Every morning at six sharp, Ibrahim Albayrak (58) pulls up the bars on his kiosk window. For 24 years, he and his brother Hussein have been running the business on the corner of Kudamm and Uhlandstraße, selling newspapers, magazines and postcards.
by Emma Neugebauer
The kiosk Yüksel is a legend! For regular customers and tourists.
“We’re open every day. There wasn’t a day when nobody opened up here.” Ibrahim Albayrak is convinced of that.
The store should now be open 8760 days at a time. Its square kiosk on the prominent corner is a listed building.
“I am convinced that I work in the most beautiful kiosk in Berlin,” he says proudly.
He came to Germany as a 40-year-old unskilled laborer, worked as a roofer or in the wholesale market. But for 24 years, the work on the Kürfürstendamm has not let him go.
Also read: BZ is looking for the coolest kiosk in Berlin!
“Everything just happens here. Motorcades after soccer games or vintage car rallies, tourists or Berliners, there is always something going on here.” Ibrahim does not reveal whether he has spotted one or the other celebrity on the magnificent boulevard. professional secret!
He still chats a bit out of the sewing box. Almost a year ago, a money transporter was attacked on the Kudamm – the thieves were disguised as garbage collectors. That got a lot of media attention. The robbery happened just two blocks from the kiosk.
“I was practically there when it happened. There’s always something going on here on the Kudamm,” says Ibrahim Albayrak with a smile.
Tell us your favorite kiosk in Berlin
The first kiosk opened in 1905 on Leipziger Platz – and of course the BZ was already in the window. We are proud of the people who bring the voice of Berlin to our readers every day. Every kiosk is a meeting place in the neighborhood and indispensable.
That’s why we’re now introducing Berlin’s favorite kiosks and, of course, the people who run the kiosks. Dear Berliners, tell us your favorite kiosk and we will introduce it. Of course you too, dear kiosk operator, can introduce yourself.
Simply mail to: [email protected]