Under the Oberbaumbrücke, the grandiose neo-Gothic bridge over the Spree that marks the former border between West Berlin (Kreuzberg district) and East Berlin (Friedrichshain), we queue, this October night, to enter the Watergate. Waiting in the dark to enter the famous nightclub is a ritual of the Berlin night. Almost a rite of passage from one world to another, which has its precise codes. Once the gorilla test is passed, the phone’s cameras are carefully covered with an opaque sticker. On the two floors of the club, with its immense glass façade overlooking the river, four star DJs perform that night under the colorful neon lights. We dance, frolic and consume excessively, away from social networks. Every night, from Thursday to Sunday, the techno rhythm takes away the bodies and disconnects the minds, erasing all notion of time. This experience, emblematic of German pop culture internationally, is also an essential economic asset for the city.
Is this era coming to an end? Watergate, which along with Berghain is one of the most famous Berlin clubs in the world, will close its doors at the end of the year, after twenty-two years of existence. The cause: the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which broke the dynamics of Berlin nightlife, but also the rent demanded by the owner of the premises, which skyrocketed, as throughout the city. Wilde Renate, another well-known address hosted by the same investor, will also close in 2025.
For the millions who chase techno, the image is easy. This is only part of the truth: historically, clubs have always migrated to the city as it developed. However, the closure of Watergate clearly marks a break. The German capital, long worshiped as “poor but sexy”According to the expression formulated in 2004 by its former mayor, Klaus Wowereit, it is in crisis. Reflecting Germany, which benefited so much from the open world resulting from the fall of the wall just thirty-five years ago, liberal Berlin has singularly lost its luster.
Kreuzberg, “it’s a horror movie”
Questioned by the newspaper Berlin newspaperIn mid-September, Ulrich Wombacher, one of the three founders of Watergate, justified the club’s closure by explaining how much the Kreuzberg district especially had deteriorated. “There’s nothing sexy about it anymore, it’s a horror movie. (…) Kreuzberg has a real drug problem, with many homeless people, crime, filth and other visible social ills. When clubbing and party tourism stops, it will be evident”explains the former DJ. Club attendance has fallen; Festivals, where top DJs perform in front of a wider audience, are now competing with them. “For a long time we thought we were irreplaceable. But why shouldn’t clubs be a temporary phenomenon? “The culture of the club is extremely fragile.” cuts to Mr. Wombacher, who celebrated his 50th birthday in 2023.
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