#455: Record naturalizations, refugee center closed, New Year's same as last year
The Ferris wheel at Spreepark is in its testing phase
Hey 20 Percent,
I went for a walk around my Prenzlauer Berg block at 1 am Jan. 1 and felt anything but safe. Small packs of young men seemed to be wandering from street corner to street corner, lighting off an endless supply of fireworks, often at each other.
One group set a lone Christmas tree ablaze and I debated suggesting they also arson the two mattresses that had been abandoned nearby over a month earlier — at least they’d then be gone. A man a few meters away tagged a white building with black spray paint — his buddy filmed using a mobile phone and video light.
Yet another drunken group sang some anthem (football?) and I wondered if wandering so far from my building was a good idea. But I also wondered who thinks this is really the way to celebrate the new year — we used to head down onto the street at midnight with our little kids, a handful of fireworks and a bottle of Rotkäppchen champagne.
We’d laugh with our neighbors — even the AfD voters from next door — and then go to bed. Now it felt like I was risking a trip to the hospital by just stepping out the front door.
Anyway, may you be able to keep your New Year’s resolutions for more than just a day or two — I’m hoping this snow lasts at least that long.
Have a good weekend!
Andrew
We’re losing the 20% to Germany!
The Landesamt für Einwanderung (the Ausländerbehörde to you and me) naturalized nearly 38,000 new Germans by mid-December and hopes to naturalize a total 39,500 this year thanks to the new centralized, digital citizenship office, according to Tagesspiegel. That’s up from 21,811 last year and 7,00 and 9,000 in 2023 and 2022, respectively. 1,683 applications had also been refused by the end of November. But the LEA is still fighting 1,036 suits for inaction because it was unable to review applications within the three-month timeframe. I’ll be filing my inaction suit in March (if I don’t hear from the Ausländerbehörde earlier).
Tegel refugee center closed
While many of us are hoping to become German, the country helped at least 110,000 refugees at the refugee center at Tegel, which closed Dec. 31, according to taz. It opened March 20, 2022. The center was Germany’s biggest refugee center and offered aid and shelter to new refugees before transferring them to other sites in Germany — predominantly those fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Although the temporary site is closed, a new permanent center for refugees and asylum seekers is being built at the former airport. It will be able to house up to 2,600.
Just another New Year’s
The general consensus is that this New Year’s chaos was about the same as last year, but that’s a pretty low bar. Berlin police made 430 arrests on New Year’s Eve, about 10% more than the 390 last year while 35 officers were injured, compared with 54 last year, according to rbb24. BSR, our state-owned trash company, collected 670 cubic meters of New Year garbage, up from 620 last year. Firefighters responded to 643 fires, about 200 fewer than last year. The main trauma hospital in Marzahn treated 35 severe fireworks injuries including eight involving minors, according to Tagespiegel.
Except for the Ringbahn
The Ringbahn still isn’t running between Gesundbrunnen and Westhafen after a fire in offices at the station (fireworks, anyone?) on New Year’s Eve, according to Tagesspiegel. The fire may have damaged the station’s structure, meaning the interrruption will last until engineers stop by. A fire at the Christmas Market at Nollendorfplatz also temporarily halted the U2 on New Year’s Eve. And an inebriated man was killed by a passing high-speed ICE early on Jan. 1 after he stumbled off the platform at Jungfernheide, forcing further issues with passenger trains and S-Bahns.
🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺
🛁 Miele will sell you a used washing machine
🤮 AfD invited to Munich security conference
👴 What German pols are facing this year
Factoid
The Ferris wheel at Spreepark in Treptow is currently undergoing safety tests before its planned re-opening next year, according to taz. Both old and new prototype gondolas will be part of the test. Spreepark was opened in 1969 as the Kulturpark by the East German government to celebrate its first 20 years but the amusement park fell into disrepair in the 00s and some rides were even exported illegally to South America. It’s being rebuilt by Grün Berlin (essentially our parks department) to combine nature and fun along the Spree. We’ll see.
🔗 🔗 🔗 Useful links 🔗 🔗 🔗
🎙️The 20% Berlin Podcast on Spotify
Happy new year! Thank you for keeping up with the newsletter. I’m not a part of the 20% and never have been, but I always enjoy reading it.
Regarding the abandoned mattresses: have you tried reporting it using the Ordnungsamt app? They usually remove things within a few days. Added bonus is that you’re becoming part of the statistic that drives digitalisation in Berlin.
Imagine the infrastructure improvements the city of Berlin could make if it wasn't having to waste so much money on police, fire, rescue, and sanitation workers every New Year's Eve. We humans are such short-sighted, selfish idiots.