in Berlin, the nightlife mobilizes against the extension of a motorway

The A100 motorway is the equivalent of a ring road which almost goes around the German capital. Almost, but not completely: this is why the project plans to add five kilometers to the southeast of the city. The future 2×3 lanes must cross the Friedrichshain district, in the former East Berlin. Since the fall of the Wall in 1989, this district has been considered the temple of trendy youth and electro clubs: nightlife has flourished there by taking advantage of the industrial wastelands and available buildings, and many clubs are located on the future route of the highway.

Hence the mobilization and the demonstrations against this project: there is no question of seeing the clubs that have made and still make the great hours of Berlin nightlife disappear. According to the spokesperson for the clubs commission, at least five sites are threatened. A few days ago, a demonstration organized along the future highway route brought together nearly 20,000 people.

Outside Berlin, opinions are more nuanced: according to a recent survey published in the newspaper Die Weltmore than six out of ten Germans are in favor of the development of motorways.