By Mary-Lou Künzel and Stefan Peter
Will the Grünau lido become a case for politics? Not everyone gets admission there on hot days – then decisions are made based on where they come from. At checkout, visitors will be asked for their zip code!
Postal number, postal number: Loud “Daily Mirror” visitors from Neukölln were turned away because they did not come from districts with the correct numbers. There is also talk of ID checks.
The BZ was on site at the lido on Tuesday. 24 degrees, cloudy sky, few visitors. Tickets are available at the ticket machine. An employee: “We don’t always ask for the zip code. Usually from about 400 people. We then see which clientele is staying.”
BZ reporter Mary-Lou Künzel on Tuesday before the bathroom Photo: Christian Lohse
The employee also shows the BZ reporter the list of permitted postcodes. It doesn’t say Wedding, for example! What the selection is based on remains a mystery. should possible troublemakers be sorted out? The tenants did not answer an official request from the BZ.
The owners of the lido are the Berlin baths companies. A spokesman told BZ that the tenant had to “ensure public bathing operations during the summer season”: “Any further procedures are solely at the discretion of the tenant, who has the domiciliary rights.”
The entrance to the Grünau lido on the sports promenade Photo: Christian Lohse
Inquiring about the postal code has already been done in the lido for the past two summers. This was justified with lower capacities due to the corona measures. In case of large crowds, Berliners from the vicinity of the bath would be preferred.
This is what Berlin’s politicians say about such practices:
► “If that turns out to be true, this is clear discrimination against people with a migration background and the socially disadvantaged,” says the Left MP Elif Eralp (41).
►Stefan Foerster (41, FDP): “Leaseholders have the entrepreneurial freedom to design the admission in such a way that the pool is not overcrowded and all guests feel comfortable there. Since the leaseholder of the Grünau lido has invested a lot, he also has an interest in maintaining a good condition.”
►Tom Schreiber (43, SPD): “Selecting by zip code is completely skewed. What’s next – by age, height and weight? If the tenant only wants to admit certain groups, he could introduce a family day. Or he founds an association, then only members are allowed in.”
Conclusion of Stephan Standfuss (50, CDU): “The style boom with the postcodes is the result of a failed policy. The Senate must finally work out a sensible safety concept for all pools with the pool companies.”
