By Danilo Gladow
Poor hygienic conditions, acrid smell. People live in terrible conditions in a Lichtenberg container residential park – and now the electricity has been turned off.
The trailer park on Hönower Wiesenweg in Karlshorst has had dramatic conditions for years: 12 square meters of living space in small containers. Two outdoor toilets are available for up to 200 people. Rent: 500 euros upwards (electricity included). People, including children and the sick, live here in precarious conditions.
The electricity was cut off last Wednesday. Reason: “Two times theft of electricity, a manipulated meter and an unsafe line,” says the Berlin power grid.
Here we pay 590 euros for 13 square meters – Ebay classifieds said 22 square meters at the time. It’s unbelievable that our electricity has now been turned off even though we paid for it. Our food is gone. We can no longer live properly here Photo: Ufuk Ucta
“The situation is bad. My health depends on the electricity. My medication needs to be refrigerated,” says resident Tobias Jörg (41). And further: “I have no idea what’s going to happen here – I don’t want to end up on the street.”
According to the responsible city councilor Kevin Hönicke (39, SPD), “the operator has known for years that his business model is illegal there and cannot be approved because living in a commercial area is not permitted.” He accuses the property owner of exploiting the residents.
I think it’s terrible here anyway. And now something like this is happening. For me it was a shock. The aggressiveness here in the settlement is increasing – the situation is bad and I don’t know whether I will have to live on the streets again in a few months Photo: Ufuk Ucta
Landlord Ulrich Ziegler (34) is no stranger: The convicted fraudster spectacularly escaped from the Moabit prison in May 2014 (BZ reported). He will also operate additional trailer parks in Niederschöneweide and Grünau. He did not respond to BZ’s request.
In the “Tagesspiegel” he blamed the district for the power cut: “Personally, I assume that Mr. Hönicke is orchestrating a catastrophe” and then enforces the eviction as not something he wanted, but inevitable.
What’s next for the residents of the trailer park? For Hönicke it is clear: “If living spaces are uninhabitable, the landlord is legally obliged to provide replacement living space. I expect this from the operator in this case too.”