Tag: Wahlheymatpost
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“Berlin Modern” — Is This the Modern Berlin?
Last weekend, I had the chance to see inside Berlin’s newest museum: Berlin Modern.The visit made me think about how we imagine the future Berlin. If you’ve walked near the Kulturforum, between the Neue Nationalgalerie and the Philharmonie, you’ve surely noticed that enormous construction site. That is where Berlin Modern is rising — a new museum of modern art, designed by…
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Welcome to the Club: How Vereine Can Turn Berlin from a City of Strangers into a Home
In 2000 Robert D. Putnam published a book, “Bowling Alone”, in which he argued that Americans were becoming increasingly isolated and removed from community and social capital. He took the institution of the Bowling League as his prime example. I remember when the book came out – though, admittedly, I never got around to reading it – and people in my…
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“Civil Courage Begins in Everyday Life – and Ends Where We Look Away” – Diana Henniges on 12 Years of Moabit hilft
WHP: Can you briefly introduce your organization? What is its main mission in Berlin? Diana Henniges: Moabit hilft e.V. is an independent, civil society association that emerged in 2013 from a spontaneous neighborhood initiative. We support people in urgent need – whether they are refugees, have a migration background, or need help for entirely different reasons. This also includes Berliners who…
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Bürgerbeteiligung: Participation or Paperwork?
Berlin invites its citizens to participate — but only after the decisions are made. A visit to the Bürgerbeteiligungsbüro: where good intentions meet German bureaucracy. I was so happy when I first discovered the Bürgerbeteiligungsbüro. Yes! Finally, a place for participation! It took me quite some time, though, to understand what this institution is actually about — what it’s good for,…
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“Darth Vader speaks Amtssprache”: The Chilling Poetry of German Bureaucracy
Every bureaucracy has its language; one might even go further to say that language is bureaucracy’s main tool. The characteristics of bureaucratic speech are well known: thick, complicated sentences, dripping with precision and impersonality. It is intentionally difficult to understand, requiring a certain amount of skill and training in its dark art. Most people will accept without hesitation documents that they…
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The Kiez: Where Berlin Becomes Personal
I’ve often said that in France every region has its dish, its wine, and its cheese; in Germany, every region has its dish, beer, sausage…and language. If we learned German before coming here, we learned “High German” (Hochdeutsch) – because it’s spoken in the high country… not because it’s lofty, or something – and then we landed in the country and…
WahlheYmat Writes Newsletter
Our association’s own updates, including news about upcoming events, new initiatives, organizational news, and project developments from WahlheYmat e.V.
Address
Am Hamburger Bahnhof 3
10557 Berlin
Germany
hey@wahlheymat.de