I’ve long wanted to better understand Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood — traditionally the home of many Turkish immigrants, and today gentrifying fast. Just like many Mexicans are guest laborers in the USA (doing the scut work that middle-class Americans and their kids don’t want to do), Turks have long served that “Gastarbeiter” role in the much wealthier Germany. As usual, the guest workers get the worst neighborhoods. And, in the case of the Turks here in postwar Berlin, it was “up against the Wall”…the Berlin Wall. Then, suddenly, in 1989, the Wall’s gone and Kreuzberg is free to blossom. I enjoyed a delightful afternoon with Hashim Anik, a Turkish German guide who grew up right here and has seen a lot of positive change. Join us for a little walk. I’d love to hear about any Kreuzberg experiences you’ve enjoyed.
hello Gooden talk I should say merhaba
I’m in Kreuzberg in Berlin which is that
it’s the biggest public concentration of
Turkish people outside of Turkey
and this is the Turkish quarter of
Berlin I’m with my guide Hashim Hashim
hello everyone and and together we are
exploring the market no Hashim this is
market day here what is the name of this
market and it’s Andrew Tuesday and
Friday we have quite a scene and this is
in Kreuzberg and in Kreuzberg it’s long
been originally it was the least
desirable land because it was right up
against the berlin wall right yes so the
Turkish guests are Bader’s all came here
because it was cheap rent because when
you guys arrived the wall was there
nobody wanted to live here now the walls
gone and it’s in it’s in prime real
estate and it’s becoming quite trendy
for travelers and tourists to come here
and check it out so we happen to be here
on a high-energy day because it is the
market and I just love checking out
these emerging neighborhoods I’ve heard
about Kreuzberg for a long time but
today we find that is just erupting with
energy right that’s true yeah talk about
the energy in Kreuzberg right many
people are coming here especially the
younger ones since the shooters very
full with bars and restaurants and as
you see it’s very lively with a canal
and here we have an industrial edge
canal this was dug I just learned from
my guide Hashim in the 18th in the 1800s
basically when you needed to do your
goods transported by by boat instead of
train and today it’s a tourist canal we
can see a tourist boat down there taking
people on a circuit around Berlin but
we’re just exploring crates Berg here
and
I would say when you go to Berlin you’ve
got to remember it’s a collection of
neighborhoods and one of the exciting
neighborhoods to see really is crates
Berg can you say welcome to cards Bergen
Turkish specialities and can you say it
in German we coming in quite stack all
right danke Schoen and check or

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