By Pauline von Pezold
Berlin was once famous for its many neighborhood and corner bars. Now more and more such traditional places are disappearing. “Höher’s Eck” in Prenzlauer Berg is also threatened with the end. But the owner and neighbors are fighting for their meeting point.
The corner pub on Rhinower Strasse has been around for 120 years. Athina Dürre (25) and her wife Sonja took over the pub from Athina’s father after the corona pandemic and breathed new life into it. While older regulars and football fans used to sit at the bar, today the audience is a colorful mix.
Athina Dürre (25) took over the corner pub from her father Photo: Olaf Selchow
Regulars have stayed, younger visitors have joined. In any case, there is no shortage of customers. Rainbow flags decorate the wall, smoking is allowed inside, half a liter of house beer only costs 3.30 euros – a real Berlin pub that is becoming increasingly rare.
With the changed bar concept, however, the noise level also changed – to the annoyance of a neighbor in particular. Because she had often moved from the bedroom to the sofa because of the volume, she sued the homeowner, a Danish investment company, for a rent reduction.
Andreas Otto (61, Greens) is committed to maintaining the pub. “We need dialogue instead of court proceedings. That’s why I invite the owner, landlady and residents to one table,” he suggests Photo: Olaf Selchow
The result: the corner pub’s lease was terminated. “They see the lawsuit, don’t feel like it and want to get out of the pub – you can’t deal with something like that superficially,” criticizes Green politician Andreas Otto (61), who is committed to preserving it.
Because neighbors and pub owners don’t want to give up the “Höher’s Eck”, they have launched a petition that has already collected over 10,000 votes. So far, however, homeowners have not been impressed. Even when asked about the BZ, no one commented on this.
“We really make sure that we clear the terrace at 10 p.m. sharp, we’ve closed the room where the shaft is, which echoes into the neighbor’s apartment. I would also be willing to install noise protection at my own expense,” says Athina Dürre. However, no one is willing to negotiate or compromise.
“They behave themselves since the pub was supposed to be saved,” confirms the neighbor. However, she does not want to withdraw her lawsuit. “I’m only suing for my money, not against the pub,” she says.
Marijke E. (54) and her daughters Matilda (20) and Laetitia (23) live in the same house as “Höher’s Eck” and are committed to preserving it. “I used to walk past it here as a child, now I go here myself with my friends. The same people are still sitting at the next table as they used to be – there is almost nothing like that anymore,” says Matilda Photo: Olaf Selchow
In order to save the pub culture, the SPD parliamentary group in Pankow is calling for a pub summit and has submitted a corresponding application to the district assembly (BVV). The district should therefore better support endangered restaurateurs in the future. “Traditional restaurants have an important social function. Neighborhood pubs like Höher’s are places of togetherness, exchange and cross-generational cohesion,” says district politician Thomas Bohla (52).
Athina Dürre and her supporters are not giving up either. They offered the homeowners to meet in the pub and look for solutions together.