Category: 2017

How to make Berlin’s buses run faster? The city has set up a taskforce to come up with ideas. One of them is to allow passengers to board on the rear doors to save time. The BVG doesn’t like the plan. Our own Dan Stern has a few suggestions for the taskforce, one involving the to-be-constructed Wippe see-saw monument.

Two major transport tunnel projects are delayed due to groundwater flooding – no surprise, since Berlin is built on a swamp. The S21 connection between Gesundbrunnen and Hauptbahnhof, and the U5 extension under Museuminsel are both experiencing water problems. Again, Dan has a suggestion – an underground ferry system.

Berlin’s latest anti-gentrification protest is against the eviction of Cafe Filou, a French bakery in Kreuzberg being kicked out by British investors who don’t like the croissants. Could more of these kinds of investors be on their way to Berlin with the planned relocation of Lloyd’s bank to the German capital?

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This live show was presented by Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern. Recorded live at Comedy Cafe Berlin on Sunday Feb 19, 2017.

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Berlin workers go on strike! Airport staff shut down Tegel and Schönefeld terminals on Feb 8 demanding a pay rise from €11 to €12 hour. Kindergarten staff went on strike on Feb 15, causing every second kita to close. They’re seeking equal pay with Brandenburg kita workers, who get up to €400 more per month.

Berlin is to get a new monument that is more like an amusement ride. The so-called Wippe, or see-saw, will be a moving platform that is supposed to reflect the motion of democracy. Federal politicians finally agreed to fund the Wippe after years of back and forth. No fixed opening date has been announced.

Berghain nightclub will open a new dance floor on March. Called Säule, it will feature dark experimental electronic music, and provide the club with space to squeeze in more guests.

Come to our next live show! It’s on Sunday Feb 19, 17.30, at the Comedy Cafe Berlin in Neukölln. Entry is free.

This episode was presented by Jöran Mandik and Joel Dullroy, and brought to you by RadioEins.

Subscribe to Radio Spaetkauf on iTunes.

German federal police carried out an undercover sting targeting ticket inspectors on the Berlin S-Bahn. Five inspectors were busted fining tourists and pocketing the cash. If you’re caught, ask for inspectors’ ID and always get a receipt!

Six months in prison for smoking on your balcony? A Hellersdorf woman has been ordered by a court to not smoke outside between 8pm and 6am, or face a fine or jail time. Her 20 cigarettes a night were bothering her neighbour.

Fritz is the new Knut. Tierpark’s 3-month polar bear cub has been named Fritz, short for Friedrich, which intones peace. He’s half Russian.

Event tip: Australian musician Darren Cross writes songs inspired by Berlin. He’s playing a silent concert at Ofen Bar on Feb 7, where you wear headphones to hear the music.

This episode was presented by Maisie Hitchcock and Daniel Stern, and brought to you by RadioEins.

Subscribe to Radio Spaetkauf on iTunes.

How big is Berlin’s marijuana market? We interview podcaster Diane Arapovich who investigated the weed economy and found Berlin is the greenhouse of northern Europe, supplying even Amsterdam. Listen to her full German language podcast Die Stadt und Das Gras for more.

Was it fair for Andrej Holm to be fired from Humboldt University, just days after resigning under pressure because of his brief Stasi past? Joel and guest Konrad Werner think not. The academic has spent his adult life fighting to make housing affordable for poor people, a career that surely redeems his youthful error.

This year marks the end of an era at Berlin’s Volksbühne Theatre. Long-time intendant Frank Castorf will be replaced by Tate Modern director Chris Dercon. Konrad Werner explains why the Berlin theatre scene is upset over the switch. You’ve got until summer to get along to Volksbühne and catch one of the last Castorf productions.

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This episode was recorded live at the Comedy Cafe Berlin on January 22, 2017.

Hosts: Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern. Thanks to Joshua James Alas and Julian Beerbaum for support.