by Manuel Jaeger - Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss der FU

EDITORIAL BOARD:
Philipp Bahrt, Viktoria Braunstein, Sami Maazouzi, Julia Martin, Lars Tenfelde,
Niklas Walendy, Jette Würfel
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
Anna Islentyeva
CONSULTING EDITOR:
Evelyn Marie Malinowski
TRANSLATORS:
Astrid Förster, Christopher Hartmann, Minas Hilbig, Lara Kopetz, Lasse Thiele,
Jessica Wabiszczewicz, Niklas Walendy, Antje Weber, Jette Würfel
ILLUSTRATIONS & LAYOUT:
Diana Vishnevskaia
EXPOSURE:
Medienraum HU Monbijoustr. 3, 10117 Berlin
PRINTING HOUSE:
AStA FU-Druckerei Kelchstraße 31, 12169 Berlin
CONTACT:
Social Department (Sozialreferat) of the Student Council of the Free University Berlin
Phone: + 49 30 83 90 910
Email: sozialreferat@astafu.de, sozialberatung@astafu.de
Website: www.astafu.de/sozref
Published: Winter Semester 2014/2015
Number of printed copies: 3000
First published in German in 2013 in Berlin
We, the Social Department of the Student Council of the Free University
Berlin, are very happy to finally present our first English edition of the
Berlin Sozialreader or Social Reader.
In this booklet you will find general information, different links, tricks and
tips which might be of interest and use for those who live and study in Berlin. In six chapters, our editorial board has collected many useful tips, with
the help of which you will enjoy a multifaceted Berlin life, while spending
little to no money at all. It is essential to bear in mind that not everything
priced is valuable, and vice versa, not everything that is valuable has a
price. A closer insight into this tedious statement will be found in two theoretical texts at the beginning of this book.
For more assistance, please contact our Student Council (the AStA FU) who
is there to provide different kinds of information and support. We offer our
fellow students advice on problems frequently encountered at the university: ranging from concerns about the admission process to your studies
and examinations, and furthermore, on how to get financial aid from city
social funds as well as tips for living and going out in Berlin. You will find
the whole list of our services in the chapter AStA FU Service. Other Berlin
Universities also have Student Councils that are enthusiastically ready to
assist you. Their web addresses can be found below.
5
BAföG – In General....................................................................................35
Citizenship............................................................................................................36
Eligibility Depending on Parental Income..........................................................37
Eligibility Regardless of Parental Income...........................................................37
Living.................................................................................................................39
Flat-Sharing or What Does a ‘WG’ Mean?......................................................39
Student Residences...............................................................................................43
Housing Projects...................................................................................................45
Foreword..........................................................................................................5
AStA FU Services..............................................................................................8
Excursus: Economical Analysis of Poverty...............................14
Excursus: The Art of Living on Little Money...............................20
Funding............................................................................................................25
General Sources of Information on Money & Co for Students........................25
Labour, Social Security and Student Status.......................................................26
Unexpected Financial Gaps...............................................................................27
Funding in Exam Periods.....................................................................................27
Unemployment and Social Benefits....................................................................28
Scholarships..........................................................................................................28
Student Union Loans.............................................................................................30
Student Loans........................................................................................................30
Housing Subsidy...................................................................................................31
Legal Advice, Legal Aid.......................................................................................31
„Welcome Benefit”, Secondary Residence.......................................................32
Public Broadcasting Fees.....................................................................................32
Student Employees...............................................................................................33
6
Consumption................................................................................................47
Food.......................................................................................................................47
English Books & Bookshops.................................................................................50
Clothing & More...................................................................................................51
Culture...............................................................................................................55
Museums...............................................................................................................56
Theatre..................................................................................................................57
Music.....................................................................................................................60
Music For Free......................................................................................................62
Cinema..................................................................................................................63
All You Need Is Pub..............................................................................................64
Travelling.......................................................................................................75
In Berlin..................................................................................................................76
Out of Berlin..........................................................................................................79
Miscellaneous................................................................................................81
Pills and Condoms, STI-/HIV-Tests.......................................................................81
Massages and Naturopathy.................................................................................82
Hairdressers............................................................................................................83
Newspaper Subscriptions.....................................................................................83
Notes...................................................................................................................84
7
BAFÖG INFO SERVICE
We advise students on how to earn financial aid from federal funds - BAföG
loans. To find out whether you are eligible, check the website www.bafoegrechnner.de or contact us directly.
CONTACT US:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-12
Email: bafoegberatung@astafu.de
DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY SERVICE
We provide students with advice and support on the vast majority of questions
related to data protection and privacy: safe Internet search, behaviour within
social networks, encoding of data, media and emails.
CONTACT US:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-0
Email: datenschutz@astafu.de
Information Services provided by the Student Council of the FU Berlin
The issues that we focus on range from the admission process to your studies
and examinations, from advice on how to get a financial aid from city social
funds to tips for living and going out in Berlin.
To get to know us, just come by the AStA-Villa and we will try our best to assist
you. You do not need to make an appointment, except for if you seek legal
advice. To be certain that you can catch us within our office hours, please call
the information desk or check our website, where you will find all the up-to-date
information. We look forward to meeting you!
INFORMATION OFFICE
CONTACT US:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-0
Email: info@astafu.de
Website: www.astafu.de/beratungen
Address: Otto-von-Simson-Str. 23, 14195 Berlin (opposite the Mensa II)
8
DEPARTMENTAL AND COLLEGIAL REFERENCE SERVICE
Difficult to translate, the Fachschaftsreferat Service provides information and
support for faculty-based student groups – Fachschaftsinitiativen.
CONTACT US:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-0
Email: fsref@astafu.de
HIGHER EDUCATION INFORMATION
We deal with questions concerning the admission process, studies, examinations and changing courses/major/minor. We also try to assist students who
encounter problems or misunderstandings with academic staff or university
management.
CONTACT US:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-10
Email: hochschule@astafu.de
9
INFO SERVICE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
We assist students with disability or chronic illness and aid them as they may
encounter certain difficulties in accessibility at the University.
CONTACT US:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-10
Email: behindertenberatung@astafu.de
INFO SERVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
We provide assistance for international students, especially those coming from
non-European countries as they may be unfamiliar with the German Educational
System as well as language. We also offer help in getting student visas, work
permits and advocation related to prejudicial treatment and discrimination.
CONTACT US:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-17
Email: ris@astafu.de
INFO SERVICE1 FOR WOMEN*
We offer a space for women* who are looking for advice and support in various respects: we can help you with information regarding health, feminist libraries, sport programmes for women as well as tips for going out in the city. Also,
we offer guidance through cases of sexual discrimination and/or assault and
can help you to find legal, social and psychological assistance.
Visit also our women’s resource library and share your experiences, information and ideas so that we can fight sexism together. You can also simply drop
by and have a tea with us!
GAY* INFO AND SUPPORT
For gay, bisexual, inter*, trans* and questioning or queer students.
This is the hub to contact for finding a voice within a community, learning about
events and where to go out, where to get tested, other options for getting involved with Berlin community as well as much more!
CONTACT US:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-18
Email: schwule@astafu.de
LESBIAN-TRANS*- FEMINIST (LIS) INFO AND SUPPORT1
We provide different kinds of information and support for (gender)queer, lesbian, poly-, bi-, pan-, a-sexual trans*, inter* persons and women. We are a
resource center that curates a library, which contains numerous thematic magazines and specialized journals as well as term papers and theses. We are happy
to assist in research and hear out your curiosities. If you encounter any kind of
unjust or prejudicial treatment, feel free to let us know; we will try our best to
assist you with support, resources and advice.
CONTACT US:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-22
Email: lesbitransintera@astafu.de
LEGAL ADVICE
You will get help and advice from a professional lawyer.
Please make an appointment beforehand +49 (0)30 839-091-0
Office Hours: every Friday 3 p.m. - 5.p.m.
CONTACT US:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-23
Email: frauen@astafu.de
Women* refers to anyone who defines themselves as women and who want to
be perceived as such.
10
1 The room where the info service takes place is on the top floor and there is
no elevator access. Please contact us via phone or email in case it is a problem and we will find a different place to meet.
11
Social Services Info
We provide information on a wide range of questions related to social services
and jobs. We advise on how to get financial help from social funds such as
housing subsidies, child benefits, unemployment benefits and such issues as
health insurance.
Contact us:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-12
Email: sozialberatung@astafu.de
Semester-Ticket Office
The Semester-Ticket Office handles applications for exemption and subsidies
for the student public transit ticket – Semesterticket. To find out whether you are
eligible for the refund of charges, please come visit us during our office hours.
Office Hours:
Tuesday 10 a.m. - 1p.m.
Wednesday 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Thursday 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Contact us:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-40
Fax: +49 030 839-091-41
E-Mail: semtixbuero@astafu.de
Address: Thielallee 36, 14195 Berlin
Rental Service
Rental Service provides students with various kind of equipment such as tables,
benches and bikes for organization of different kinds of events.
The whole list can be found at www.astafu.de/medienwerkstatt
Contact us:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-0
Email: medienwerkstatt@astafu.de 12
Technical Equipment Rental Service
We also provide students with technical equipment such as speakers, loudspeakers, microphones, cameras and projectors for events and parties.
The whole list can be found at www.astafu.de/medienwerkstatt
Contact us:
Telephone: +49 (0)30 839-091-0
Email: medienwerkstatt@astafu.de
Other Berlin Universities also have Student Councils (AStA) that are
enthusiastically ready to assist you. To be certain that you can catch them within
their office hours, please check their websites, where you will find all the up-todate information.
Referent_innenRat of the Humbolt University www.refrat.de
AStA of the Berlin Technical University asta.tu-berlin.de
AStA of the Berlin University of the Arts asta-udk-berlin.de
AStA of the Technical Beuth Hochschule asta-bht.de
AStA of the Alice Salomon Hochschule www.asta.asfh-berlin.de
AStA of the Kunsthochschule Weißensee asta.kunsthochschule-berlin.de
Economical Analysis of Poverty
by Manuel Jaeger
The capitalistic society we live in exhibits the highest level of production in
human history. That means the number of goods manufactured in this society far
exceeds what humans in other eras have ever thought possible. Why is it that in
this “society of abundance” so many people have barely enough to live on, and
that poverty is considered a “social issue”? Poverty in capitalism has very
little to do with a lack of goods that the people in need are asking for.
Much to the contrary, goods are abundant. The people begging in front
of supermarkets and malls are an example of such abundance. Shelves
and shop windows are filled; outside pockets and bellies are empty.
This duality of poverty and riches is part of our everyday society and widely
accepted. Not everyone can be a winner, one might say. Leaving that attitude
to the side, we should ask questions about whether the better part of wealth
should be exclusively owned by 5 or 10 % of the population; or whether the
wealthy should have to pay more taxes so welfare recipients can receive 10 €
more a month; whether the number of children in poverty in Berlin should be
decreased by 10 percent, and how to tackle such a task. These questions are
the subject of much debate, but the society in which they exist is subdivided by
those who get to choose from luxury goods and those whose hardest trials in
life are investing or dropping out of a share at the stock market, to those whose
“quality of life” is determined by their skillfulness to hunt for special offers and
price tags to make a living for their families and who have to go hungry to go on
holidays. Such compartmentalization seems to be the most normal thing in the
world, and that is reason enough to shed some light on the cause of this state,
to question the model and back away from our immunity to it.
14
An attempt:
Among an enormous abundance of goods, another profusion can be
found, which, at first, seems contradictory: Poverty in all its shapes and forms.
How is it that food, clothes, technological products, and generally all
kinds of goods that one needs are produced in large quantities, but
without easier access to them, not even to the bare minimum of access?
People are short of money. The price of a good acts like a barrier that
needs to be crossed. By paying the given price, the access to the needed good
is thus categorically and automatically refused. Access is only possible in exchange for money. The better part of society, namely those who need money
and have none, are therefore confronted by the problem of getting the money
necessary for paying rent, buying food, clothes and so on. For others, i.e. those
who have money, price is not only a way of marking potential access to all
kinds of goods; it is also a component in an interplay wherein their wealth allows them to realise and sit on this potential. What is more is that their wealth
allows them to further increase said wealth.
If the aim of capitalist production was to provide goods to all people,
there would certainly be ways of consuming goods without contending with an
embargo of needed goods, lifted only when money is offered in exchange.
It is the money which indicates that perpetual poverty coexisting with
enormous wealth isn’t actually a contradiction: money explains precisely
how society works. The strategy behind capitalistic production is not to
provide people with what they need to survive, but rather a means of
blackmailing. The salespersons offer their goods in saying, “You get
what you need if you pay the price for it!” This of course doesn’t apply
to the ones who need goods most of all, but instead exclusively to those
who offer the biggest pile of cash. Every production is thus executed
calculatedly, with access granted only to those who can feed the aimed
for profit. In the end, the properties of said goods are only revered by the
production owners in so far as they serve the need of only the consumers who
offer money. However, these “consumers” need to showcase a certain buying
power, otherwise the needs and desires of people are nothing more than an
unstimulated market, where there are certainly no available goods.
15
In doing so, a general form of poverty is produced which affects practically every member of society. The exclusion from social wealth in the shape
of consumer goods. Again, how does it work that the greater part of society is
prohibited access to the existing wealth of goods? Here we are confronted
with yet another form of poverty, which is not a product of chance or an
error in the system, but rather one of its pillars. To reinforce this state of
affairs, the government uses violence. One has only to use the means
that one has available to make a living within the terms of a capitalist
economy. This is presented as a freedom given to the citizen. Those who
have money may use it to increase their wealth of goods. To fulfill this desire,
those with money find a society ready-made to fit their needs. They can not
only access all goods they need for personal consumption, but also those that
serve to further increase their wealth. Those goods are production facilities and
human labour. In those production facilities they let the acquired labourers work
and receive a ton of goods. The thus produced goods are then used to sell and
further increase their wealth.
The material needs and desires of the unpropertied class are left to rot,
even as dependent employers who are treated as nothing but a troublesome
cost factor or as consumers. They, too, need money for their goods. For
some, property is but a barrier; for others, it is a means of increase.
Those who aren’t born wealthy may still use whatever they have at their
disposal to do “their best,” even if all they have available is their ability to work
- which, in this society, is given the honourable title of a “marketable good.” The
unpropertied have to rely on those who have enough property to use it profitably in capitalism to get by. They offer their labour because they have no
other means to make a living otherwise. The goods that they produce,
however, they cannot use; they are only available in exchange for
money. As opposed to other markets, this exchange- and blackmail - relation
has a particular fierceness to it. Because consumers can’t simply put their needs
aside, hoping for better times when they can fulfill them, they purchase poor
quality goods. What this means is that within “the best society of all times,” the
greater part of the population cannot fulfill their needs for food and water sufficiently and several hundred million people are in danger of starvation because
they don’t have the money to access the food that is clearly abundant.
16
The purpose of production in capitalism is thus profit and not offering
quality of life to the people. When it comes to profit, every cost factor is
but a nuisance that is to be minimized: This primarily effects the pay of
the workers. The lower the cost, the higher the profit. This is why the pay,
the intensity of work and the length of shifts are continuously altered to benefit
the propertied. From their perspective, the pay couldn’t possibly be too low.
Low pay is the very requirement to pursue a particular production prospect. A
business “must” be profitable.
What follows such standards is that the work one does to escape the
worst poverty is certainly not the end of one’s poverty. The fact that wage labourer will also stay unpropertied is the very reason for the existence of wage
labour. It’s not a means for the labourers, but for those hiring them to make
profit with their work. Poverty and wealth are thus mutually dependent
within the capitalist society. Wealth without mass poverty is inconceivable in this society. This is a truth with most politicians, sociologists and journalists contest, at least when talking about “immoral” employment. Let’s put it
to the test: Why is there health insurance, unemployment benefit or pension?
Because even the people who worked for years to add to the wealth of “their”
“employers” are confronted with existential problems when they lose their
job because of some profit calculations: At the very latest after a few months
affording basic needs like food and a place to stay will become impossible.
Even those in employment would be hopelessly overtaxed if they had to pay
the medical costs in the event of sickness, if it wasn’t for a health insurance that
was imposed upon the entire working class. This collective responsibility for
the unpredictabilities of the life of an individual worker underline that
nobody working in wage labour gets rich. One can’t even save enough
to avoid a financial catastrophe in case of an accident or sickness, or when
one is old and can’t contribute to the profitable labour for health reasons. Even
a whole life of wage labour is not enough to rest without the fear of
poverty in one’s last years.
In any case, these achievements of a social state had to be fought for
by the working class in the first place: Nothing was arranged out of sheer philanthropy. Shifts, working conditions, child labour and pay that were aimed at
eliminating the working class were a capitalist normality. Changes were only
17
achieved in slow and small steps, always in accordance with the idea that the
capitalist wear and tear of labourers would mean the end of the entire class if
state measures didn’t prevent this. What shows this better than the fact that the
even the most basic hygiene and health regulations have to be prescribed for
the capitalists by law?
The insight, that capitalism does not work when the part of society that
is indispensable goes to the dogs had to be laboriously instilled into the governments of the past. They haven’t appropriated this knowledge for the good of
the working class, but rather to keep the system running. The survival of the
working class is key to preserving the capitalist society. A state, in which
the continuing damage and rigour that the wage labourers are confronted with
are not abolished, but their continuing existence is set in stone.
18
The Art of Living on Little Money
by Manuel Jaeger
Poverty and desire of material are part of our society. The federal government regularly outlines their characteristics in poverty statistics, thereby assuming their permanence and inevitability. Whether or not they are scandalised
depends on their impact on other political goals – if, for example, one in four
pupils in Berlin schools cannot afford schoolbooks, a discussion may arise about
the functionality of the state’s educational system. For those effected, it means
having to be tight on money and carefully considering any expenses, weighing
their needs against one another and eventually being unable to fulfill all of them.
This should make us pause to think about the dominant purposes structuring our society, in which the fulfillment even of elementary needs falls by the
wayside so regularly that we shouldn’t think of it as a temporary deficiency but
rather as a permanent condition defined in part by the exclusion of certain individuals from consumption. Many people, however, have very different things on
their minds: How can I make do with what little money I have? What expenses
can I opt to cut? Which openings can be taken advantage of? Which kinds of financial assistance are available? Which fees can I be exempted from? Being in
a (class) position that always requires great efforts but never adequate
means to meet all one’s needs is then taken for granted as a practical
necessity in a society that utilizes law and force to protect the separation
of the social product from the people’s needs. True, regardless of which
political attitude one holds towards the capitalist system, one has to make ends
meet with the dough in one’s purse. But acquiring the know-how necessary to
get by in poverty requires a mental attitude focused on making oneself comfortable within the system. Poverty, in capitalism, is not a natural disaster – it’s
socially produced. It’s the result of an economy that requires people’s continued indigence in order to make them usable for business. Whoever is looking
for ways to arrange oneself with one’s poverty and lack of property effectively
20
consents to a society in which this condition is systematically (re-)produced.
For these reasons we do not believe that dumpster diving (the salvaging of
food from supermarket garbage cans), the organization of people’s kitchens,
communal living, free stores, flea markets, et cetera, are recommendable political actions. They do not contribute to the eventual emancipation from poverty in
one of the world’s richest countries. They do not formulate the bitterly needed
critique of the insane institution of a society in which the rich get richer and the
poor get poorer. 1
From this perspective, capitalist society appears in a strange light. What is
being considered irrelevant here? The first merit lies in diverting attention away
from the social roots of the problem. Casting aside the latter with a passing
remark that they are already well-known, people prefer to deal with their own
situation as paupers: “It’s possible to get by without much money.” Of course,
once turned into a scrimper by social necessity, it’s possible to get by with a low
standard of living. But that something so simple as mere existence in a
capitalist system is honoured with the label “art of living” in these
parts says much about just how (un)desirable this daily struggle really is. We cannot accept, then, that this state of affairs in which the provision
of food, shelter, clothing, et cetera, always requires an effort on the brink of
failure that usually can only be mastered with great cunning and organisational
skills. This should be considered non-questionable normalcy. Being able to survive somehow after consulting this reader doesn’t mean that one’s needs can
be adequately fulfilled under these conditions. The mere fact that this reader
exists with a mission to help individuals in Berlin lead a halfway unrestrained
and financially stable life is telling in regard to the relationship between needs
and wealth in this society. We don’t want to get by in poverty; we want to get
by without poverty!
What do these alternative lifestyles consider crucial, then? Their second
merit is to encourage people to simply declare the factual constraints imposed
1 Regarding the assessment of dumpster diving and the other activities mentioned
here, a fundamental dissent arose between the author and the editors. One position
views these activities as a first step in the right direction which alleviates suffering
and as an expression of an environmentally conscious lifestyle; the author sees this
as a false conclusion which disregards suffering and its roots and restricts itself to an
understanding of poverty as a challenge to be met.
21
on the members of this society irrelevant for themselves individually. Just act
as if the general norm that needs can only be met if enough cash is available
does not apply to yourself! Let the clueless masses pay for overpriced and
unhealthy groceries – you just need to know a few tricks and you’ll live happily and cheaply on dumpster-dived food. This only proves that it’s possible to
live on a tight budget! It’s no longer the capitalist rules of the game that
prevent people’s needs from being met by making them dependent
on the availability of cash – it’s the individual’s cleverness now that is
being stimulated to find creative ways of dealing with poverty. If only
those affected stopped buying everything from chain stores and instead took
to dumpster-diving and going on environmentally and socially conscious shopping trips to second-hand stores, their problems would just disappear. This is a
reversal of the facts which not only misrepresents the true societal situation but
also is offensively directed against attempts to understand, critique and change
this situation. In exchange – the activists fighting against overconsumption and
waste can never seem to claim quite enough credit for this – they remain selfdetermined members of a community committed to the realization of a valuesdriven world. This world is their own, and it does not even long to be real;
immersed in a self-constructed world, people just decide to suspend the forces
of capitalism for themselves and enjoy their existence as someone who chooses
to view the profane world according to self-chosen, non-profit principles.
The grand delusion inherent in this view is simple to detect: If poverty wasn’t
affecting one’s own life negatively as well, the additional effort associated with
these alternative methods wouldn’t be necessary. For activities such as dumpster
diving, their origins in misery are fairly obvious. If it “actually” wasn’t a problem
to secure supplies of healthy food and decent clothing, who would be willing
to rummage through garbage cans full of half-rotten food for hours late at night
in order to organise a meal? Who would resort to the limited and often flawed
assortment of second-hand and give-away stores if functional and fashionable
clothing was readily available?
In capitalism, it’s obviously purely utopian thinking to assume that
people can get what they need for a good life “just like that.” But for us,
that’s no reason to put up with this conundrum.
22
General Sources of Information on
Money & Co for Students
First contact points are the Social Services Info-Points (Sozialberatung) provided by the Berlin Student Councils. If they are not able to help you, they can
at least let you know where to ask for further help.
An extensive online-guide in German:
www.studis-online.de
The Studentenwerk also has different Social Services Info-Points.
For more information:
www.studentenwerk-berlin.de/bub/dokumente
Reader for students being parents by the Studentenwerk (in German):
www.studentenwerk-berlin.de/bub/dokumente
24
Social Info Reader published by the Student Council of the Humboldt University (in German):
www.refrat.de/docs/beratung/sozinfo2012.pdf
The book contains information on BAföG, social benefits, health insurance,
jobs, housing, benefits for students with disabilities and information for international students.
Students at Work is a student workgroup from the DGB-Jugend (German Federation of Trade Unions’ Youth). This group represents and defends interests of
working students. There is also an online-forum for your questions:
www.dgb-jugend.de/studium.
The website is also available in English.
25
Labour, Social Security and Student Status
Unexpected Financial Gaps
Most students need to work to fund their studies. The negative consequences
on the length of the studies and the advancing privileging of wealthy classes of
society are obvious. A sufficient funding of everybody is not wanted politically.
The political aim is, on the contrary, to supply local labour markets with cheap
labour in order to put pressure on regular employment relations by exempting
students from social security. This exemption is effective if students do not work
more than 20 hours per week (exceptions for work over night or weekends, during semester breaks and temporary jobs). If one crosses this line, one is socially
and officially considered not a student, but a regular jobholder/employee,
obligated to pay for health insurance, pension scheme, nursing care insurance
and unemployment insurance.
It’s impossible to comprehensively approach such a huge issue in this short text.
If one is unsure about whether they have done things right, we recommend to
come to Social Services Info-Points (Sozialberatung). This service can at least
bring some light into the dark that is student jobs, mini-jobs, compensated and
uncompensated internships, obligation to obtain insurance (and exemptions),
self-employment and quasi-self-employment, contracts covering professional
fees or various other specific aspects.
People who do not accomplish today’s standard of three internships, two
stays abroad, and outstanding research activities within the standard period
of study, or whose career does not conform the given norm (leaving school
with 18, Bachelor degree with 21, pension with 67) are threatened by financial losses when reaching certain age groups. It is important to be prepared
for the loss of benefits.
More information
In the Social Info Reader of the Student Council of the Humboldt University:
www.refrat.de/docs/beratung/sozinfo2012.pdf
and at Studis-Online:
www.studis-online.de/StudInfo/Studienfinanzierung/jobben.php
Both in German.
26
!
Remember: at the age of 25 your entitlement to child allowance ends;
30 means the end for student health insurance. Also, the maintenance
claim against our parents does not persist forever, always depending on
individual cases. In case your BAföG is cancelled, there is hardly any
chance to get considerable support elsewhere.
Funding in Exam Periods
Especially people funding their studies labouring are confronted with problems in exam periods: in fact, they demand full attention, as well as deadlines
and procedures which are often fixed; still, the rent is being raised. Besides the
support of relatives, friends or a loan, it is possible (under certain conditions)
to get a loan from Studentenwerk. More information on that in their Social
Info Service (Sozialberatung).
It might also be possible to get money from the Jobcenter. You can ask to be
ex-matriculated by the time you finished all your courses and there is just you
27
final exam/dissertation missing. You might get ALG II (unemployment benefits)
for the time you need to finish your exam/dissertation.
!
But be careful! You should definitely visit the Social Info Service,
for example in the AStA, because there are many conditions and various regulations depending on your nationality, duration of stay, type
of visa, etc.
Unemployment and Social Benefits
Depending on your nationality, duration of stay and type of visa, it might be
possible to get some benefits. Either ALG II (unemployment benefit) if you are
a part time student, PhD-student or taking a semester off or benefits for special
demands for example in the case of an illness, if you are pregnant or a single
mother/father. Ask the Social Info Service at your AStA.
Scholarships
There are quite a few foundations that award to some extend specially geared
scholarships.
Most scholarships are given to students and PhD students. If you are not German, it might be easier for you to get a scholarship from your home country.
Some German foundations and institutions, however, provide offers for international students, too.
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The best-known German Foundations are:
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (close to the Social Democratic Party)
Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (close to the Left-wing Party)
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (close to the Green Party)
Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung (close to the Liberal Party)
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (close to the Christian Democratic Party)
Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung (close to the Christian Social Party)
Hans-Böckler-Stiftung (close to trade unions)
Evangelisches Studienwerk (Protestant)
Cusanuswerk Bischöfliche Studienstiftung (Catholic)
The official information website by the Government:
www.stipendienlotse.de
Index of foundations:
www.stiftungen.org
Scholarships for outstanding students:
www.begabtenfoerderungswerke.de
Conditions for Scholarships
There are three conditions that are very important if you decide to apply for a
scholarship: genius, commitment and personality.
1
2
3
‘Genius’ means that you are an outstanding pupil or student and that
you will develop that potential by being a beneficiary.
‘Commitment’ means that you are socially and/or politically active in
society (committee work at school/ university, being member of nonprofit groups or clubs).
‘Your personality’ is also very important, and most of all you need to
be a responsible, motivated and reliable individual able to contribute to
the networks of your scholarship provider.
These scholarships want to see who you are, what you do and how you
can contribute!
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Generally, you apply with a special form, CV, letter(s) of reference and
degree certification.
!
Be very mindful about the deadlines and request documents from
every provider because they tend to differ.
Student Loans/ Educational Loans:
Studentische Darlehenskasse Berlin e.V.: www.dakaberlin.de
More information:
www.studis-online.de/StudInfo/Studienfinanzierung/Bildungskredit.php
www.studis-online.de/StudInfo/Studienfinanzierung/studiendarlehen.php
Student Union Loans
Housing Subsidy
Student Unions distribute loans under certain conditions. Individuals financing
their own studies while working may receive some benefits. The Union can
also help in cases of distress or inability to prepare for final exams being the
individual’s control. For more information, contact their social info service:
www.studentenwerk-berlin.de/bub/sozialberatung
The Housing Subsidy has a strange status within Social Benefits in Germany.
In order to receive this benefit, one has to prove that all means of subsistence
can be financed. Generally, that requires an income of 382 €, plus health
insurance tax, and two thirds of rent. Still, the final amount of given money
is dependent on the number of people living in the household, the height of
income and the rent. Processing time of the applications is extremely bureaucratic and may take months.
www.studis-online.de/StudInfo/Studienfinanzierung/Wohngeld.php
Student Loans
Here the decision to lend money is made by the applicant. Especially, if the
money is needed for a short-term period, this might be a good option.
!
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Be careful: terms like Studienkredit (loan for studies) or Bildungskredit
(educational loan) suggest that the contracts offer special conditions for
students. But the devil is in the detail, so make sure you know the fine print.
Further information in this brochure:
www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/wohnen/wohngeld
Legal Advice, Legal Aid
All AStA of Berlin provide legal advice through professional lawyers. Generally, you have to ask for an appointment. See AStA FU Services.
Also, for people with low income, it is possible to request a so-called Beratungshilfeschein (difficult to translate, roughly it is a consultation certificate) at
the district court. With this paper, all expenses for an initial visit with a lawyer
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will be granted by the Government. The lawyers are allowed to ask for an
extra payment of 10 €. During the first talk, the lawyer will inform you about
the further procedure and probably prepare a request for legal aid. You can
check out if you fulfill the requirements here: www.pkh-rechner.de
“Welcome Benefit”, Secondary Residence
The federal state of Berlin awards Begrüßungsgeld, or “Welcome benefit” of
50 € to all students in higher education who registered for residence in Berlin and who previously lived in another federal state or another country. The
administrative office for citizens (Bürgeramt) holds this responsibility. You can
get the necessary forms at the Info-Service Point in front of Mensa II and the
Enrollment Office.
!
Be careful: if you declare a secondary residence somewhere else, you
might have to pay taxes for it: www.zweitwohnsitzsteuer.de
Public Broadcasting Fees
Since 2013, the GEZ (fee collection center of public-law broadcasting institutions in the Federal Republic of Germany) does not get paid per receiving unit
anymore, but rather per household. That means that as soon as there is one
person in the flat who unable to be exempted from the fee, the entire fee of
17,98 € per month is due. That also means that just one person has to pay,
regardless of how many people live in the flat. If you are not the person paying,
32
make sure that you tell GEZ the number of the people paying the fee in your
flat because they will not check that by themselves and you may get a request
for payment after moths.
Information in English:
www.rundfunkbeitrag.de/e1645/e2143/Informationsflyer_Buergerinnen_und_Buerger_englisch.pdf
Student Employees
Since the 1960s, students in Berlin have protested and fought for better conditions. The result of their protestation has stabilized the current collective labour
agreement, which sets an hourly wage of 10,98 €. The working hours fluctuate
between 41 and 82 hours per month. Further employees get about five weeks
of holidays and extra allowance for work during night time or weekends. Most
contracts run two years, and any extension up to 4 years should not be a problem. Every employee is allowed to take special leave (unpaid) for periods of
internships or stays abroad. Student aid work is considered part of their civil
service, be it in libraries, departmental administration, central service points, or
research projects. Tutors and student counsellors are also considered student
employees. All job ads are announced in the central job advertisement publication of FU Berlin or the other institutions. Some departments have their own
permanent ads on placards. Further, there is a recommended self-advocacy:
The student staff council built by 13 members espouses the best conditions for
all recruitment processes. Employers do still try to hire candidates for less than
2 years or 40 monthly hours. Additionally, the student staff council has an eye
on loopholes and indications of discrimination in the job selection process, and
has the power to join in job interviews for advocation of the interviewee. There
is a special form for working as a student at one of the institutions of higher
education in Berlin, and this bureau serves to guide you to this form as well as
assess any related questions, concerns, or problems.
33
!
Important: Working 41 monthly hours, you will gain 450,18 € earnings before tax per month. If you are still considered a dependent or share
healthcare, you should ask your insurance company about your maximum allowed income. Some insurances put a limit of 450 € if you gain
more you have to pay the monthly fee for students, which is around 80 €.
Information:
Student staff council:
www.fu-berlin.de/sites/prstudb
Personalrat der studentischen Beschäftigten
Rudeloffweg 25-27, 14195 Berlin
Tel. (030) 838 54111 Email: prstudb@fu-berlin.de
Central Job Advertisement of the FU Berlin:
www.fu-berlin.de/service/stellen
The Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz (BAföG) is the federal training assistance act for students at universities and high schools in Germany. It has
been founded 1971 by the government under Willy Brandt.
This doctrine’s main idea was to improve the rate of students in the universities who were not able to afford an academic education. The lack of highly
qualified workforce in the economy at that time was one reason to start such
a project. The question of social justice that comes with the idea of giving
everybody the possibility to study, regardless of financial background, was
purely consequential. It is emphasised that the primary motivations behind the
campaign were of economic origin.
Since 1990, the BAföG consists of a federal half loan, half benefit basis.
That means half of its proceedings has to be paid back 5 years after you’ve
finished your bachelor’s degree. The other half is free of charge, but you don’t
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need to pay back more than 10.000 €, no matter how much money you got
during your studies.
Generally, BAföG loans are independent of student achievement or grades,
at least for two first years (4 semesters). After that, proof of attendance is
required (Formblatt 5). Every field of study has a predefined maximum study
duration, after which the student becomes ineligible for BAföG, except in the
event of any special circumstances that are determined by the BAföG-law,
i.e. health problems, political work at the university, child education, pregnancy or a stay abroad. We always suggest visiting our BAföG-Info Service
at the AStA before you hand in an application for one of these reasons.
Further funds can be granted as low-interest loan for another two years if
certain criteria (like reasonable likelihood that the student will graduate during
that time) are met. If you are confronted with that situation, you should come
to our BAföG-Info Service for a piece of advice. It can be a big decision to
draw up credit.
If you are able to receive BAföG on these grounds, there is a second assessment that you have to pass before you finally get it. The eligibility for student
loans is dependent upon parents’ income as by the German law, parents are
required to fund your education. Of course, there are some exceptions, but to
determine whether you could get BAföG, not as a dependent on your parents,
we recommend that you visit our Info Service. For low-income families, BAföG
loans partly take over these obligations.
To find out whether you can receive BAföG on the grounds of the low-income of your parents, you can do a calculation with the “BAföG-Rechner”
at www.das-neue-bafoeg.de , or you fill in an application (Formblatt 1) and
send it to the BAföG-Amt.
Citizenship
Eligibility Regardless of Parental Income
To qualify for BAföG, one has to be a citizen or permanent resident of Germany
and/or have lived in Germany for at least five years. There are some exceptions
that can be interesting for international students, therefore, we will explain this
concept more precisely.
The §8 assesses the question of citizenship. It states: EU-Citizens that have the
right of permanent resident of Germany, defined by the vested benefits act
(Freizügigkeitgesetzes/EU), foreigners that have a settlement permit or a permit
of permanent residence, e.g, defined by the residence act, can receive BAföG.
This also applies to spouses of EU-Citizen and their children if they are under
community law and part of the vested benefits act.
There are a lot more exceptions to this campaign and it is difficult to describe
them so succinctly, as it takes into consideration all variability depending on the
individual. We highly recommend that you come to our BAföG-Info Service to
learn about your eligibility.
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In some cases, like most notably if the student has worked full-time for a number of years before returning to student status, BAföG eligibility is calculated
independent from parents’ income, because the parents’ obligation to fund
their children’s education ends once the children enter the workforce full-time. In
those cases, only student income and assets are consulted for BAföG eligibility
and amount calculation.
We want to encourage you to visit our BAföG-Info Service every time you
have a question or you need a piece of advice. Often students just do their
applications and communications with the BAföG-Amt on their own and
don’t understand in what difficulties they could bring themselves. So, don’t
hesitate to call or visit us! Information about the office hours can be found at
www.astafu.de/beratungen
Eligibility Depending on Parental Income
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Flat-Sharing or What does a ‘WG’ Mean?
Your Room in the WG
The most common solution for your expenditure is to look for an inexpensive room in a shared flat – in the so-called WG. That is an abbreviation for
Wohngemeinschaft. The costs for electricity, water and Internet fees are thus
shared.
Advantages:
It is cheaper than a single flat
Flatmates can become friends
You can gain orientation of the city through others’ knowledge
disadvantages:
Communication is not always easy
It’s hard to get rid of annoying flatmates
Conflicting standards about order and cleanliness
Low-price rentals you can find via your peer-group, social media and related websites: www.wg-gesucht.de, www.wgcompany.de,
www.studenten-wg.de, www.wgfinden.de, www.easywg.de,
postings in the university, on the streets, in newspapers or just by chance.
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!
Be careful: when you find cheap offers in villas close to the university
as they are often run by student fraternities and associations (in German:
Burschenschaften and Verbindungen). They are elitist, structurally sexist,
usually right-wing conservative, and sometimes right-wing radical. Even
though the prices are attractive, this is not a pleasant environment.
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The Search
The Casting
Looking for a nice room in a shared flat is not easy and can be quite challenging. In Berlin there are more requests - at least for cheap rooms - than offers.
This means room finding is very competitive. Furthermore, students in Berlin are
moving a lot. So unfortunately, there is a huge competition for rooms. This is
a matter of capitalism, and unfortunately the game we must all play. It is also
important to know that some people try to make profit out of this situation and
inflate the costs of rooms.
After you have found a nice offer in the Internet or in the newspaper, try your
best to communicate via e-mail a personal portrait and why you’re interested
in that room. Remember, the people who are looking for a new flatmate are
often receiving about 100 messages: be creative and try not to get lost in the
masses; at the same time, be optimistic as you will find something, eventually.
Read carefully about what they are looking for and ask yourself whether that
fits your needs and ideals. In Berlin you can find numerous vegetarian, vegan,
functional, queer or LGBT communities, which can be the right place for you if
you identify as such and you are interested in connecting with such communities, or not.
More than likely, you will have to write several upon several e-mails, which will
not always be answered.
Invited for a casting/interview for a WG? Keep in mind that a casting is exhausting, but can bring fun as well! Be honest and fair, ask questions and talk
about your needs instead of performing an image which you think is considered
as good. If you put your true self and needs on the back burner, you will find
yourself looking for a new flat in some months.
The internet offers loads of tips for castings, and many of them are helpful, but
many are also nonsense. They don’t give you the guarantee to get a room. If it
doesn’t work, don’t be discouraged, keep on looking for a room or think about
starting up your own shared flat with a couple of friends.
!
Don’t be discouraged: this is not typically for personal reasons,
but because of high volume! The less you restrict your requirements (to
districts, size, etc.), the more likely it is that you will find something soon.
Starting Up a Shared Flat
If you want to find a new shared flat, you can look for apartments on various
online platforms. Ask yourself in advance if you can pay a provision. You can
also find some welcoming announcements in daily newspapers.
!
Be careful: some house owners try to fool you with minimum rental
period, e.g., sliding scale. For information concerning rent law, it is worthwhile to join a renter’s association, like Berliner MieterGemeinschaft or
MieterVerein.
The average membership fee for students is around 50 € and there has to be
one member per shared flat. They also can check your rental contracts.
Berliner MieterGemeinschaft www.bmgev.de
MieterVerein: www.berliner-mieterverein.de
If you do not enjoy compromises and prefer to have your social life at the university instead of at home, a single flat is a good alternative, it will be, however,
more expensive. Cheap flats are often only available with a Wohnberechtigungsschein or rental permit.
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Rental Permit
You can rent some apartment only if you have a Wohnberechtigungsschein
(WBS) or a rental permit. This means that these flats are part of social housing
programmes. You can apply for the WBS in your district office, Bezirkamt, in
the section for social affairs - Abteilung Sozialwesen. But you can apply for
the WBS in any district, if you are looking for a flat throughout the whole city.
Addresses and numbers you can find in a phonebook under „L“ for Landesregierung (local government) or here: www.berlin.de/verwaltungsfuehrer.
You have to bring your ID-Card, proof of registration and your income, which
can be a tax card (Lohnsteuerkarte) or a letter from your parents which states
their income, and that they can and will support you in rental fees because you
are a student. If your income is not too high, you will probably get a WBS after
two months.
!
Tip: If you find a flat and want to apply for it, but do not have your WBS,
try to explain cordially to the WBS administrators that there is some urgent
need! For people with handicap or with children, there is the „WBS with
urgency“, which raises your chances to get a flat.
Student Residences
Another common form of housing is the student residence. It can be both anonymous as well as social.
Advantages:
It is relatively cheap
Circulation of new and situated residents
International interaction and contacts
Parties
Disadvantages:
Complicated communication within bigger groups
Not as much potential for customized living space
You can look for a room or flat within student residences via the Studentenwerk
Berlin www.studentenwerk-berlin.de/en/wohnen and via internet from
private providers. Be careful: these are often expensive, luxury flats.
!
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Tip: If you view these dwellings, inspect for mould and defects. And
ask yourself if you don’t mind sharing a bathroom with people you
don’t know.
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Housing Projects
Houses or flats which are created, managed and maintained by the inhabitants themselves are often called autonomous housing projects. These kinds of
collectively organised housing projects have existed since the 80s, mainly in
Germany and Western Europe. Usually, the idea is to provide affordable homes
and social networks. Thus, a lot of the housing projects are politically engaged.
In these projects you will find ways of living which differ often from a „normal“
flat-share. The projects are often rooted in the squatting movement and other
emancipatory movements, like alternative left-wing scene. In difference to joint
ownerships, the housing projects try to enable people to live a self-determined
life, without a lot of capital. It is also seen as an alternative to the isolated life in
retirement homes or single flats.
In Berlin, there are very different housing and living projects, which look for new
people from time to time. They are often groups with quite exact ideas about
who should live in their project. That’s why the „application process“ can last
quite long. Additionally, it is difficult to get a place in such a project, when you
don’t know anyone from the house yet. If you are politically active and wish to
have a collective way of living, you will have to invest some effort, as there is no
central information point. The bigger housing projects usually maintain blogs,
and the smaller ones often bring their announcements in bars. It is not possible
to give specific tips, as the diversity amongst these projects is very broad. If you
happen to be someone who is very interested in this lifestyle, then you will find
a place.
It is easier to live in projects some months for sublet. Even though you will have
to move out again, you will get in contact with new people and maybe other
projects, which can help you with your further search.
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Food
When to Buy It
You can save money by buying seasonal foods. Most fruits and veggies are
available throughout the year, but become cheaper during harvest time. You
can get a seasonal calendar at www.infofarm.de
Where to Buy It
Turkish, Arabic and Asian market stalls and shops often offer ingredients like
coconut milk, chickpeas, lentils, spices, dried tomatoes, olives, rice noodles.
These bulks are much cheaper than their German counterparts.
Farmers Markets
Find an alternative shopping experience for cheap at your local farmers market.
There’s an overview on www.mein-wochenmarkt.com/berlin. Try to come
half an hour before closing time and with a little luck you’ll get incredible bulk
offers, maybe even free stuff. If you don’t want to gorge on a crate of mangoes
all by yourself, you can swap with others.
Eat Organic
If you’re eco-conscious, but can’t afford the prices of your local organic store,
you might consider joining a food co-op. These are groups that buy food
straight from the farmer, thus cutting prices a little. Some co-ops also let you
take part in the farm work.
There’s a wiki with a list of Berlin food co-ops and further information at
www.foodcoops.de (in German).
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Find a bit more about organic and eco-conscious stuff:
ernte-teilen.org
www.gaertnerhof-staudenmueller.de
www.speisegut.com
wildegartnerei.blogspot.de
sterngartenodyssee.de
www.lebensraeume-ggmbh.de/csa-gutshof.phtml
luch-gaertnerei.de/das-prinzip.html
All of these websites are in German.
Dumpster Diving
German law prevents sale of expired products and so supermarkets dispose
mass amounts of edible stuff (10 % of bread and 5 % of all fruit and vegetables
go straight from the supermarket to the bin).
Dumpster-diving, i.e. getting food from dumpsters, can be done with friends as a
thrilling mission under cover of darkness. It also works out fine in broad daylight
- just take a small look next time you pass a supermarket. It’s not so easy in the
inner city, but as soon as you leave the ring, you will find unlocked dumpsters
overflowing with fancy stuff.
You’ll likely salvage treasures like yoghurt, pudding, milk; salads, tomatoes, carrots, oranges, eggplants with brown spots and slightly pale broccoli. If you’re
lucky there’ll be sweets, spices, cheese, and canned stuff that’ll still be edible.
Dumpster-diving is technically illegal in Germany, but is rarely prosecuted and
only found with compulsory volunteer work.
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Beware: If you climb over fences or break locks, you risk being charged
with Hausfriedensbruch (trespassing). Supermarkets usually have CCTV,
but don’t let that scare you off.
Important: Don’t be messy! Leave the dumpsters tidy!
Free Food
If taking food out of a dumpster sounds slightly yucky to you, there’s another
way: get it before it goes to the dumpster. Some smaller supermarkets and bakeries co-operate and give their unsellable food to volunteers. You can register
at: lebensmittelretten.de but need to use German to do so.
Sharing Your Food
Leftovers? Visit foodsharing.de to connect your surplus food with hungry people, or vice versa. At mealsharing.com you can meet up with people to cook
and dine together.
Harvest Yourself
Berlin might be a big city, still there are neglected fruit trees, berry bushes, and
wild herbs in abundance. The website www.mundraub.org maps them so that
you can reap the benefits.
Eating out: KüFA
The cheap Berlin way of eating out is called VoKü (Volxküche, people’s kitchen), or KüfA (Küche für Alle, kitchen for everybody). It’s a community-based
way of bulk cooking vegan or vegetarian food, which is usually sold for a
small donation of 2 to 4 €. There’s several KüfAs everyday; and brunch on
the weekends. The nice thing about it: any proceeds or profits support social or
political projects.
You’ll find a list at www.stressfaktor.squat.net/kuefa.php (in German).
English Books & Bookshops
There are booksellers in front of Silberlaube (Mensa II FU) and the Humboldt
University main building on Unter-den-Linden, selling half-priced academic
literature as well as other new and used books.
The Free University also sells its used books at its own Bücherbasar in the basement of Silberlaube. Themes covered are: antiquarian books; German, English,
Roman and Dutch philology; philosophy, history, sciences, law, art, theatre, etc.
Open Tue-Thurs., 12 - 5p.m.
www.foerderkreis-philbibliothek.de/buecherbasar
The Bargain Book Shop
Immanuelkirchstraße 33, 10405 Prenzlauer Berg
Friedelstr. 26, 12047 Neukölln
Here you can find illustrated books on art, design, photography and architecture as well as cooking or children’s books. Most of them are imported from the
United States and Britain, sold at reduced prices.
www.bargainbookshop.de
Saint George’s Bookshop
Wörther Straße 27, 10405 Prenzlauer Berg
“The largest selection of new & used English language books in Berlin and
possibly in Germany.” This English-only bookshop sells a wide range of new
and second-hand books and also organizes monthly poetry readings, music
sessions and get-togethers with authors.
Curious Fox. English Books
Flughafenstraße 22, 12053 Neukölln
New and used English books.
Open Monday-Saturday 10AM-7PM
curiousfoxbooks.com
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Another Country
Riemannstraße 7, 10961 Kreuzberg
A fine selection of used and new books of all genres. You can buy books, but
also borrow them for 1,50 € each. The store has notable queer and science
fiction selections, and often organizes book readings/performance sessions as
well as get-togethers with local authors.
Open Tuesday – Thursday 11a.m. – 8p.m., Saturday – Sunday 12a.m. – 4p.m.
www.anothercountry.de
Pequod Books
Selchower Straße 33, 12049 Neukölln
Located straight at the U-Bahn station Boddinstraße, this store has a selection
of used books in more than 15 languages, including Italian, Finnish, Polish,
Czech and Norwegian ones. If you don’t speak any language, there are also
illustrated books. Prices range from 2,50 to 4 €.
Open Monday – Saturday, 2 – 7p.m.
Clothing & More
Flea Markets
There’s more to flea markets in Berlin than Mauerpark and Maybachufer. Every district has a couple of cheap and trendy flea markets
with a variety of goods: clothing, furniture, jewelry, art and much more.
www.berlin.de/en/shopping/markets-and-flea-markets lists most
of them.
You want to get rid of stuff? Just get your own stall. Most flea markets charge
money for sellers, but there are also free flea markets or yard sale days.
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Secondhand Stores
You all know them, and they’re always worth a visit. Amongst kitsch and
rubbish, you can find small treasures, useful things and unworn clothes.
Nice alternatives to H&M-Normcore looks and Primark clothing which are
produced by the blood, sweat and tears of human labor in the third world.
We won’t name specific stores, but there’ll be a secondhand shop catering
to your taste and pocket somewhere in Berlin. Secondhand shopping also
can be found online at www.kleiderkreisel.de
Classifieds & Auctions
There’s a lot to lose in Berlin. Lost things regularly get auctioned off in the
Central Lost Property Office located at former Tempelhof airport or the
S-Bahn’s lost and found office several times a year. The bike auctions are
especially noteworthy. If you’re looking for specific things or want to get
rid of something, try the classifieds online, like www.craigslist.com or
www.kleinanzeigen.ebay.de or offline on public notice boards (found in universities, laundromats, supermarkets, etc). There are also groups on Facebook for
sharing, swapping, or giving away stuff for free (such as ‘free your stuff Berlin’).
This website may also be a real treasure:
www.bsr.de/verschenkmarkt/list.asp.
You can get a pretty good fridge or a new microwave just for a couple of beers
or a pack of coffee.
More Sharing
The Freecycle Network is made up of 5,150 groups with about 8
million members around the world. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free
in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of
landfills. Each local group is moderated by local volunteers. Membership is free; you just needs a Yahoo-account.
It is moderated by reflect! - an association for political education and society
research: www.reflect-online.org. Just sign in and you will get lots of information about Berlin events, flea markets, etc.
Clothing Swaps
Find a new outfit, all without paying! Some places in Berlin regularly organise
swap parties, where you can change your old favourite clothes for new ones.
You don’t always have to bring clothes, but if you do, it’s best to bring several
nice items, rather than loads of clothes that aren’t quite wearable anymore. You
can also simply start your own swap at your home or WG! You can donate the
leftovers to free shops, charities or sell at flea markets.
Some nice, non-commercial swaps in Berlin are:
TROC at Gelegenheiten, Weserstr. 50, 12047 Berlin (bi-monthly)
www.gelegenheiten-berlin.de
Swap-Shop at Cafe Dritter Raum, Hertzbergstr. 14, 12044 Berlin
www.cafe-dritter-raum.de
Free Shops
Free shops are exactly what the sound like. People bring things they don’t need
anymore for other people to take. Most free shops are operated by autonomous
groups such as housing projects. Here’s a small, incomplete list:
Schenkladen Systemfehler, Jessnerstr. 41, 10247 Berlin
www.systemfehler-berlin.de.vu
Umsonstlädin Ula, Einsteinufer 25, 10587 Berlin
www.ula.blogsport.de
Irving-Zola-Haus, Ohlauer Straße 12, 10999 Berlin
www.irvingzolahaus.blogsport.de
www.freecycle.org
Berlin group: de.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/freecycle-berlin/info
If you need some items, like bikes or camping stuff just a for a while, you can
also borrow them for free at: Leila, Fehrbelliner Straße 92, 10119 Berlin
www.leila-berlin.de
Open mailing list listi.jpberlin.de/mailman/listinfo/reflect-info
Try also this website: www.alles-und-umsonst.de
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Berlin is diverse, colourful and exciting. We all get lost and can lose track here.
The city provides many opportunities for every taste, budget and culture. As a
student, you can receive discounts or even visit some museums, theatre and concerts for free. There are many websites like www.gratis-in-berlin.de, where
you can view free events on any given day.
Another useful website is www.stressfaktor.squat.net, which is a schedule
for leftist subculture in Berlin. While not all of the events associated with Stress
Faktor are free, most of them are, and, besides, attending them beats touring
through a rose garden. They offer information on workshops, concerts, parties,
events, political demonstrations and related literature. The money you spend
on admission to their events as well as other costs goes toward good causes.
Inconveniently, the website is written in German; however, most event descriptions are English. When you go on the website go to Termine and there you can
see all the events.
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Museums
Theatre
Most of the governmental museums have a student discount, normally up to
50 % off. Pupils, the unemployed, and severely handicapped individuals also
receive a discount.
The annual memberships cost 25 € for access to permanent exhibitions, or 50 €
for the temporary exhibitions. Please see the procedures and requirements for
obtaining membership here:
www.smb.museum/en/plan-your-visit/annual-tickets.html
Students can save up to 70 % on admission to Berlin’s theatres. To receive the
discounts, you need to be able to present a valid certificate of enrollment or a
student identity card. In some cases, there is an age limit.
The following museums offer free admission on some days:
Akademie der Künste (Academy of Arts): tuesdays between 3-7 p.m.
Museum Knochnlauchaus: free, but donation requested
Märkisches Museum, Sammlung Kindheit und Jugend, Nikolaikirche:
every first Wednesday of each month.
Most of the memorials, regional and historic museums and collections are free, too.
A list of those you can find under www.berlin.de/orte/museum/freier-eintritt.
Berliner Ensemble
Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 1, S-/U-Bahn Friedrichstrasße
Students 29 years of age and younger pay 9 € for admission. Additionally,
the box office sells standing places, or Standplatz, for just 2 €. Tickets for the
lounge, the rehearsal stage and the pavilion cost 25 €.
www.berliner-ensemble.de/sitzplan-preise
The Berliner Ensemble offers two wheelchair spaces in the stalls with
seating for an accompanying person. The handicap areas are in the
seating group B and cost between 20 € and 25 €. Any accompanying
individual will have a reduced ticket price, and can expect to pay between 7 €
and 10 €. There is likewise a handicap accessible lavatory. The tickets must be
reserved seven days in advance.
Volksbühne Berlin
Linienstraße 227, U-Bahn Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz
Students can save up to 50 % on admission to the Volksbühne Berlin. On
Wednesdays, students get 2 for 1 admission.
www.volksbuehne-berlin.de
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Deutsches Theater
Berlin Schumannstraße 13, S-/U-Bahn Friedrichstraße
Students, apprentices and unemployed all pay 9 € reduced admission. This also
applies to tickets purchased in advance (subject to availability). It is not valid
for premieres and special events.
www.deutschestheater.de/english/tickets/
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The Deutsches Theater and the Kammerspiele have wheelchair spaces. Those who accompany the severely handicapped receive a 50 %
discounted ticket. Ramps and elevators are available. There are
handicap accessible lavatories in the foyer of the theatre. Deutsche Theater
and in the Kammerspiele accomodate any hearing impaired audience members, and provide a system for clearer audio reception in the center rows.
Schaubühne
Kurfürstendamm 153, U-Bahn Adenauerplatz
Concession tickets for 9 € are available for school children, students, apprentices and people with unemployment benefits. Depending on availability,
concessions will be sold upon presentation of valid proof of identity, including
tickets bought in advance. Once a month, the Schaubühne offers a 50 % discount on all seats in the house. You can find these discounted showcases in the
theatre program.
www.schaubuehne.de/en/start/index.html
There are wheelchair spaces in the Schaubühne. Any accompanying
person is entitled to a half price ticket. Wheelchair users are asked to
inform the theatre of their visit up to two days before the performance.
Maxim Gorki Theater
Berlin Am Festungsgraben 2, S-/U-Bahn Friedrichstraße
School children, students, apprentices, severely handicapped people and the
unemployed just have to pay 8 €. Students of the Hochschule für Schauspiel
(HfS) and the Universität der Künste (UdK) get another discount and have to
pay 6 €. Concessionary tickets can be purchased after showing proof of identity
at the box office and if tickets are still available. On Theatre day, tickets cost
10 € for all categories, for performance days please see the monthly performance schedule.
english.gorki.de
There are two wheelchair spaces. Wheelchair users are asked to register their visit before the performance.
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Renaissance Theater Berlin
Knesebeckstraße 100, U-Bahn Ernst-Reuter-Platz
Students get discounted tickets on Sundays and Thursdays for 6 € and 12 € for
events in the Bruckner-Foyer.
www.renaissance-theater.de
BKA-Theater
Mehringdamm 34, U-Bahn Mehringdamm
Students, apprentices, disabled individuals and the unemployed get a 30 % discount.
www.bka-theater.de
GRIPS
Altonaer Straße 22, U-Bahn Hansaplatz
Although the GRIPS-Theatre is considered to be a children and youth theatre,
their productions may also appeal to everyone.
www.grips-theater.de
Prime Time Theater
Müllerstraße 163b, S-/U-Bahn Wedding
In the Prime Time Theater, you can see amongst other things the sitcom
Gutes Wedding, schlechtes Wedding, a must for everyone who lives in this
neighbourhood.
primetimetheater.de
Even if you are not that fluent in German, you can still enjoy some entertainment
and become exposed to the colloquial language. In the end, there really is
no excuse to miss out on all the options for theatre going in Berlin – especially
considering that most theatres in the city regularly offer plays with English subtitles. In this regard, the programmes to pay close attention are Schaubühne,
Volksbühne, the Maxim Gorki Theatre and the Deutsches Theater Berlin. The
Komische Oper Berlin is particularly innovative in this area with displays on
the back of the seats: all productions without exception here are subtitled in
German, English, French and Turkish.
Find out more at: www.etberlin.de
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Music
Berlin and music go hand-in-hand. From classical music to experimental electronica and everywhere in between, everyone can find his or her music. The
capital alone has three opera houses, which offers discounts for students.
Besides this, there are numerous concert halls, clubs, festivals and open air
concerts.
Deutsche Oper
Bismarckstraße 35, U-bahn Deutsche Oper
Students, trainees, pensioners and unemployed persons receive a 25 %
discount from the box-office price (subject to availability). To receive any discount, proof of identity must be provided upon purchase. Premieres, external
events, specially priced events and performances of the Berlin State Ballet,
are not included.
www.deutscheoperberlin.de/en_EN/tickets#seating
Severely handicapped individuals are entitled to a free ticket in all price
categories, along with the person accompanying them.
Schiller Theater Berlin - Staatsoper
Bismarckstraße 110, U-bahn Ernst-Reuter-Platz
Upon proof of identity, pupils, students and apprentices up to the age of 30,
as well as receivers of social benefits are eligible for a 50 % discount on tickets of certain price categories and for a limited choice of seats, depending
on availability, 4 weeks prior to the performance. If available, last-minute
tickets go on sale about 30 minutes prior to the performance at a price of
13 €. Only the group of people mentioned above are eligible to purchase
last-minute tickets.
www.staatsoper-berlin.de/en_EN/home
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Komische Oper Berlin
Behrenstraße 55-57, U-bahn Französische Straße
School pupils (from 17 years of age), students (up to 30 years of age), apprentices and the unemployed are entitled to reductions. Tickets cost between 4-8 €.
english.komische-oper-berlin.de/home
Berliner Philharmonie
Herbert-von-Karajan-Str. 1, U-bahn Potsdamer Platz
For concerts in the Kammermusiksaal students have to pay 8 € at the box office.
www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en
Lunch Concerts
Every Tuesday afternoon at 1, the Berliner Philharmonie presents chamber music of supreme quality with free admission and good food. The 40-50 minute
programmes feature not only members of the Berlin Philharmonic and scholars
from the Orchestra Academy, but also instrumentalists from the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester and the Staatskapelle Berlin, along with students at Berlin’s
music conservatories.
www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concerts/lunch-concerts
The Young Orchestra of the FU-Berlin
The young orchestra was founded in 1994 and is self-organized. The orchestra
is supported by the AStA FU Berlin and is open to the public. At the beginning of
every semester there is a rehearsal phase for the concerts in February and July.
www.junges-orchester.de
You can also look at the different music schools in Berlin:
www.berlin.de/sen/bildung/fort_und_weiterbildung/musikschulen
You can also find a collection of the symphonic orchestral under:
www.bratschentratsch.de/BerlinerLaienorchester.htm
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Music for free
Cinema
The Musikinstrumenten-Museum,or MIM, is located at the Bienengarten 2. Every Wednesday afternoon there is the Jour Fixe – Musik am Nachmittag and once a month there is the Jazz im MIM, where bands can play their
best songs.
In addition to all the large, commercial cinemas in Berlin, there are smaller,
quainter ones to discover.
You should have a closer look at the websites of the following cinema theates:
Dussmann das Kulturkaufhaus in the Friedrichstraße 90 presents
not just readings and talks with artist but also concerts.
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche located at the Kurfürstendamm
237 regularly offers free concerts.
In the summer time there are free concerts every Sunday at 6 p.m. in Neukölln
at the Galerie im Körnerpark. There you can enjoy dance, singing and
music in the open air.
Every year there is the concert summer in the English Garden, many bands
and artist play music open air there.
At the Open Jam Session, you can not only listen to great music but also
make some music yourself.
For more information and other great free event look at:
www.berlin.de/kultur-und-tickets/gratis/2143985-2780284-musik.html
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Eiszeitkinos
Zeughofstr.20, Friedrichschain
www.eiszeitkino.de
Regenbogenkino
Lausitzer Str.2, Kreuzberg
www.regenbogenkino.de
Lichtblick
Kastanienallee 77, Prenzlauer Berg
www.lichtblick-kino.org
Acud
Veteranenstraße 21, Mitte
www.acud.de
Also, there are DVD viewings every night in several different bars
and house projects, which are free or for a small donation. Check at
www.stressfaktor.squat.net/termine.php?cat=5 for dates and locations.
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ALL
YOU
NEED
IS
PUB...
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during the summer already at 5p.m. Every Wednesday they serve excellent
food (vegetarian/ vegan) and every Sunday they show the television series
“Tatort” (Crime Scene).
www.b-lage.de
Tristeza
Pannierstraße 5, U-Bahn Hermannplatz
A very cool pub collective that has everything: nice people, stylish interior, and
ever changing wall decorations, located at the corner of Sonnenallee and Pannierstraße. Here you can find interesting events and discussions, pub quizzes,
and good music, all on a regular basis. During the summer months, the windows
are opened and there is an outdoor sitting area as well. It is always worth checking out new events in Tristeza.
www.tristeza.org
Silver Future
Weserstraße 206, U-Bahn Hermannplatz
Very nice pub among the Weserstraße pub sprawl, open daily from 5p.m. For
all “Kings And Queens And Criminal Queers”.
www.silverfuture.net
K-Fetisch// Café- Kollektiv
Wildenbruchstraße 86, U-Bahn Rathaus Neukölln
K-Fetisch is a large coffee shop that offers very nice coffee, wine, and a broad
range of books and magazines. There is also space available for various kinds
of events and you can read and buy new books there. Every 8 weeks the present a new set of books regarding a certain topic from the bookshop oh21 in
Oranienstraße in Kreuzberg.
www.kfetisch.blogsport.de
Schankwirtschaft Laidak
Boddinstraße 42, U-Bahn Boddinstraße
Laidak is a Coffee shop that opens daily at 2 p.m. and turns into a really nice
pub in the evening. It also offers room for different events. Every Sunday at
10am they offer a warm buffet with hot drinks for 6,5 €.
laidak.net
ORi
Friedelstraße 8, U-Bahn Hermannplatz
Close to the Reuterplatz. This location is a former goldsmith shop, a washing
machine maintenance centre and abandoned space. More than 5 years ago,
ORi was opened to the public. Today ORi is a bar, a gallery, and small cinema.
Open Wednesday- Sunday from 8p.m.
www.ori-berlin.de
Syndikat
Weisestraße 56, U-Bahn Boddinstraße
Pub-Collective with table football, pool, cheap meals and loads of board
games. The legendary “Cocktail of the Week” has names like “Cocaine for the
poor” or “Tonight the Sun shines just for you alone…” if you live in Neukölln 44,
you’ll become a regular in no time.
B-Lage
Mareschstraße 1, S-Bahn Sonnenallee
A very big and nice pub close to Richardplatz. The themes are: Kiez! Kneipe!
Kicker! (Hood! Pub! Table Football!). Apart from the normal day to day pub
business, the B-Lage also supports political groups and activities by offering rooms and placing donation boxes on the bar. It opens daily at 7p.m.,
Projektraum. h48
Hermannstraße 48, U-Bahn Boddinstraße
It is not easy to find but very nice, nevertheless: the Projektraum in Hermannstraße 48, 2nd backyard, 1st floor. Every Thursday there is a solidarity
lounge with cocktails. There is brunch once a month on Sunday.
www.projektraum.h48.de
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Druzbar
Mairannenplatz 2, U-Bahn Kottbusser Tor
Every 1st and 3rd Monday from 8 p.m., you can spend a wonderful time in the
New Yorck (1. Floor left wing of the Bethanien building, a formerly squatted
building) whilst eating vegan food, drinking cocktails for solidarity and listening
to good music.
www.yorck59.net/nde/l1
Resonanz
Ebersstraße 66, S-/U-Bahn Schöneberg
A wonderful pub/gallery with a broad mix of patrons: housewives and husbands, neighbours and students. You can play table football for 3 € per hour
until midnight. On warm days, there is outdoor seating. The collection of board
games is also worth mentioning and there is food until midnight.
Meuterei
Reichenberger Straße 58, U-Bahn Kottbusser Tor
Punkrock and Pirates! You’ll find a very nice pub-collective in Reichenberger
Straße 58 and a cool party location in the basement.
Tante Horst
Oranienstraße 45, U-Bahn Moritzplatz
Tante Horst is a homely place to drink liqueurs and treat yourself to some vegan/ vegetarian snacks. Open daily (except Mondays) from 12:30 p.m.
www.tantehorst.de
Clash
Gneisenaustraße 2a, U-Bahn Mehringdamm
Good pub with a slight punk-atmosphere in the famous Mehringhöfen. There
is a beer-garden during the warmer months. Close by you’ll find the bookshop
“Schwarze Risse”, a bicycle shop and other things... pay it a visit!
www.clash-berlin.de
Erreichbar
Reichenberger Straße 63a, U-Bahn Kottbusser Tor
You can find this place if you go down the steps into the basement in the last
backyard of Reichenberger Straße 63a. Every 2nd and 4th Monday you can
relax on sofas and enjoy beer, Bionade and cocktails or play table football for
free. They also offer food (often) and show films (sometimes).
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X-B-Liebig
Liebigstraße 34, S-/U-Bahn Frankfurter Tor
Enjoy parties, discussions, vegan food (Wednesdays and Thursdays) or just a
cool drink in the bar of the WomenLesbianTransgender house project. Every
from 9 p.m. is WomenLesbianTrans-evening.
K9
Kinzigstraße 9, U-Bahn Samariterstraße
As soon as you’ve discovered that the “K9” is not the pub in the front, but
the party location in the basement, which you can only reach through long,
dark corridors, you’ll definitely like it! There are concerts and other events
on a regular base.
www.kinzig9.de
Supamolli
Jessenerstraße 41, U-Bahn Samariterstraße
There is pool and cocktails every Tuesday and coffee and cakes every Sunday.
Bands play quite frequently, and sometimes there is puppet theatre for children.
www.supamolly.de
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Kaffee Morgenrot Kollektivbetrieb
Kastanienallee 85, U-Bahn Eberswalder Straße
A great collective that offers vegan/vegetarian brunch every Friday, Saturday
and Sunday. You can enjoy vegan scrambled eggs, homemade spreads, potted
tofu and a lot more. The price is between 7-11 €, depending on how much you
can afford and eat as much as you like. They also offer tasty food and drinks on
every day. Open daily, except Mondays.
www.cafe-morgenrot.de
Bandito Rosso
Lottumstraße 10a, U-Bahn Rosenthaler Platz
A small and charmingly shabby pub in a horrendously gentrified neighbourhood of Prenzlauer Berg. Sundays is “Tatort”- time, films are shown on Wednesdays and Thursdays and every evening you can enjoy cheap drinks and play
table football for free.
bandito.blogsport.de
Baiz
Schönhauser Allee 26a, U-Bahn Senfelder Platz
Last year they had to leave their old building, but happily they were able to find
a new location. Baiz is an open space for everyone. You can find cultural events
or discussions there, and beer, of course!
www.baiz.info
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Köpi
Köpenicker Straße 137, U-Bahn Heinrich-Heine-Straße
Autonomous location with bands, parties, cinema, pubs, Fight-Club etc. You
can find information at www.koepi137.net
Schokoladen
Ackerstraße 197, U-Bahn Rosenthaler Platz
You can find this location in Ackerstraße 197. Cool music and concerts
guaranteed.
www.schokoladen-mitte.de
Subversiv
Brunnenstraße 7, U-Bahn Rosenthaler Platz
Look for the Subversiv in the 2nd back yard of the house project in Brunnenstraße 7. The basement is for parties, upstairs for table football and cocktails.
subversive.squat.net
of Gesundbrunnen. Smoking permitted. The public is mixed and colourful.
Just give it a try!
Open: Monday - Thursday: 8 p.m. - 1 a.m., Friday - Saturday 8 p.m. - 2 a. m.
Wedding is still uncharted territory for lots of people, but some nice bars, pubs
and restaurants were established over the years.
You can find a register of cafes, bars and restaurants and interesting articles
concerning Wedding and its development on
weddingwegweiser.wordpress.com/wohin-zum-essen-und-trinken.
The following locations would be our first choices and you should definitely try
them!
Café Cralle
Hochstädter Straße 10a, U-Bahn Nauener Platz
This pub is run by a Women* collective and offers not only drinks, but also a
lot of interesting events.
www.cafecralle.wordpress.com
Panke e.V. Café: Music:Art:Ideas
Gerichtstraße 23, S/U-Bahn Wedding
Panke is a bar and club with a fixed set of parties and exhibitions.
Open Tuesday - Saturday from 6 p.m.
www.pankeculture.com
Mastul e.V.
Liebenwalder Straße 33, U-Bahn Nauener Platz
It is a culture-club and pub that organises concerts, readings and film events.
Sometimes, there are also small art-exhibitions. For more information please
check this website: mastul.de
Analog Bar
Martin-Opitz-Straße 21, U-Bahn Nauener Platz
Very nice and cosy place with friendly service, a broad range of drinks
(draft beer, smoky Scotch) and analogue music (vinyl and tape) in the west
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Vagabund Brauerei GmbH
Antwerpenerstraße 3, U-Bahn Seestraße
This is a brewery with pub that brews and serves its own beer. You can even look
into the “brewing- kitchen”. Alas, they don’t brew all the time, but nevertheless,
they can offer a broad range of beverages from IPA to Hoppy Weizenbock.
Open: Wednesday - Saturday from 7 p.m.
www.vagabundbrauerei.com
Weine & Geflügel (WG Bar)
Malplaquetstraße 43, U-Bahn Leopoldplatz
This bar offers a nice commune atmosphere. There are nice people, chilled
drinks and lots of action. The interior is also very cool. There are a lot of board
games and Sundays is “Tatort”- evening. Smoking permitted, except during the
screening of “Tatort”.
www.weineundgeflügel.de
Kulturfabrik
Lehrter Straße 35, close to Hauptbahnhof/Central Railway Station
So far there isn’t much in Moabit, but at least the Kulturfabrik is worth visiting.
Nice people at the bar, good draft beer and in the summer open air cinema
for free!
www.kulturfabrik-moabit.de
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Whether you are a long-time resident or new to the capital, there are constantly
new and interesting things to discover. At first, Berlin seems huge, and very few
people own a car. Nevertheless, there are a couple of great and inexpensive
(!) opportunities that will take you far. You can explore this great city with the
subway (U-Bahn), city railway (S-Bahn) and by bike.
Berlin is divided into twelve districts, each with its own special charm: Mitte,
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Neukölln, Pankow, Tempelhof-Schöneberg, TreptowKöpenick, Reinickendorf, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Lichtenberg, MarzahnHellersdorf, Spandau, Steglitz-Zehlendorf. Thanks to the modern subway and
city railway network, they are easily reached. In addition to its arts and culture
scene, Berlin has a variety of beautiful parks, where biking is a necessity. Cycling is becoming increasingly popular, mostly because the regions are relatively flat and allow you to reach your destination comfortably on your bike.
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75
Travelling in Berlin
The Semester Ticket
Even if it seems expensive at first, the semester ticket for public transportation is
totally worth it. As it is based on a solidarity model, all students have to buy it;
but due to this, it is the cheapest it can be for everyone. Under different circumstances, students do not have to pay, or receive a discounted ticket. Reasons
can be cases of social hardship or low income. For more information please
check the website of the Semester Ticket Office: www.astafu.de/semtixbuero
Since you have your ticket anyway, you should know everything that it grants
you: you can use all the public transportation of the Transport Association BerlinBrandenburg (VBB) in the tariff zone: Berlin ABC (Berlin city and its surrounding
areas). Potsdam also belongs to the C-zone. Moreover, we can use your ticket
for any of the six ferry lines on the Wannsee, the Spree and the small Müggelsee.
Possession of a semester ticket includes the fare for children younger than 6
years, dogs and buggies. You can even take your bike along without an additional ticket, but only in the U-Bahn and S-Bahn.
!
Important: The Semtix is not transferrable, but the BVG-inspector
usually won’t ask to see an identity card. So if you’re away during the
weekend, you can lend your ticket to a friend. If they are caught, then just
go to the BVG office and pay 8 € administration fee. For safety purposes,
it is recommended that your friends have your address and your date of
birth in mind. Whoever loses their ticket (for real or just in the homes of
friends) can get a new ticket for around 10 € in the Enrollment Office.
And the old one won’t expire instantly.
With the Bicycle
Those who appreciate a bit more activity, should get around by bike instead.
The average 10-15 km to the University can be quite refreshing, and it can
replace any lingering wish for athletic courses or more physical activity in general. Conveniently, you can bring your bike with you on the train, should you
become weary.
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www.bbbike.de is a website that calculates bicycle paths for Berlin and its
surrounding regions. You can specify preferences for the pavement surface,
traffic density or even the “green units” of the path. The routes can be given as
a description and as a map - the latter is visually straining, though.
You can buy cheap bikes of dubious origin at most of the flea markets. Alternatively, take a look at other diverse advertisements for selling and trading
bicycles (see Chapter “Consumption”).
The Projektagentur Berlin located in the Oberlandstr. 3 also sells bicycles. Officially, they can only do so to social institutions, but covertly, to whomever shows interest.
www.projektagentur-berlin.de/wir/tempelhof
Some inexpensive workshops:
If your bike is broken, you don’t have to budget in an expensive repair at a
generic maintenance shop. In Berlin, there are numerous self-help workshops:
Unirad at the TU Berlin: there you can get some help and (technical)
support for free or a small donation. www.unirad.blogsport.de
Hubschrauber www.refrat.de/hubschrauber
More tips and addresses are to be found here:
www.tip-berlin.de/kultur-und-freizeit-shopping-und-stil/berliner-selbsthilfe-fahrradwerkstatten
By Taxi
Stay out with your friends so late that there isn’t any more transportation?
Sometimes the short range taxi fare (Kurzstreckentarif) is a good solution. The
short range is only valid for journeys where the taxi is directly from taken from
the streets by winking. Therefore it is named Winketarif. If you are calling for a
taxi or taking one from a taxi stand, you cannot use the short range taxi fare. If
you are asking specifically for the short range taxi fare, you pay 4 € for a tour
up to 2 km. If you are not sure whether your destination is under or over two
kilometers away, just ask for it anyway. Because either way the ride cannot cost
more than the “normal” fare (over 2 km).
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Out of Berlin
Want to visit your parents spontaneously or travel to the Baltic Sea? Planning a
day trip to the countryside or a week-long European tour during the holidays?
No car and the train tickets are unaffordable?
Consider these three varieties how to travel with less money:
Remote Bus
From the Central Bus Station (Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof/ZOB) at the Radio
Tower in Charlottenburg, numerous buses from different companies are leaving
daily to all parts of Germany and Europe. Many large cities are approached
several times a day, such as Prague, Copenhagen, Frankfurt and Hamburg, but
there are also stops at smaller places on the track. Travelling by bus is usually
cheaper than travelling by train. Similar to train booking, early booking is recommended: the prices are often unbeatable. Travelling by bus pays off for the
very long distance trips to Europe: whether via Copenhagen and Stockholm to
Oslo (1600 km), over Prague and Budapest to Sofia (2100 km) or via Warsaw
and Vilnius to Tallinn (1600 km), to Serbia, Croatia, France, Spain, Russia or
Ukraine. The buses take routes you would have to put together from different
booking systems if you go by train. Especially for trips to Poland, there are many
connections. If you get some wanderlust, take a look at the departure lists for
the next few days!
Our personal recommendation: meinfernbus.de/en
Carpooling/ car-sharing
Considering that bus travel is of the slower variety, you can try carpooling to
arrive at your destination faster. There are many portals on the Internet: some
require registration or fees, others are free and user-friendly. You can expect
approximately a 5-6 € fare per 100 km. If you wish to travel to big cities, there
are lots of carpooling offerings. Also, portals for routes that go far beyond
Germany are establishing increasingly.
Our personal recommendation: www.bessermitfahren.de. It is without
charge, without registration; sometimes you can even find free rides.
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Hitch-hiking
Conventional options are still too expensive? Too little adventure?
Come forward with the classic “thumb out” method! The advantage is clear:
hitchhiking is super cheap. The downside, of course, is there are no timetables
or guarantees! Sometimes it works out, and other times you make slow progress
- you can never know beforehand.
In Berlin, several motorway junctions are directly accessible with the local
public transportation. For instance, the A115 (near the S-Bahn Nikolassee) is
connected through the Berlin Ring to the motorway A9 - for those who want
to go south. Or the A113 at the U-Bahn Grenzalle continues as A13 towards
Dresden. Or the A111 at the U-Bahn Holzhause Straße Station, from which you
can reach the A24 towards Hamburg.
At petrol stations, you can to talk to people directly because it increases the
possibility that someone will take you with them. Animals, large groups and a
lot of luggage may be a hindrance. If you are thoughtful and cautious, you have
nothing to fear! The first hitch-hiking attempts still should be made with two or
three people: the risk of hitch-hiking can be more easily addressed with a group,
plus you can keep each other company while waiting for rides.
You can find many tips about hitchhiking at
wikitravel.org/en/Tips_for_hitchhiking
www.hitchwiki.org
www.anhalterfreunde.de
A location database is to be found at: www.hitchbase.com
A Place to Stay
Most of you have surely heard of CoachSurfing. There you can find a place to
sleep in a private place (room, apartment or house) all over the world. Alternatively, you can offer your place for others to stay for a night or two. This website
has been increasingly criticized, so we offer you more options with detailed
criticism. Form your own opinion!
www.couchsurfing.com
www.bootsnall.com/articles/13-05/couchsurfings-fall
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Pills and Condoms, STI-/HIV-Tests
In Berlin, it is possible to ask the Centre for Sexual Health and Family Planning
(responsible for relationship advice, family planning and pregnancy) in your
citizen centre to take over the costs for contraceptives. You have to demonstrate
that you have a low income. There isn’t a fixed limit because your rent has to be
calculated as well, so just try it.
There are four such health centres in Berlin.
You can find details about office hours and the documents required at:
www.berlin.de/ba-friedrichshain-kreuzberg/verwaltung/org/sexuelleges/smd
Women can decide if the costs for either the pill or condoms should be paid for.
Men can get money for condoms. The prescription for the pill has to be taken to
the centre first because it needs an official stamp before it can be “cashed” in
a pharmacy. It’s nearly impossible to get a refund. Every 12 months an income
statement has to be presented.
For HIV-tests you can decide for yourself whether you want to contribute 10 €
or not. You can also name other STIs (sexually transmitted infections) for which
you want to have your blood tested. In case of urgency, you can go to Berliner
AIDS-Hilfe or Mann-o-Meter, which offer quick-scans for HIV and syphilis.
The tests are anonymous, but cost 15 € (HIV) and 5 € (syphilis). You get the
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result the same day, but please be aware that the quick-scans aren’t as thorough
as the blood tests and will get wrong results sometimes!
Hairdressers
http://www.berlin-aidshilfe.de/angebote/anonymer-hiv-und-syphilistest-der-berliner-aids-hilfe-schnell-oder-labortest
www.mann-o-meter.de/unsere-angebote-und-leistungen/anonymerhiv-schnelltest
You can get tested for HIV, hepatitis C, syphilis and (sometimes) chlamydia at
other places as well, for example Fixpunkt, Pluspunkt or AIDS-Hilfe. The tests
cost officially between 5-15 € (max. 15 € if you take several tests), but often
you are asked whether you want to pay or not. Since all tests are anonymous,
you do not have to bring an income statement to get it paid for. There is always
an Info-Point, where you can get some information about risks of infection and
the test itself.
The health centres offer only lab-tests, so it takes a week to get the results. Other
centres do sometimes offer quick scans, which take up 15 minutes. Some test
offers are only for men who have sex with other men. Remember that an HIV
test represents your HIV status three months before a test. It is scientifically impossible to determine if you have been infected with HIV within the first three
months after exposure.
Here is a good overview for tests in Berlin: hiv-schnell-test.de
A lot of hairdressers offer practice evenings for their apprentices. They are usually once a week. It is an ideal opportunity to get a cheap haircut, dyeing or
a new style (careful, the last one may require 2-3hours). Generally, you only
have to pay for the materials used.
To find out about practice evenings, just call your hairdressers and ask for the
next date.
Alternatively, a lot of the larger hairdressers that have their own seminar centres
offer a model haircut in the category of the respective seminar. Aveda Academy
Berlin in Kurfürstendamm 26a, for example, is looking for models for every kind
of seminars almost every week.
Massages and Naturopathy
Newspaper Subscriptions
Once a month, the Healers School in the Bethanien in Kreuzberg offers massages for a minimum-donation of 5 €. The trainees practise back massages,
shiatsu and foot massage with you. The donations go straight to the school. You
can find the dates for the massages here:
www.heilpraktikschule.de
You find more information here:
www.facebook.com/pages/Aveda-Academy-Berlin/139992357221
If you are not afraid of experimenting, just send an Email to
modell-berlin@de.aveda.com
You can find free 2 week trial-subscriptions on www.tageszeitung.de by entering your post code. Most of these trials don’t have to be ended manually, but
expire automatically. The more people you share an apartment with, the more
weeks you can cover if you coordinate it right. The taz, for instance, offers 5
weeks for 10 € with automatic expiration.
The school also offers cheap and affordable treatments in homoeopathy, Chinese medicine and plant-based treatments.
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