German politicians set up €1m fund to save Berlin's nightlife
Berlin’s clubs, home to some of hottest nights on the European club scene, are facing hard times and are currently under threat of closure due to the increased property costs.
As reported in The Guardian, Berlin’s nightclubs are often housed in breweries or warehouses that have become targets for property developers. Perhaps a little surprisingly, German politicians have launched a campaign to rescue the legendary club scene in order to protect Berlin’s reputation as Europe’s heart of the party scene.
The phenomenon, called by the Berliners ‘clubsterben’ – literally, ‘club death’ – is currently affecting around fifteen venues, with three clubs having already closed within the last few months.
Christian Goiny, leading figure of the conservative Christian Democratic Union party, sees the capital’s nightlife as one of the most precious resources of the city. He is now heading the fight and says that Berlin’s clubs have always moved around the city but what’s new is that “practically entire city districts are being cleared out.”
A fund of €1m (£835.000) has been set up to help protect the decreasing nightlife scene, which will be used to help the clubs affected to find new locations and hold fundraising gigs.
