One camp keeps a small bamyar^ of animals, and flies a black pirate skull-and- bones flag. An older man came out to make sure that I wasn’t taking any pictures. Many of these squatter communities prefer anonymity because of their unending fight with police and neo- Nazi skinheads. Berlin will again be the capital of Germany soon, and it is competing to host the Olympics, so the 100-odd squatter areas are causing some concern about how tourists see the city. After the wall fell, with increasing harassment in West Berlin, squatter activity shifted to vacant buildings and lots in the politically disorganized east. Many are still fighting for the right to stay, while others secured support from the city for self- help renovation projects. I rode past Checkpoint Charlie, the famous former border crossing. The market has exploited this scene for decades, and with cafes, souvenir stands, a border museum and guard tower, most tour buses eventually find their way here. A few minutes down the bikelane another stretch of wall borders the site of the Nazi-era Gestapo and S.S. headquarters. Today a museum and information center stand here, serving to remind visitors of the terror of fascism. I came across the remains of Potsdamer square, at one time the center of Berlin and the busiest downtown in Europe. Over the last couple of years a trailer community has squatted here. On weekends, the southern parts of these huge fields are Opposite, top: the now public Oberbaum bridge is auto-free, and the surrounding neighborhoods ensure it stays that way. Opposite, bottom: A squatter community at Heinrich-Heine Square. Above, a Wallfragment at the Parliament of Trees (across from the National Parliament) reads: “One can't make culture with politics, but perhaps politics with culture. ” Below, workers modify pieces of the Berlin Wall for resale. Blocks of wall are spray painted to look like graffiti, and then small pieces are hammered out. RAIN Spring 1993 Volume XIV, Number 3 Page 31
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