đłïžâđđ« #485: GĂ€rten der Welt robbery, two-day CSD, card-only BVG
What's the dirtiest district?
Hey 20 Percent!
My lawyer will be very disappointed. Just as I was readying my UntĂ€tigkeitsklage (suit for inaction) the AuslĂ€nderbehörde wrote and asked for a few more documents for my EinbĂŒrgerung (naturalization). Because to be born again as a German, you first have to drown in paperwork.
Most notably they want updated financial information, which seems unfair â theyâre the a̶s̶s̶h̶o̶l̶e̶s̶ bureaucrats who dragged their feet on my application. They should have to go with the information I submitted last summer.
The only one benefitting from all of this is my accountant.
So, thereâs finally some movement. Good news heading into whatâs looking to be a spring weekend â enjoy it!
Andrew
Many thanks to our new sponsor, the Berlin-wide game TGNG. More from them below!
Garden-level robbery
Four armed robbers burst into an office building at the GĂ€rten der Welt in Marzahn Tuesday at 1.20am and stole more than âŹ100,000 in cash, according to the Morgenpost. The group threatened the two security guards on duty with a handgun and a crowbar before assaulting them and making off with the funds, which was being stored after the weekendâs cherry blossom festival. The two guards were transported to the hospital and officials say the suspects spoke German with Russian accents. Odd that they knew there was so much cash on-hand.
from our partner
Spring is here â and so are new apartment listings.
With more flats hitting the market, timing matters. Get The Flat makes sure you donât miss out by applying quickly and consistently on your behalf.
They handle the search and messaging â for âŹ79 / month.
Card-only public transport
Your SpĂ€ti and Döner stand may only accept cash but BVG ticket machines in stations have accepted only credit cards for the past few days, according to Tagesspiegel. A technical glitch has made it impossible for the machines to accept cash but itâs unclear when they will be repaired. Alexander Kaczmarek (CDU), Berlinâs top public transport official, would rather do away with the costly machines, since only 1% of travelers now board without a ticket thanks to the Deutschland-Ticket und other discount monthly tickets. The BVG operates 665 ticket machines in our city while the S-Bahn has 500. Deutsche Bahn operates an additional 518 of the confusing machines in Berlin. They cost between âŹ20,000 and âŹ40,000 each and require millions each year in maintenance and repair.
CSD for days
It was called CSD weekend anyway â Christopher Street Day Berlin will now officially be extended to Friday, July 24, the day before the parade, according to RBB24. The extra day will be used for an evening protest at Brandenburg Gate â the entire event this year will encourage people to vote since our government is up for election in September. The parade will take place on July 25. Iâm a big fan but always had more fun at the more cozy lesbian and gay city festival in Schöneberg, this year on July 18 and 19.
Not so foxy
Think Berlinâs urban foxes are cute? Not always â Reinickendorf says one of their furry residents killed a dog last weekend and has regularly attacked canines, both on and off leash, according to RBB24. The fox lurks around the intersection of Bruseberg and Klamann streets. The district recommends keeping dogs on-leash in the area.
đș đ„š Germany-wide news đ„š đș
đ© THE AFD IS GERMANYâS MOST POPULAR PARTY
đ Can the Baltic whale be saved?
đ©ș Healthcare reform is coming
Factoid

Iâve stopped using the Ordnungsamt app to report trash (it felt too Karen-y) but Neukölln residents last year submitted the most reports, which doesnât necessarily mean the trendy district is Berlinâs dirtiest. Residents there submitted 31,139 reports, according to Tagesspiegel, ahead of the 30,458 in Mitte. Coming in third was (predictably) Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg at 23,987. Marzahn-Hellersdorf was last with just 5,227 reports. State-owned sanitation company BSR gathered 60,000 cubic meters of illegally dumped trash last year, netting it âŹ13.1 million of our tax money.
Check todayâs main sponsor, the new Berlin-wide game TGNG

Youâve made Berlin home. Now make it yours, block by block.
TGNG turns your everyday routes into a city-wide game: walk your Kiez, spice up your U-Bahn commute, or finally make that Tiergarten loop worth it. Play solo or drag your Mitbewohner into a team. Go full Entspannung or unleash your inner strategist - your call. A game built for reluctant walkers, bored commuters, and anyone whoâs ever wanted to quietly conquer a city. Free to download, zero ads.
Get TGNG and claim your corner of Berlin.
đ đ đ Useful links đ đ đ
đïžThe 20% Berlin Podcast on Spotify




Andrew, if you're up for sharing - how long since you applied? It's been nearly a year for me so trying to gauge đ