All posts by Helle Møller

Retired from a long working life as secretary/assistant in UN and EU institutions. Freelance stress counsellor and proofreader/copyeditor. Now living in Berlin.

Berlin

The diversity of my Hood

13/09/2020 Helle Møller

In lovely September weather, I thought I would go for a quick walk in the area before the Sunday hordes of morons, acting like Corona never was, hit the streets.

One of the many new buildings around what used to be the original location of the retail flower market in Berlin, and also once of the Berlin Observatory where Neptune was discovered, between the Jewish Museum and the southern end of Friedrichstraße, is Frizz23, a “cultural co-ownership project”, with, among other places of interest Café Nullpunkt, serving delicious vegetarian and vegan food and aiming for zero waste, and Bolsos, a shop selling hand-made bags made of recyclable material.

Also in the area is the location of one of the early concentration camps – the ”Gutschow-Keller”.

The warehouse with a basement in the second courtyard of the building Friedrichstraße 234 was owned by the greengrocers Hermann and Paul Gutschow who also owned the imposing building in Wilheminian style across the street in Friedrichstraße 17.

Already in 1932, the Gutschows placed their warehouse and basement at the disposal of the ”SA-Sturmbann III/8″.

From March to May 1933, the place was one of the first concentration camps in Berlin. Prisoners called it ”Blutburg” (castle of blood). Hundreds of trade unionists, communists, social democrates and Jews were seized in their homes, at their places of work and in the street and abducted to this place and interrogated, humiliated and tortured.

As these torture chambers of the SA were placed in a large tenement block, the screams could be heard from the street and the neighbourhood knew about the imprisonment, maltreatment and torture.

I have, as yet, been unable to find out what happened to the prisoners subsequently. One might suspect that they were transferred to larger concentration camps and killed.

The relatively new urban garden, next to the equally relatively new TAZ Building, is coming along nicely. There is also a Sprachcafé and a DIY bike repair shop:

Hand-made shoes:

Back towards Lindenstraße, in the building to the right of the Blumenthal Academy is another new café, a branch of the bio bakery and café Beumer & Lutum. And finally, a photo of “Neighbours from Hell” as seen from the street.

Berlin, The Balcony that "would not be affected"

I always give back what I have borrowed

13/09/2020 Helle Møller

Cresco Real Estate

The Balcony that "would not be affected"

More Lies

10/09/2020 Helle Møller

When in May 2019 at a meeting of owners in the building we were first informed about the renovations next door, we were told that the part of the scaffolding that is really close to our balconies would be there for six to eight months (starting in June 2019) and that our balconies would not be affected. I was surprised that we were offered compensation – on hindsight probably a pitiful amount but I did not pay much attention because – six to eight months seemed like nothing, and “my balcony would not be affected” – so – yeah-yeah, whatever. And in any case, that was the first and last we have ever heard or seen of that money, so perhaps that was just another lie.

Now I finally understand why I was lied to so blatantly. If I had known:

To what extent a summer, an autumn, a spring, and another summer– and most likely the second autumn as well – would be ruined;
The amount of cleaning I would need to do over and over again;
The ugliness I would have to look at;
The amount of sun and daylight that would be stolen, and for how long (years rather than months);
The inexplicable and despite many complaints loud shouting, roaring and singing (?) sometimes already shortly after 6 AM, even on some Saturdays, which wakes up the entire area;
Not to mention the construction noise which up to now has been for longer periods of time and louder than I ever thought possible, often causing me to have to get out of the flat – in times of Corona where I should be at home – and on my balcony (!) – most of the time;

– I would have paid more attention, been less impressed that they were even offering any kind of compensation, and reserved the right to adjust that amount upwards later.

Do I feel like an utter fool? You bet.

By the way – what is that ridiculous net doing there? It no longer has any function, since it is hanging loose in many places, sometimes flapping wildly in the wind. All it does is make the whole thing look even more messy and ugly. But perhaps, to them, that is reason enough to leave it there.

Cresco Real Estate

Schön & Sever

GBP Architekten

Berlin, The Balcony that "would not be affected"

Like a gift that keeps on giving

10/09/2020 Helle Møller

Came home to find some more “presents”. Even more disgusting ugliness to tolerate. And just in case I was twiddling my thumbs and desperate for something to do – I can always keep cleaning my balcony.

Have they communicated with me about this in any way, shape or form? No, of course not. Their arrogance just keeps reaching new heights. They are renovating one of the ugliest buildings in the world and it is “UNTER DENKMALSCHUTZ”. Ooooohh. That means they can do whatever they like.

By the way, I’m told the building I live in is also unter Denkmalschutz. I don’t for the life of me understand why, but there it is.

Cresco Capital Group

Schön & Sever

Photography, Travels

The Sea, The Sea! Norddeich, Norderney and Juist 31 August to 4 September 2020

05/09/2020 Helle Møller

I went on what turned out to be a fabulous five-day trip to the North Sea. I guess I should thank the “Neighbours from Hell” (now in stereo), since because of them, I had been scrambling to find a place to go which would seem like another planet, without actually leaving the country.

The Wadden Sea (das Wattenmeer, Vadehavet) is fascinating (which I already knew, having spent a week in Sankt-Peter-Ording two years ago), the weather was its September best, and I gorged on fresh fish and seafood, and walked a lot.

Norddeich

I was based in Norddeich which was convenient for taking ferries to and from Norderney and Juist, and – like most coasts facing the North Sea, has a long, tall, dike with a promenade on top providing a marvellous view of the Wadden Sea and the tides. On top of that, the main road is lined with restaurants serving, among other things, fresh, wild-caught fish.

If I had had one more day there, I would have joined one of those guided walks

Memorial for people lost at sea – Gedenkstätte Meeresblick:

Feeding frenzy at “Seehundstation Norddeich“:

On the way to and on the ferry to and from Norderney:

Norderney

Some people are, of course, too busy to spend time on a 45 minute ferry ride. Then it is much more efficient to spend time in cars getting to and from airports.

Norderney memorial to people lost at sea:

Juist

The island without any kind of motorised vehicles except certain public services.

On the ferry:

Sharp photos will never be my forté, especially not when it comes to wildlife, but I am quite pleased with the above two photos. I am not sure which one I like best.

On the highest points, you can see the sea on both sides from the same spot:

Berlin

The free space in the middle of Mehringplatz under Renovation

29/08/2020 Helle Møller

Mehringplatz is being restored to its former glory. I regret not having taken any photographs before they started renovating it, but that is probably because it was a wasteland.

The whole area was practically flattened during WW2, so the “peace column” and the statues must have been in protective storage since they seem to have survived unscathed.

I wonder how it will change the currently very diverse, rather densely populated residential area around it once the work is finished.

Here are photographs taken on 29 August 2020:

Approaching Mehringplatz along the southernmost part of Friedrichstraße from Franz-Klühs-Straße:

The walk, anti-clockwise first:

Some public advice on how to keep moving:

Right now an unlikely location for a contemporary-art gallery (KM ), but some time next year, the surroundings might be more stylish:

And then, between Lindenstraße and Mehringplatz, five minutes from home, a garden I did not know was there:

Between Mehringplatz and Hallesches Ufer, a memorial to Marie Juchacz:

The home stretch: Back along the southernmost part of Friedrichstraße and across to Lindenstraße:

And finally, some new buildings finished around 2018 – in the middle the expansion of the Jewish Museum (the original building is behind me) – where the old retail flower market used to be.

Berlin, The Balcony that "would not be affected"

Chapter Number 27 in the Never-ending Saga of the Balcony that would not be Affected

26/08/2020 Helle Møller

Fortunately, I am escaping the nightmare again next week (it is not just the mess but most of all the noise which now starts at 05.45 AM and continues throughout the day so no chance of a mid-day nap), so I am not sure I can be bothered to clean that up, since most likely there will be more when I get back.

The bigger question is, how much longer will I have to look at all this ugliness: