Demand for Berlin's Law Enforcement Presence Expanded
By Hildy Harp
The grand topping-out ceremony of the New Bock Brewery in the heart of Kreuzberg's Bergmannkiez. But here's a curveball - Interior Senator and Finance Senator make an unexpected appearance, snapping up apartments right here!
Trace the roots back to 1838, and a Bavarian pioneer defined the brewing scene at Fidicinstraße, pouring out Bernlins' first subterranean Bock beer. In the following century, Schultheiss took reins, but the fizzled out in 1922.
Now, a fresh microcosm of the city unfolds, with four newly-risen buildings standing proud, while a listed red-brick structure, homes to a theater and dance school, finds itself adorned by a cooperative.
Pause a moment before the first spade plunges in, as a whopping decade-long kerfuffle surrounds the planning process. "That's a nanosecond. What truly matters is that people will still love these abodes in a century," says architect Sergei Tchoban (62) shrugged.
The project, totaling 223 apartments, comes to us courtesy of Bauwert AG. They plan on constructing 130 owner-occupied pads, boasting viewpoints of Tempelhofer Field, with 40% already sold, and more reserved. But there's more to it, with 75 rental homes promised.
Police Force's Sweet Housing Deal
Senators show up with an interest in something more sinister than brew. Berlinovo, a state-owned enterprise, buys a building on Fidicinstraße, intending to provide 50 smaller apartments (€560 gross/cold) and 25 subsidized units (€7 net/cold) for law enforcers.
Housing for public servants is a personal mission for Interior Senator Iris Spranger (62, SPD): "Affordable housing is central to our efforts to attract and retain personnel, especially for the demanding work in the Berlin Police and fire department."
Truth be told, 30% of police officers now hail from outside Berlin, with an astounding 50% in the fire department.
But CDU's Finance Senator, Stefan Evers (45), has his seal of approval on the purchase of an eye-catching office building (10,500 sqm) onsite. Prepare for digital gurus from the Senate Chancellery and the State Audit Office, setting shop in a symbolic new abode - yes, the budget guardians themselves!
President Karin Klingen (59) defends to B.Z.: "We currently occupy a rental property with escalating rent, but we're cutting our office space by 25% with new work methods."
The Bergmannkiez Apartments: A Peek
Take a peek at a still-available owner-occupied pad tucked in the six-story buildings: lower levels house sophisticated foyers boasting natural stone flooring, video intercom systems, and elevators. Upstairs, highlight features include solid wood flooring, underfloor heating, elevated ceiling heights (2.70 m), 2-4 rooms, and living spaces ranging from 66 to 117 sqm. Prices? A modest €648,000 to €1,179,000. A subterranean garage offers 103 parking spaces, just for you.
For the neighborhood, construction was at times a noisy, nerve-racking affair. There was an 80-year-old bunker ceiling (two meters thick) lurking on the site. Bauwert AG's Daniel J. Herrmann informs that they roped in experts and cutting-edge tools hailing from a marble quarry in Italy to dismantle it.
Even before the building swallows its first residents in late 2026, it has already claimed two prestigious architecture awards.
- The Interior Senator and Finance Senator, Iris Spranger and Stefan Evers respectively, show unexpected interest in the New Bock Brewery development, purchasing buildings for affordable housing and office spaces for public servants.
- The new buildings in the Bergmannkiez project, including those from Bauwert AG, offer luxurious apartments with features like solid wood flooring, underfloor heating, and spacious living areas, priced between €648,000 and €1,179,000.
- The Senate Chancellery and the State Audit Office will relocate to an eye-catching office building within the project, in an effort to reduce escalating rental costs and promote digital governance.
