Goodbye to the R.A.W. Gelände (as we know it)
The area known as R.A.W. Gelände is undoubtedly one of those areas that define the spirit of Berlin. Consisting in a jumble of derelict buildings no one doubts it's one of the last subcultural compounds in the city but in less than two years, it’s gonna change radically.
Founded in 1867 as a train repair station ('Reichsbahn-Ausbesserungs-Werk', aka R.A.W.), it remained in operation until 1994. Since 1999 the graffiti-slathered grounds have been a thriving offbeat sociocultural center for creatives of all stripes. Today we can find clubs, bars, an indoor skate park, a swimming pool club, a bunker-turned-climbing-wall and a Sunday flea market. Walking in the area, one may think that nothing has changed in these years but you only have to look up to see that monstrous buildings have been gradually appearing all around, which have little to do with the spirit of the area. The truth is that in 2015, the Kurth Group, a real estate company from Gottingen acquired a very big percentage of the R.A.W. Gelände which is located in the heart of Friedrichshain, a neighborhood in constant transformation. And with the purchase came the ideas for renovation (and profit).
3D recreation of the new R.A.W. Gelände. Image by Holzer Kobler Architekten/Atelier Loidl
Even though the Kurth Group has been at pains to communicate his intentions to preserve the history of the place and continue offering a space for art, culture, music and party, the truth is that places such as The Urban Spree beer garden and the Suicide Circus club, the Haubenaucher bar and the Astra concert hall will be replaced by a huge 100m office tower and a market hall which construction is scheduled to start in 2024. On the contrary, concerts and clubs such as Cassiopeia or Zum Schmutzigen Hobby have a protection of at least 30 years.
3D recreation of the new R.A.W. Gelände. Image by Holzer Kobler Architekten/Atelier Loidl
Perhaps what is about to come will be much better, who knows but with the arrival of the cranes and trucks, not only special places or graffitis will disappear, but we will also say goodbye to a part of that Berlin that every time is more difficult to recognise and that will soon only remain in the memory of those who grew up in the city or who, like me, arrived at some point attracted by that spirit of freedom and cultural effervescence. But with immigration also came the death sentence of a city that has inevitably succumbed little by little to the effects of globalization. Gentrification at its best I'm afraid.
