#330: Nefertiti, cannabis fines, ice rink
50 years ago, Tegel Airport opened
Dear 20 Percent,
I’ve always loved Halloween — it’s nice for kids to have a holiday that’s not all goodie-two-shoes such as Christmas and Easter. German kids love Halloween too, obviously but the way they stress the first syllable of “Halloween” irks me a little, as does “Süßes oder Saures?” The sense of mischief in “trick or treat?” gets a little lost in the timid “sweet or sour?”
I have fond memories of Halloween in English suburbia: Egging the windows of an elderly grouch or spreading toilet paper all over their front garden. If someone says, “sorry, no candy” to a German kid these days, they’ll just politely move on to the next door.
And the weird thing is, Halloween has only been popular in this country since 1994 when the German Toy Industry Association decided to start marketing Halloween after Karneval was cancelled in 1991 due to the Gulf War. Merchants felt they needed another way to flog costumes to fall back on.
Not sure what it says about our times, but as far as I can tell, nothing’s been cancelled because of the brutal wars in Ukraine and Israel-Palestine.
Some news below.
Maurice
Send Nefertiti back to Cairo?
The ancient Egyptian sculpture of Queen Nefertiti belongs in Cairo. At least that’s the opinion of 30,000 signatories of a petition demanding repatriation. The bust was unearthed by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt in 1912 and is thought by many to have been illegally smuggled out of Egypt. Since 1924, Nefertiti has been displayed in Berlin. Currently, she resides in the Neues Museum in Mitte. The petition, which was initiated by Egyptian archaeologist Dr Zahi Hawass, ends on Thursday.
Cannabis fines
Although Germany sort of legalised cannabis in the spring, Berlin’s CDU-SPD state government has been incredibly slow in sorting out the bureaucracy around setting up the cannabis clubs that were legalised by national law. It’s obvious that Berlin has been stalling. Only today is the Senat (the state cabinet) sitting down to iron out the basics such as which office is responsible for club applications. At the same time, they’re introducing a bunch of new fines: possession of more than 25g: €250-€1,000; consumption of cannabis around minors: €300-€1,000. Possession of cannabis in military areas: €500-€1,000. Cultivation clubs that add cannabis to tobacco, nicotine, food or animal feed and then distribute it can be fined €200 to €30,000. The full list.
Neukölln Ice Rink Reopens
The ice rink at the Werner-Seelenbinder-Sportpark officially reopens Saturday, following a two-year technical upgrade. The rink is located in the southeast corner of Tempelhofer Feld. This being Berlin, there’s a pre-opening this Friday, November 1, from 4pm to 7pm — skating will be free-of-charge. Opening times. Entry prices. Skate rentals.
Events this week - selected by The Next Day Berlin:
🥖Pondji Pop Up
Thursday, 31.10, from 6 pm. Lausitzer Pl. 12, Kreuzberg
Expect some of Ma-Makan’s specialties served with Pondjis - the delicious Brazilian cheese bread, a mix of Malaysian, Singaporean, and Brazilian traditional dishes.
🖼️ Ryan Gander: This is Feeling all of It
Opening: Friday, 01.11, 6 - 9 pm. Esther Schipper, Potsdamer Strasse 81E, Tiergarten.
'This is Feeling all of It' explores perception, cognition, and neurodiversity, inspired by Gander's son’s autism. The exhibition includes his debut AI-based VR artwork, co-commissioned by VIVE Arts and Esther Schipper.
🎺Jazzfest Berlin: Still Digging
Thursday-Sunday, 31.10 - 03.11, various times. Locations: A-Trane, Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Quasimodo, and different locations in Moabit for the Community Lab Moabit program.
Jazzfest Berlin, one of Europe’s top jazz festivals, celebrates 60 years of history. The lineup is the crème de la crème of the jazz scene, mixing legends with emerging artists. You can always count on a mix of traditional jazz, contemporary sounds, and experimental music. Our highlights: John Hollenbeck with The Drum Major Instinct, the sextet Goran Kajfeš Tropiques, Sun Ra Arkestra, Anna Högberg Extended Attack, a rare solo performance of pianist Marilyn Crispelland, and Otomo Yoshihide Special Big Band.
🎹 Tehran Contemporary Music Festival
Friday-Sunday, 01-03.11, Studio 1, Bethanien, Mariannenplatz 2, Kreuzberg. Tickets: €16.95/€56.50
The Tehran Contemporary Sounds (TCS) Festival hits all the right notes if you're drawn to experimental music and cultural fusion. It brings together Iranian artists and global musicians, mixing electronic, jazz, avant-garde, and traditional music in fresh and meaningful ways. Our highlights: Behrooz Moosavi & Janna Heiß, Parasang & Mahan Mirarab, Mahtab Sabetara & Baharan Eghbalzadeh, Cinna Peyghamy & Sarathy Korwar, and HUUUM.
Germany-wide news
🚦 Ruling coalition hangs by a thread
🇮🇷 Germany recalls ambassador to Iran after execution
⚖️ Transgender rights law takes effect Nov. 1
🏭 VW to close 3 German factories
💡Handpicked Berlin: Career, tech, startup, and Berlin news, plus timeless inspiration. Mondays in your inbox.💡
Factoid
Tegel Airport (TXL) first opened its doors in October 1974, offering a bridge to the outside world to West Berlin, then entirely enveloped by the communist German Democratic Republic. The airport was intended to replace the pre-war Tempelhof. By 2019, Tegel was handling 29 million passengers a year, far more than originally intended. The great thing about Terminal A was that you could jump out of the bus and be at the gate within two minutes. The final scheduled flight to leave the airport was an Air France jet to Paris–Charles de Gaulle on 8 November 2020, a few days after the endlessly delayed opening of Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER).
Quiz answer: Marlene Dietrich! She recorded “Ich hab’ noch Einen Koffer in Berlin” in 1954 — she had left the city in the 1930s, horrified by the rise of Hitler.
Ich hab' noch einen Koffer in Berliiiin. 💞
Beschämende Bully Buhlan Blockade! 😉