Bohemian Berlin is nearly dead.
Or so claims a recent LA Times article bemoaning the demise of the underground art scene at the hands of commercialism.
Yes folks, it’s an age old theme but it’s happening once again, this time in the German capital.
During the Cold War, West Berlin was a haven for artists who received subsidies from the government for the hardship of living in the walled city. The art scene really took off, however, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the resulting mass of condemned and vacant buildings in East Berlin which squatters quickly took over and transformed into, you guessed it, a Bohemian enclave.
After nearly 20 years of artistic freedom, however, studios are going upscale, Starbucks is moving into old communist neighborhoods, and rent is becoming increasingly more unaffordable for artists. Berlin is slowly transforming into a well-heeled, affluent city that has less and less room for artists and an expanding amount of space for bankers, lawyers, and government slogs.
Is Berlin losing its character?
I hope not. No other city in all of Germany is as wild, vibrant, and so very un-German-like as Berlin. And I, for one, hope it stays that way.
