Berlin might still be sexy, but it sure ain’t poor

Why it's time to cut off the capital's subsidies.

The new Stadtschloss in central Berlin. Photo by Jahanzeb Ahsan on Unsplash

Dear Reader,

The most famous phrase ever uttered about Berlin in its reunified incarnation was coined in 2003 by then-mayor Klaus Wowereit.

Wowereit, who famously loved a party, described the German capital as “arm aber sexy” – poor but sexy.

When Wowereit spoke those words, they still rang true. During the division of the Cold War years, industrial powerhouses like Siemens had left the city and moved to the Federal Republic proper. West Berlin was such an unattractive place to live that the West German government had to pay people to stay there.

After the Wall came down, vast spaces opened up for experimentation. Techno clubs appeared in derelict warehouses or underground vaults near the former border. Neighbourhoods such as Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain were dotted with empty buildings and squats.

That is all in the distant past now, though. That mixture of emptiness and creativity gave the city an irresistib…