Hey 20 Percent,
ARD, that broadcaster we all pay for, has a UK series in original English. The Gold, about a 1980s heist, will be available until Sept. 18. I’ve never seen a non-dubbed series there before, but I’m probably wrong.
The writing is a bit over-the-top but it’s a fun watch, if only to discover how much dirty money is behind London real estate (as well as Switzerland and Liechtenstein’s role).
Also, if your German is good enough, I listened to a great podcast asking whether reunification came too quick in Germany. It has some excellent tidbits — like how France (as well as the UK) opposed re-unification and saw the euro as a way to lessen Teutonic power.
Did I say podcast? Our latest podcast is also out, also in video! We talk about the Volksbühne swimming pool fiasco and Germany’s inability to sandwich. As in the food. Here, if you missed the link above.
Have a good weekend!
Andrew
PS: The 20 Percent English comedy night is back at Berlin’s best comedy club September 20. The lineup isn’t yet set but it will be very, very good — and MCed by me. Come on out! Tix.
Germans hate Berlin
Only 31% of Germans now see Berlin as a “fascinating metropolis”, down from 66% in 2007, according to an Allensbach poll initiated by the boomer-esque Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) earlier this month. I’m quoting the Tagesspiegel because the FAZ article is paywalled. Pollsters said Hamburg had the most appeal among German cities followed by Munich and then our Hauptstadt (48%, 47% and 36%, respectively). Note that Frankfurt — home of the paper — only appeared when people were asked where they absolutely don’t want to live: Berlin and Frankfurt were level at 46%. They’re the only two German cities I've lived in.
RAW Gelände agreement
Berlin has apparently caved to a real estate developer’s demands to build apartments on the RAW Gelände cultural hotspot, according to RBB24. In exchange, clubs at the site won a fresh two-year lease with hopes for a more permanent 30-year lease as negotiations continue. Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg will cover the €1 million lease on the site and an administrator will then collect rent from the various clubs, though it’s unclear who will appoint the administrator. Owner Kurth Immobiliengruppe will now be allowed to build 300 apartments as well as an office building on the property, though the apartments will have to have special noise-dampening construction as clubs will remain at the site adjacent to the Warschauer Strasse S-Bahn station.
Sanctioning Russisches Haus
The German government may cancel an agreement with Russia that allows Russia to operate the Russisches Haus culture center on Friedrichstrasse, according to Der Spiegel. The cancellation would be part of sanctions against Moscow for its suspected involvement in an explosive drone attack at the Leipzig airport on Aug. 4. The drone was discovered before it could explode next to Ukrainian cargo planes. Russia would likely respond by expelling the Goethe Institut — Germany’s cultural centers abroad — from offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Although ostensibly only cultural, experts have long suspected Moscow uses the building for spy activities because the gigantic embassy on Unter den Linden isn’t apparently enough.
Hacker attack still a problem
A number of administrative tasks are still offline in Berlin more than a week after hackers accessed sensitive government information, according to Tagesspiegel. Online applications for construction and historic preservation permits as well as special use permits like temporary no-parking zones or tree removal aren’t possible. The Berlin transport and urban development offices were cut off from the internet after hackers accessed their internal communication networks, meaning workers can’t receive or answer external emails or processes — access has yet to be restored. Some recipients of social welfare payments are also waiting for their cash.
🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺
🔥 Is the firewall helping, not harming, the far-right?
🛢️ Hormuz harming gas storage levels
Factoid
Most people just know them from movies but some of us from our childhoods in the American Midwest: Berlin has tornadoes! A tornado touched down 50 km from the capital Wednesday afternoon in Fürstenwalde, uprooting a few trees and sending one through a residential roof, according to the Morgenpost. The tornado rated a IF1 on the tornado scale, according to the DWD German weather service. That’s apparently a 3 on the 1-9 scale of tornado intensities. At least three people suffered minor injuries.
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Private health insurance in Germany: why September matters
If you’re thinking about switching to private health insurance, applying before 30 September could save you money. It may also be your last chance to qualify.
Here’s why: to join as an employee, you need to earn above a set income threshold. Right now that’s €77,400 a year. In January 2027 it’s expected to rise to around €85,000, so some people who qualify today won’t qualify next year.
Private cover sounds like the expensive option. For a lot of expats in Germany, it isn’t. Our standard plan can work out around €370 a month cheaper than public insurance.
How you’ll benefit the most:
Another €140 a month off for your first five years in Europe (if you’re a non-EU citizen)
Faster appointments, because most doctors keep extra slots for privately insured patients
Better coverage, especially for preventive and dental care
Full worldwide cover for trips up to six months
Cashback for every year you don’t claim
Not sure if you’re eligible? You can check without any commitment when you get a free quote. And if you’d rather talk it through with a person, our team is here.
Compare plans and get your quote
🔗 🔗 🔗 Useful links 🔗 🔗 🔗
🎙️The 20% Berlin Podcast on Spotify
Ha-ha...no surprises about the rest of the country hating Berlin.! They hate it because it's the most un-German city in the country, which for an Englishman living in Berlin is actually quite laughable, for I find Berlin very often is still too German like my liking!
I know where my in-laws live, in rural Nieder Sachsen, would be completely untenable for me! But Berlin is infinitely liveable and rewarding...usually.
Disagree about the sarnies, though, as I find German brotchen sandwiches and belegten very appetising, but I do miss a delicious plain old ham and cheese sandwich, which I haven't found at all here. And, yes, a chip butty!
Noticed a much greater proliferation of AfD campaign posters this time around. I think I only saw handful in the last election, but now I see them everywhere, which is very depressing. We do appear to be getting ready to party like it's 1933 all over again.