are gentrifier themselves – this is an argument raised by investors to justify what they are doing!
It is true that Prenzlauer Berg was always an area where many people moved in and out, actually only 17% of the population from 1989 is still living in this area (see Bernd Holtfreter’s essay in Annette Gröschner’s »Durchgangszimmer Prenzlauer Berg«). However this is a normal process, of course this area are has seen various waves of gentrification and as a result breathes this multikulti feeling which makes it so worth living.
Whereas the Marthashof project has another impact: an entire new population of some better earning 500 people living there soon is implemented, this is what we call a gentrification tsunami which will affect our lifes through increased prices, rents and quickly changing demography.
And this is not the only project of this dimension, we are also very concerned about plans for 9 level houses along Bernauer Strasse or townhouses in the Mauerpark.

This is the other side of the coin, the reality of 20 years of reunification today 09/11/09: a social equator has replaced he wall (see Anselm Weidner »Brunnenviertel Martashof – Leben am sozialen Äquator«). There is a strong alliance between politicians and investors in Berlin. The best pieces of Berlin, on the former Mauerstreifen all located in attractive inner city places, are sold out just to get in a few more million € – a drop in the bucket facing 60 Billion € depts in Berlin!
This activity affects people's lifes, the urban development strategy of »Aufwertung« will destroy the rest of flair which makes living in Berlin so easy and pleasant for people from all over the world.

We defy, and manifest our disappreciation on mauerpark-fertigstellen.de – manifestation 14 Nov 2009 against the plans of the investors to destroy the Mauerpark by building up another series of townhouses: Against new walls!

Tagesspiegel 15.07.09: Die Wut des Fotografen-Dinos

Peter Woelck a reknown photographer of former GDR who lives in Prenzlauer Berg since 1989, is pushed to move out from his apartment by the new owners who plan to reconstruct and sell the flats in the house where he lives since many years. He defies and fights for his right to stay, the next hearing will be soon.
In July 2009, he wrote the below letter to us/ AIM. Please write your opinion to marthashof@googlemail.com about this case which is one promiment example of many others in this ongoing gentrification process in Berlin.

Hello,
the house kastanienallee 36a, 10435 is being reconstructed too.
all renters out, house will be ramped up by one level, each level with a 100 sqm apartment which will be fitted according to buyer’s preferences.
all renters, except the ones on the ground floor, have already moved out.

I have a lease contract which dates from 1984 for a
two-room flat with a chamber, toilet and kitchen
which is located on the ground floor.
(if you stand in front of the house, to the left, 2 windows where I show my photos)
on the right side there is a small fashion shop which of course is pushed to move out as well.

now all depends on me: if I refuse to move out the construction measures planned by the new owner will be delayed.

and, I defy!
a adequate flat was not offered to me ...
financially, they proposed »we pay for your move, and there might be some money left for you…«

the newspaper »tagesspiegel« has reported about my case, see link.

now some people come to see me who have read this article, and express their condolences.

one was from a radio station who gave me the hint that I should tell you/ AIM about this.
he said that you had as yet the most experience what to do against such a project.

another artist, from wedding district, wrote to me
and offered me his help. he only did not know how he could help me ...

I wrote to him:

»hello,

many thanks for your acclamation and your offer to help.

so, how can we fight against it?

open the case as much as possible to the public !!!

attached I am sending you the article from tagesspiegel.

please pass it along to pass along to friends and well-known ... or print a few copies and distribute ...

as many as possible people should express their indignation at this and write to me
or come straight to the hearing!

I collect written statements, and then submit them to the court.

furthermore I am sending you a slightly older report about me in the FAZ. it is very well written and the reader learns more about me.

and, finally, a longer article on the subject »berlin and
photography«.
On the first page is a part about me ...
in the original text you will however find this part at the end of the entire report only,
After all, everything has been said about this subject,
about the creation of the Aagency magnum, the agency ostkreuz,
great photographers such as ... about all the majof photo galleries of berlin.
and at the end it is said tat I am something like the star of all stars ...
well one can hardly get more praise!

yes, and so it is
there is the owner who wants to draw maximum profit out of his house,
which means to me as a renter and artist, but yes also to the
public,
totally uninteresting!
for me it means something like abandon my life!
In an accomodation for paupers there will be no more darkroom, where you can comfortably zoom up 50x60 baryts,
and there will be not enough space for a closet to store my photos ...
(according to the slogan: what do you want with this as a pauper ... »you better go and pick up paper from the streets in the morning at 7 clock, with this you have enough
to do ...«)

but yes, I might win the first instance,
finally, all arguments to terminate my lease contract are nonsense,
there is no photostudio here, therefore, certainly not a commercial one!

but there is a second reason for cancellation,
which however is not mentioned in the article:
the former entrance to the house from the road once was routed through my flat.
the ouse 36a at that time, since about 1981, had no separate entrance.
and such must be restored.
house neighbors no longer tolerate the way through their plots of land!
nevertheless,
there is no reason why the newly created entrance must be located exactly at the place where the old one was!
I might as well be created through the shop next to my flat.
Then there would be no reason to cancel my rental contract any more
and the holder of the small fashion boutique could continue his activities at the former location ...
see in the attached pdf »situation description in photos.«

Finally, a pdf, the poster for my exhibition,
vernissage on 04.08.09, 19 clock, in the oderbergerstr. 15;
in »entweder-oder«.
forward, print, eg. as a postcard or similar, and distribute ...

I hope you well receive this email with all the 7 attachments ...
please mail back ...

have a nice evening

I wish

regards

peter w.

Monday, February 9, 2009

The Gentrification of East Berlin

...One famous such neglected outpost in P’Berg is this squat, with an anarchist bookstore next door. A large sign on the façade reads, »Kapitalismus normiert, zerstört, tötet« (»Capitalism homogenizes, destroys, kills«), and there are many similar smaller signs of protest...

Time.com, Feb. 25, 2009

POSTCARD FROM BERLIN By STEPHANIE KIRCHNER / BERLIN

In Berlin, a Gentrifying Neighborhood Under Siege

...Seems like Berlin has to brace itself for a long battle...Stefanel-Stoffel is surprised by the disapproval that her project has sparked among some of the neighborhood's residents...

Save the date

Radio DEUTSCHLANDFUNK – TUE, 03 March 2009, 19:15 hrs MEZ:

Brunnenviertel/Marthashof – Der »soziale Äquator« als neue Grenze

From: Anselm Weidner

Brunnenviertel/ Marthashof – The »social equator« as a new frontier

In the Brunnenvierteil (Fountain District) in Wedding located in former West Berlin area, the anxiety about whether the money for a warm meal a day is sufficient, whether the rent next month may be paid or if tomorrow electricity will be cut off.
The people on the other side of Bernauer Strasse is driving the concern about how the Pent Houses and Villas of Town »Urban Village« Marthashof, a »living without compromise« (the advertising) is to organize: whether with a shower or terrace on pebbles or rather with fine stoneware in earth tones. Marthashof with 133 luxury apartments is the first construction of the four planned in Berlin »guarded cities« for the rich in Berlin.

The grass grows on the death strip, the once hermetic boundary between the power blocs in the center of Berlin has healed. A new has emerged, at first sight, invisible, and it deepens from day to day. The new frontier in Bernauer Strasse could illustrate that it is not politics who imposed ideological barriers dividing people and nations, but the economy by the class boundaries.

Monocle, 3 AUG 2010: Neighbourhood gentrification — Berlin, Writer: Markus Albers

DIARY OF A SWANEESWAN – GERMANY, FOR A YEAR:

Scenes from the culture war – 27.12.2009

Berlin is a divided city: not a city divided between capitalists and communists, but instead a city divided between bohemians and yuppies. When the Berlin Wall fell, the eastern half of the city emptied out, and property was generally cheap. Artists, slackers, anarchists, and other bohemians filled in the void, and made the once-dreary east an increasingly area to live. And as everyone knows, once the starving artists make a neighborhood desirable, yuppies swoop in to buy property.

MAUERPARK IS OUR PARK – demonstration 14.11.09

Exberliner Magazine
Published: 22 Dec 08

Is Berlin's real estate party over?

...capital investment in local residential property has »decreased dramatically« over the past six months...

Joe Morgan has a look at the situation for Exberliner Magazine.

Contact | Impressum