Berlin: Mecca of culture, art and lifestyle

[Wizened Variations]

Originally Posted by molsonexport

is mecca really the best analogy? I mean, if you think about it, secular, eclectic and hedonistic berlin is almost an anti-mecca.

INDEED! lol!

[Lear]

Originally Posted by ue

I'd love some examples of what it is producing of note

The Berlin sex industry ?

• Video Link

[Wizened Variations]

Originally Posted by Lear

The Berlin sex industry ?

• Video Link

You have to have a lot of poor, fairly good looking women (and men) to make a huge sex industry in a city, as well as legions of people with money to burn.

Berlin has been there before, when the Mark experienced hyperinflation in the early 20s and too many Germans had to enter the sex trade so families could eat. At the same time, in the US, and, to a lesser extent in the UK, there was a huge post-war boom which produced a large number of tourists with money in their pocket.

The same dynamics could occur now, where poor, rather good looking young people from the Balkans would support themselves on the streets of Berlin.

Only those Germans who would be unduly fascinated with being on the receiving end, IMO, would practice the trade in Berlin. And, as Berlin becomes more of a tourist city, the German crew likely could not supply the demand.

Hence the possible supply provided by the poor member (and to be members) states of the EU.

*************
Add Greece, Spain, and, Portugal to the list of "contributory states."

[Lear]

Danish Band

• Video Link

[aquablue]

If you're an english speaking unemployed person from the americas, can you really survive in Berlin doing something creative? Language issues exist, german isn't an easy language to learn I'm sure. Does everyone speak English or do you need to learn German? Berlin is still the mecca I assume at this point, that is why i'm asking.

I bet you can't unless you are an artist of talent and there is a market for your product. I mean, what is the rent for a decent 1 bedroom apartment in an area of creative types?

is berlin a good place to go to university for students from abroad who only speak english?

prostituion is legal in Berlin? Really? crazy stuff there.. we're not in kansas anymore.

[ue]

All of Germany has legalized prostitution. Berlin actually lacks a red light district though that other German cities have because there isn't a requirement for brothels to congregate in that city.

Berlin is dirt cheap to live in, which is probably why it is a magnet for artists (what they're producing, aside from avant-garde stuff and electronic music, I'm not sure, as I asked and just got the video above ). I've heard of people renting spacious apartments in trendy Berlin neighbourhoods like Prenzlauer Berg and Neukolln for dirt cheap. Couple that with cheap food, museums, entertainment, and Berlin definitely has the edge over the traditional centres of art to the west - London, Paris, Amsterdam, Florence, and Rome.

[rohanjain]

Berlin seems like fascinating place to go.

[Lear]

Video Link

[Lear]

German again: Bay Area Jews reclaim citizenship - JWeekly.com

In the past two decades, however, Germany has become a country that people flock to instead of flee from.
In addition to the tens of thousands of Jewish émigrés who have streamed in from the former Soviet Union, Berlin’s reputation as an artistic, tolerant mecca continues to attract young Israelis — as many as 20,000, according to some estimates — as well as American Jews. Germany’s total Jewish population is estimated at 104,000, not including another 150,000 former Soviet émigrés who do not affiliate with the Jewish community.

[Lear]

Berlin Streetart

[Lear]

World Cup Fanfest on 800 private sofas in a stadium.
Its the home ground of 1. FC Union Berlin…...

• Video Link

[10023]

Originally Posted by cubs20089

Berlin is sort of like the Chicago of Europe. Both cites have had dark times in their past and are sometimes derided by snobs who like the more famous cities better (N.Y, L.A., San Fran; Paris, Rome, London), but in reality are just as wonderful as those cities

The comparison is more apt than it seems, frankly.

For a while in the 19th century, many people thought Chicago would become the largest city in the US because of its central location and drew comparisons to Berlin within the German Empire (which extended much farther east than Germany does today).

And then you have (Berlin politician) Walter Rathenau's quote from the 1920s about Berlin becoming an industrial city and not just a political/cultural capital: "Away with Athens on the Spree, now we have Chicago on the Spree".


edit: looking for the name to go with the above quote, I found this random article...

http://www.themorningnews.org/articl...a-on-the-spree

[Crawford]

To me, Berlin is like the anti-Chicago.

Chicago is known to be a huge business center, stereotypically "the city that works", and has a rep. as being very American, very straight-shooting, very representative of the best and worst of America.

Berlin is like the least German city in Germany, has almost no corporate might, and is best known for decadance, history, government, and fringe artistic ferment.

[Wizened Variations]

Originally Posted by Crawford

To me, Berlin is like the anti-Chicago.

Chicago is known to be a huge business center, stereotypically "the city that works", and has a rep. as being very American, very straight-shooting, very representative of the best and worst of America.

Berlin is like the least German city in Germany, has almost no corporate might, and is best known for decadance, history, government, and fringe artistic ferment.

Berlin is just starting to boom, and, only issues on the eastern fringe of the EU will slow it down. The city is in a fantastic geographic position. The city's post war history is unique, as the city simultaneously was communist and capitalistic- people over age 40 understand both systems. And, as you point out, an incredible amount of history.

I know that if I owned a German business, I would have a growing office in Berlin. If I owned (or ran) a business that needed to serve Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Denmark, as well as Germany, I might headquarter there.

(If I wanted to serve Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belorussia, the Ukraine, and, Finland, I think I would choose Warsaw. If I wanted to do business in Russia, Moscow- though I would prefer St. Petersburg.)

[10023]

Originally Posted by Lear

You are laughing at yourself don´t you ?

Yes, China is a BRIC state, an emerging country. But its size and its position in global trade makes it also politically relevant.

I do agree that Berlin and Moscow are quite different (and would actually argue that Moscow isn't in Europe). But anyone who doesn't think Moscow is important politically, hasn't been paying attention.

[Lear]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Berlin is like the least German city in Germany.

Hm. The capital and (by far) largest metropolis isn´t German ?
Quite the opposite I guess.
If anything, Berlin has re-defined Germanness !

What is also true though, that Berlin is becoming more and more the epitome Europeaness as well. Its start-up reputation is also growing….

One of the worlds largest World Cup Fanfests : 300.000 visitors in Berlin





The worlds smallest Fanfest : Berlin Lego Center

[SE9]

^ Berlin's Fanmeile is excellent.

The city pulls it off better than any other on the continent.

• Video Link

[Lear]

Germany celebrates World Cup Victory

Stadion an der Alten Försterei in Berlin
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[Lear]

Young Israelis are Flocking to Berlin - Newsweek


Israeli Entrepreneur (33) in Berlin:

“But since then the number of Israelis has increased at an incredible rate.
Today you can easily build a company here with just highly qualified Israelis.
Berlin has become the international symbol of cool.”

Copyright: Wir lieben berlin facebook channel

[alchemist redux]

Originally Posted by Lear

Hm. The capital and (by far) largest metropolis isn´t German ?
Quite the opposite I guess.
If anything, Berlin has re-defined Germanness !

Germany is a big and diverse country, but Berlin is most definitely not representative of what you might call the "gestalt" (if you want to use a German term) of Germany.

It's kind of like how the US is a big and diverse country, but New York City is definitely not representative of whatever commonalities exist in the rest of the US. It's true that the typical Californian is different from the typical Texan, Iowan, Vermonter, Alabaman, etc. but if a New Yorker entered their conversation it would become clear that they have more in common with each other's lifestyles than with that of the non-car driving, apartment-living, high fashion-spending New Yorker.