#418: Rents too high, BVG in critical condition, Mohrenstraße renamed, A100 opening
East Berlin's answer to the capitalist hot dog
Hey Berliners,
Over the past decade I really felt that BVG was getting its act together, modernising, becoming more user-friendly. But maybe all those yellow hearts — “because we love you” — in their marketing softened me up and distracted me from the problems.
Since the pandemic, violent ticket inspectors, a rise in delays and cancellations, more and more people begging, and an eroding sense of security have put a dent into BVG’s slick social media image.
According to an interview in taz with the transport operator’s boss Henrik Falk, the “BVG is in critical condition and the situation requires a certain radicality”. What does that mean, though?
Falk’s mantra is “stability before growth”, meaning no more new lines or services or fancy Maglevs to the airport until we solve current challenges such as maintenance, staffing and punctuality. By the end of the year, he says, the narrow-gauge U1-U4 will all receive brand new trains replacing rickety old rolling stock — apparently newer trains are more punctual, which will help the U-Bahn achieve 99% punctuality by 2027 (now we’re at 94%).
But issues persist: For example, a driver shortage and a need to maintain and restore century-old tunnels means the U1 probably won’t operate smoothly betwen Wittenbergplatz and Warschauer Straße until next year. I don’t envy Henrik Falk and his 4D chess game.
Despite it all, I still love the BVG back — and feel especially lucky and privileged to be able to use the entire network whenever I want thanks to the Deutschlandticket.
News below.
Maurice
PS: Our latest podcast episode is out!
Yep, rents are too high
Berlin’s new Rent Price Review Office (Mietpreisprüfstelle), established in March, says 93 out of 95 inspected rental contracts in the second quarter of this year exceeded legal limits. In 61 cases, rent gouging was suspected, meaning rents were at least 50% above the “local reference rate”. In one case from 2019, the office found that a rent was 150% over the legal cap—€19 per square meter instead of the allowed €8. Rent gouging is a criminal offense in Germany, potentially resulting in fines or imprisonment for landlords. The city’s rent control law allows only a 10% increase above the local reference rent for pre-2014 apartments, excluding new builds, modernized units, and temporary housing. The services of the Mietpreisprüfstelle require an appointment and there’s no indication that they speak English. Leftwing party Die Linke, however, offer a free Rent Exploitation Check app in English — where you can instantly find out if your rent is too high. It also helps you submit a complaint to your district’s housing officials, resulting in a possible fine for the landlord and, hopefully, a lowering of your rent.
New A100 autobahn section opens Wednesday
Wednesday, the extension of the A100 from Neukölln to Treptower Park will open to traffic. The road was the most expensive stetch of tarmac laid in German history (€220,000 per metre) and has been controversial because, according to critics, it’s a throughback to 1970s city planning and prioritises driving over cycling or public transport. And besides, it could end up just funneling more car traffic into neighbourhoods rather than relieving them of traffic. In the next few years, the plan is to extend the autobahn northwards across the river and straight through the Friedrichshain clubland up to Storkower Straße. A number of nightlife and culture venues would face the bulldozer. The locals are not amused. Protests are planned for Wednesday’s opening.
The 20% Comedy Night — Sept. 11
One of Germany’s funniest comedians — Vincent Pfäfflin — will be there (in English) as will Radio Spätkauf’s Dan Stern and headliner will be 20%’s own Andrew Bulkeley (know in comedy circles as Drew Portnoy). More acts to be announced Friday. Get tix here!
Mohrenstrasße renamed after all
On Friday we reported that a court had blocked the renaming of Mohrenstraße but only hours later another court said it could happen. So it happened. On Saturday the Mitte street was baptised Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße, in honour of the first African to study and teach at a German university. Anton Wilhelm Amo was kidnapped in 1704 from what is now Ghana at the age of four, and sent to Berlin to become a “court Moor”. Activists had pushed for the change, claiming Mohr is an outdated, racist term — and a group of local residents pushed back. BVG says it will put up new signs at the Mohrenstraße U-Bahn station by Wednesday. Andrew and I discuss the whole saga in the latest episode of the 20% Berlin Podacast.
🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺
💥 Ukrainian arrested in connection with Nord Stream explosions
📦 Tariffs: Deutsche Post to suspend business packages to US
🗡️ American citizen stabbed in Dresden while helping women on tram
💻 German gov very dependent on US tech
Events this week, curated by The Next Day Berlin
🎹 POiSON GiRL FRiEND
Saturday, 30.08, 8:30 pm. Gretchen, Obentrautstr. 19–21, 10963 Berlin. Tickets: €28.50
Delicate vocals, melancholic beats, and 90s-inspired synths. POiSON GiRL FRiEND brings her blend of trip-hop and dreamy electronica to Berlin, joined by Gloria de Oliveira - a soft, atmospheric evening for those who appreciate introspective and slightly hazy music.
🔉 Berlin Atonal 2025
Wed–Sun, 27–31.08. 6 pm - 11:59 pm. Kraftwerk, Köpenicker Str. 70, 10179 Berlin. Tickets: €55–€250
Five days of sonic and visual experiments, large-scale performances, and site-specific installations. My highlights include Bendik Giske & Sam Barker (27.08), GRIEND with Puce Mary (29.08), Azu Tiwaline b2b Moritz von Oswald, and the Merzbow with Iggor Cavalera & Bernocchi (31.08). Saturday is my favorite day with Amnesia Scanner, Ego Death, and Katatonic Silentio. The visual programme is equally strong, with works by Anne Imhof and Jeremy Shaw transforming the vast space.
🍲 Grandma’s Kitchen Stories
Saturday, 30.08, 6–10 pm. Studio Idam, Wintersteinstraße 15, 10587 Berlin. Tickets: €24.20. You can also bring your own wine (BYOB).
An intimate Bengali dinner by Chef Atreyee (Butter Box), sharing her grandmother’s comfort recipes. Expect bold spices, coconut gravies, sweet yoghurt—and stories folded into every dish. Vegan options available
🖼️ Long Night of Museums
Saturday, 30.08, 6 pm–2 am. Various venues across Berlin. Tickets: €23 / €17 reduced.
Over 75 museums stay open late for a citywide celebration of culture and curiosity. This year’s theme is “Love in Berlin” — expect poetry tours, queer dancefloors, AI crushes, and masked DJs. Our museum highlights: Neue Nationalgalerie, Futurium, HKW, and Jüdisches Museum.
Factoid
Who says German Democratic Republic aka East Germany didn’t innovate?Minutes before writing this, I bought my son his first ever Ketwurst — “Ketchup Wurst” — invented at East Berlin’s Rationalisierungs- und Forschungszentrums Gaststätten (Rationalisation and Research Centre for Restaurants) in the 1970s. The innovation is that a hole gets poked into the hot dog bun at one end, filled with ketchup, after which the cook slides the Ketwurst in. Eating one is an entirely different haptic experience than that of a regular Wurst and besides that, a saucy mess. If you’re dying to try one, head over to Alain Snack (run by a Frenchman, funnily enough) near Schönhauser Allee station.