Berlin blues

For all the overblown rhetoric that accompanied German unification in 1990, Berlin has never quite punched its weight as a premier league European city.

Claims that the German capital would emerge as an economic and cultural powerhouse in the new Europe were accompanied by massive building programmes as Berlin awaited a wave of corporate relocations to the city. They never arrived. True, the federal government moved some of its ministries from Bonn to Berlin, and (sometimes with great reluctance) parliamentarians swapped the sedate charms of the Rhineland for Berlin – a gritty sort of place in the heart of the East.

First time visitors to Berlin are often surprised to find that the demeanour of the German capital has more in common with Warsaw or Minsk that with places in western Europe. But you do at least see young faces on the streets of Warsaw. Less so Berlin, which has an ageing population. More Zimmer frames per hectare than most cities.

Of course there are the lakeside villas in leafy Wannsee where retired company directors enjoy the view, but for most elderly Berliners life is a matter of struggling to get by on a meagre pension. The economy falters and right across the city there are whole blocks of empty housing.

Low rents have their benefits. Few other European countries can claim that their capital city is one of the cheapest places to live in the country. And footloose cultural industries looking for low overheads bring a buzz to the city’s artistic scene – avant-garde film, design, jazz, experimental theatre and contemporary dance are staples that cock a snoot at the oldies’ diehard affection for German high culture (and disdain for the modern).

And the very emptiness of Berlin’s hinterland, for many a source of apprehension, is one of the city’s great assets. Travel in almost any direction to find serenely beautiful lakes and forests. Living in an economic desert brings some advantages.

As it happens, we live in Berlin. And, for all its faults, we rather like it.

This is the tenth in a series of short perspectives written for thiseurope.com by Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries. The authors are the editors of hidden europe, a magazine (in English) that explores European culture and society. Find out more on www.hiddeneurope.co.uk.