The “hollow” in Görlitzer Park was packed with partygoers who had gathered to celebrate a court ruling against Berlin’s mayor, who wanted to lock it up at night. “Görli is our garden,” said Monika, a retired psychiatric nurse who lives nearby. She joined the crowds on Monday night for a beer and a dance on the popular deep bowl-shaped meadow in the Kreuzberg district. “Görli is where we hang out and where my daughter grew up,” she added, using the affectionate nickname for the central green space that covers 14 hectares (35 acres).
A long-running, on-and-off dispute over the park’s users and its role in Berlin’s daily life flared up again earlier this year when the state government voted to seal it with a perimeter fence overnight. The goal was to push out the drug dealers and addicts who are common there.
“We must, in the literal sense, take back control of Görlitzer Park,” Mayor Kai Wegner declared in 2023 after a “security summit.” After much debate, a metal fence with 16 gates, costing about €2 million (£1.7 million), went into operation on March 1. Following Monday’s ruling, the fence remains in place, but the gates are now open 24/7.
Few deny the problems linked to drug dealing—families report finding syringes and human waste in playground sandboxes, and women say they’ve been harassed. But “a fence doesn’t solve any problems, it just moves them elsewhere,” said Monika, a member of Görli Zaunfrei (Görli Fence-Free), one of several groups that campaigned against the fence. They’re calling for a more integrated, sustainable, and better-funded plan to address the park’s challenges.
Monday’s court ruling was a blow to Wegner, from the conservative Christian Democrat party. He faces an election in September that he’s framed as a referendum on his promise to crack down on crime in the German capital. In Kreuzberg, a culturally diverse and bohemian neighborhood that has rapidly gentrified in parts, he’s mockingly called the “Zaunkönig” (fence king). “He himself has nothing to lose in Kreuzberg, where the CDU hardly stands a chance politically,” said Judith, a teacher and fellow member of Görli Zaunfrei.
The park has long been at the center of wider culture war debates in Germany, to the point that most Berliners—and many beyond—have an opinion about it, even if they’ve never set foot there. As Judith put it: “A fence around Görli was never anything more than symbolic politics—an election campaign gift for CDU voters in the suburbs.”
As opponents of the fence predicted, illegal activity has been pushed into neighboring areas, where there are reports of drug users sleeping in stairwells and doorways of apartments and kindergartens. Many of the Berliners interviewed by the Guardian in the park this week—from people watching their grandchildren at a play day to a group singing campfire ballads—said they’d rather the €2 million, along with estimated annual security costs of €800,000, were used to tackle addiction and related issues. Residents and local politicians complain that resources for drop-in drug centers, social workers, and drug consumption rooms have been frozen or cut back.
One of the legal headaches Wegner faces is that by erecting the fence, he went against the will of the people.A member of the district council responsible for the area said, “It reminds us of Trump in California – going over the heads of those in power there to enforce his own law and order.” An elderly woman walking her chihuahua at dusk expressed her frustration at having to cut back on “early morning walks.”
Long-time residents say the spirit of the community campaign echoes the clashes between police and Kreuzbergers in the 1970s and 1980s, when squatters successfully fought to save the elegant old buildings around the park from being demolished.
At the height of the often lively campaign to remove the fence, activists dressed as Easter bunnies handed out copies of master keys that actually worked on the fence locks, and shared tips on where to find gaps they called “night-time hopper” entry points.
In response to fence supporters who questioned why the park needed to stay open late at night, an older blind man explained that the park crosses several residential streets, and closing it forces pedestrians and cyclists to take long detours along poorly lit routes. He called Görli his “essential shortcut” from the night bus stop to his apartment.
Wegner has said the senate will appeal the interim ruling, which could still be overturned. Monika said, “We’re making the most of the situation in the meantime.”
She and Judith, who became friends through their activism, said one positive outcome of the fence is that it has brought the community closer together. Judith added that they are now on a mission to completely remove the park’s boundaries, so “people can come and go whenever they like, and no one needs to feel afraid.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the Grli is our garden movement in Berlin written in a natural tone with clear answers
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What is Grli is our garden
Its a protest movement by Berliners who want to keep Grlitzer Park in Kreuzberg open all night Theyre fighting against the mayors plan to lock the park gates from 10 pm to 6 am
2 Why does the mayor want to lock the park at night
The official reason is to reduce crime drug dealing and noise complaints from nearby residents The city says it will make the area safer and cleaner
3 Is Grlitzer Park dangerous at night
Opinions differ Some locals feel unsafe due to open drug use and latenight crowds But protesters argue that locking the park wont solve these problemsit will just push them into the streets
4 Who is part of the Grli is our garden movement
A mix of local residents artists activists and regular park users They organize picnics concerts and discussions in the park to show its a community space not just a crime hotspot
5 When would the park be locked if the plan goes through
Every night from 10 pm until 6 am the next morning Gates would be installed at all entrances
Intermediate Questions
6 Why do protesters say locking the park is a bad idea
They argue that
The park is a vital public space for people who live in small apartments and need fresh air at night
Locking it will displace drug activity into side streets and nearby playgrounds
It sets a bad precedent for closing other public spaces in Berlin
7 Has this happened before in Berlin
Yes In 2020 the city tried a temporary night closure of Grlitzer Park It was widely criticized and eventually lifted because crime didnt dropit just moved
8 What does Grli is our garden actually do
They host public events like openair movie nights yoga sessions and community gardening They also file legal challenges and hold protests to pressure the city to drop the plan
9 Are there any legal challenges against the closure
Yes Activ
