#390: 120 janky bridges, asbestos, data leak
Our What's App troll now has a song
Dear 20 Percent,
Sorry I’m late today. Spent most of my morning at the Gesundheitsamt (health services) for my son’s schulärtzliche Untersuchung aka Schuleingangsuntersuchung, a medical check-up required for incoming first graders. Three quarters of the families in the waiting room were speaking languages other than German. The future of this city is firmly in international hands!
The check-up was more cognitive test than anything else and my son quite enjoyed it. What baffles me is why this is done in a government office at great expense and not just by your family doctor.
The rest of my morning was spent deleting spam on the 20% Berlin WhatsApp group. American investment spam bots appear to have discovered it.
One kind member even created a gen-AI song about our favourite troll, Millie, the investment tip bot.💗
Here’s the link one last time. After this I’ll delete all links. Feel free to join and invite your non-spammer friends.
Maurice
Achtung, asbestos!
The Jahn-Sportpark stadium next to Mauerpark (where Andrew scored some old seats!) is being torn down as we speak but progress is being hampered by the discovery of massive amounts of asbestos. The government announced the find in April, but local activists are concerned about pollution and say the annoucement came much too late. They say they spotted workers in protective suits months ago. In a statement, the city wrote: “During construction in the late 1980s, contaminated building waste was improperly and possibly illegally placed in certain cavities and gaps in the building. This only came to light in the course of the demolition work.” It’s unclear how long the clean up will take. Should we stay away from Mauerpark? No idea. What do you think?
Einstürzende bridges?
Industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten (collapsing new buildings) were on to something when they formed in 1980s West Berlin. In the 2020s it’s bridges. The city government says 120 bridges need to be demolished or rebuilt in the coming decade. Case in point: In the eastern neighbourhood Oberschöneweide vehicles were blocked from using the Wuhlheide flyover in April out of fear that the janky bridge would collapse. Investigations have revealed that the 1989 structure is in even worse shape than previously thought — cars, bikes, trams and pedestrians have been banned from passing under the crumbling GDR concrete since Monday. Traffic chaos ensued. This comes after the mess around the A100 bridge that passes over the S-Bahn near the Messe and the endless rebuild of the Elsebrücke at Treptower Park. Since the Carolabrücke in Dresden collapsed last autumn, Germany has been frantically inspecting its bridges.
BVG data leaks
Digital infrastructure can be ricketty in this town too. Transport operator BVG reported that hackers gained access to 180,000 sets of customer data in a cyberattack against an external contractor, Richard Scholz GmbH. The data breach included customer names, postal addresses, email addresses, customer and contract numbers — but no passwords or bank account numbers. Hopefully.
From our partner:
💡Are you planning to file a tax return this year? In this guide from Smart Living in Germany, a newsletter that helps English speakers get more value for money, you'll find a clear, simple rundown of common tax deductions you can claim. It explains how the deduction system works, which flat rates you can make use of without extra paperwork, and which expenses are actually worth claiming.💡
Direct line to Milan, Rome, Naples
While Deutsche Bahn struggles to keep its rail infrastructure up to scratch, other countries are leading the way in long-distance train travel. Save this date: June 2027. Austrian railway ÖBB will be launching daily, direct train service from Berlin to Milan, Rome and Naples and points in-between.
Events this week, curated by The Next Day Berlin
📖Naked People Reading
Wednesday, 21.05, 8 pm. ACUD, Veteranenstr. 21. Tickets: €10-€15 at the door.
A safe, inclusive space for the queer community to listen, connect, and celebrate the power of stories and presence.
🪩Dub & Dal – 2 Years Celebration
Saturday, 24.05, 6 pm – 4 am. MaHalla, Wilhelminenhofstr. 76. Tickets: €15
Three-floor gathering with dub, bass, Indian food, workshops and AV installations. Featuring Ganja Riddim SoundSystem, Dakta Dub, and O.M.Theorem (live).
🖼️Open Studios Tempelhof 2025
Sat–Sun, 24–25.05, 2–8 pm. Various locations in Berlin-Tempelhof. Free & barrier-free. Artists’ party: Saturday from 8 pm with live music + DJs
Around 100 artists open their studios across five sites in Tempelhof’s industrial zone. Expect performances, talks, rooftop views, and a party on Saturday night at Zebrahaus.
🎬Berlin Dance Film Festival 2025
Sat-Sun, 24–25.05, various times. Kino Moviemento, Kottbusser Damm 22. Tickets: €8–€10 per screening
A two-day program of international dance films — poetic, political, sensual, and strange. From short experimental works to kinetic storytelling, all screened at Berlin’s oldest cinema.
🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺
🪖Strongest army in Europe by 2031?
🪙Is the new SPD finance minister in over his head?
✈️US State Dept. updates travel advisory for Germany
Factoid
Rankings, rankings, get your fresh rankings! These things are dumb but fun and sometimes contain a kernel of truth. Berlin ranked 16th in the Happy Cities Index🤷. BER airport was ranked 58th 😑 And this little pick-me-up: 5 Berlin start-ups made it into the top 10 of the Sifted 100: DACH & CEE Leaderboard! 🏆
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📈Connect with 11k+ international Berliners. Sponsor 20% Berlin!
Please just ditch whatsapp and go back to giving us news on some venue that doesn't require us trusting Meta software on our phone, or with our real phone numbers. I would check twitter for you guys still, though I prefer if you went with bluesky.
EN reference! 🙌 I went to two Theatertreffen performances at the Festspiele this month and was duly haunted by “Die Explosion im Festspielhaus”