Berlin milieu: Ackerstrasse 1973
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Berlin milieu: Ackerstrasse 1973 |
| Country of production | GDR |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1973 |
| length | 82 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Veronika Otten |
| production | State film documentation |
| camera |
Roland Worel Dieter Schönberg |
Berlin-Milieu: Ackerstraße 1973 is a documentary by the State Film Documentation at the State Film Archive of the GDR by Veronika Otten from 1973 .
action
The story of Ackerstraße is told by Mrs. Herfort, Ackerstraße 18
Ms. Herfort is around 80 years old and sits at her desk in her apartment, the interior of which has certainly not been changed for over 100 years and in which she has lived all her life. It tells the story of Berlin's Ackerstrasse and house no. 18, which she is the owner and since she can provide a lot of information, this section will be a little longer, even if the entire 17 minutes of the film cannot be reproduced. The house has been in the hands of her family since May 12, 1876, when her grandfather bought it.
The rows of houses haven't changed much since childhood. The last houses to be rebuilt were numbers 6 and 7 and on Invalidenstrasse there were some houses that disappeared due to the bombing of Berlin in World War II . But nevertheless Ackerstrasse has changed a lot. It was known as a good shopping street, because almost every house had two shops, and in the hinterland there were workshops, businesses and restaurants. The Borussia halls, which reached to Brunnenstrasse , were in No. 6/7, and No. 8 was the large Fischer file-cutting workshop . No. 10 was the large book and lithography of the Bläss family (later Mr. Schmolke), No. 12 was a used clothes shop in the basement and a dairy in the shop. In the hinterland of No. 13 there was a Berlin wheat beer parlor with a garden. For many years there was a grocery store with delicatessen items and fruit, as well as a student's bookbindery, in nos. 14 and 15 . Hillmann's plumbing shop, a locksmith's shop and the Stengert's carpentry shop were located in the hinterland . At no.16 there was a long courtyard without a garden, but there was again at no.17, because there was a pub there. At the end of this property was a small stage where plays were performed in the summer. In her own house there had been a lead printer and a lead seal factory since 1865 , which were founded by her grandfather and were family-owned until her brother left for the West. There was a nursery at No. 19, and at No. 20 there was a dairy with around 22 cows in the stables. The bristle factory of Wilhelm, Walter and Werner Kraus was at No. 22 (in that order) and then came the market hall . Ms. Herfort also talks about the importance of Elsässer Strasse and Invalidenstrasse, which were not inferior to Friedrichstrasse in terms of trade and traffic, but are dead today. Then she describes how Ackerstrasse broke through from Elsässer Strasse to Große Hamburger Strasse . This interview concludes with another tour of this museum apartment, with a detailed look at the furnishings, furniture, pictures, lights, lamps, stoves, curtains and a clock.
Conversations with residents of Ackerstrasse
The inscription “No order acceptance” on an extractor hood greets the visitor in Mr. Fischer's old forge and then you can see him at work. In an interview, he tells that years ago many of the rear buildings were still standing, which have now been demolished, until then the so-called Zille milieu had also been preserved. The people he knew from his youth, even though he only works and does not live here, have since died or moved away with a heavy heart. The apartments still in existence are primarily only rented to students until they have finished their studies. He himself will continue to operate his company until his retirement and certainly beyond, because his products and repairs are absolutely necessary by some companies and another does not serve this gap in the market. An elderly lady who looks out of a window says that she has lived there in a room with a kitchen since 1933. An elderly man who was approached on the street has lived there for 30 years, also in a room with a kitchen, and feels comfortable there, even though he applied for a new apartment as early as 1969. An old woman emphasizes that it was easier to shop on Ackerstrasse in the past, as there were many more shops and you therefore didn't have to queue for so long. Another man says that he cannot afford the rent for a new building. Now he pays 40.00 marks for three rooms with a kitchen and he is the only tenant in the house to have an indoor toilet. A young man who has just turned 18 and who has fallen out with his parents cannot get an apartment of his own due to his age. A young woman would also prefer to move into another apartment, but does not have any hope for the time being. Now she and her family have three rooms with a bathroom and a balcony, which is why she does not need to submit an application because it would not be accepted. But she has the hope that the houses will be torn down in 10 or 20 years, at least that's what the newspaper said. This is followed by a view over the roofs of Ackerstraße and from the corner of Invalidenstraße / Ackerstraße to the market hall. We continue, past children playing, through the street with a view of existing and former shops, businesses, workshops and restaurants. It is noticeable that the stucco on some houses is still well preserved, but the plaster on others has almost completely fallen off. Even one of what used to be four bakeries is still open.
The backyards of Ackerstrasse
The VEB Berliner Nußartikel is located in one of these backyards , which is currently being delivered by a forklift truck so that the whole yard is full of goods. In other courtyards, references to former users can still be read on the walls, but the structural condition of all rear buildings leaves a lot to be desired. The plaster looks much worse than on the front buildings, and bullet holes from the end of the Second World War can still be seen. Sometimes you can only tell from the laundry hanging in front of the window that the apartments are occupied. An elderly woman tries to create a green space in a backyard, while others are used as a place to store junk. This is particularly noticeable in the rear buildings, which are already used to.
Antisocial milieu on Ackerstrasse
In one of these houses, which are actually empty, the camera encounters an antisocial apartment , which makes a very dirty impression. In another apartment lives an older man who would be called Messi today .
Extension apartments
A young woman opens the apartment door and shows a modern living room, then she goes on to the next room, which she is wallpapering with her husband. Your little daughter washes her hands in the modern and spacious bathroom and then lies down on her lounger in the children's room, while her older sister is already reading a book on the second bed. This apartment was completely rebuilt on our own initiative and also meets higher demands.
A few doors down we meet a middle-aged woman who read a sign saying that housekeepers are wanted. Since she was interested, she applied and was hired. Now she is responsible for five patients, who all live a little apart, but they enjoy doing the work. In addition, she takes care of a woman on a voluntary basis in Ackerstrasse. Through a Red Cross course she was qualified to give the people to be cared for the best possible help. This also includes shopping, cleaning the apartment, washing the patients and even cooking for a customer. We pay them 2.12 marks an hour from Volkssolidarität , but we get a qualification surcharge of 0.10 marks because of the completed course. At the end she is shown performing her activities.
In the middle of Ackerstraße is the ABV , which is responsible for this area and makes the determination that certain houses on this street are home to people who are not yet politically affiliated with the GDR . He goes on verbatim:
“If I concentrate on being specific for today, I would like to estimate that I have set myself the following tasks. Today I will visit the Ackerhalle shopping center, among other things, as the Ackerhalle shopping center will be awarded the Labor banner today by the Minister . Furthermore, I decided to visit my volunteers today , for the reason that we had a moral crime on September 29th, at Ackerstrasse 2 and currently only the description of the perpetrator is available. In this context, I will visit my volunteers, six in number, on Ackerstrasse to convey the personal description for the purpose of tracking down the perpetrator. That would be my next tasks within the two hours this afternoon. "
Ackerstraße border area
A young man who is addressed as Comrade Kunze, making him a member of the SED identifies, lives in the last house of the East Berlin portion of Acker Street, at the corner of too West Berlin belonging Bernauer Strasse , which he also by his Window and where he has lived since 1971. For Kunze, who came from Karl-Marx-Stadt , after a short period of acclimatization, it was no longer unusual to live directly on the border and thus in the border area. He has the impression that the border is no longer anything special for the West Berliners who live across from him. On the other hand, a little further on there is a lookout point for tourists, where there are always those interested, for whom the area is very exciting. He is also often photographed and called by these people, just like his fellow tenants in the house, when he is standing at the window. Most of the calls across the border are directed at the members of the GDR border troops on their watchtower . And now another quote:
“But there are also moments when you say it's unpleasant. People who look very depraved from the outside, who then sometimes stand on this podium and, with provocative intent, you can tell, shout words to our comrade soldiers on the post tower, which in our terms are anti-state in character. Our comrade soldiers do not allow themselves to be influenced by this, you can tell that these words are dedicated to us, if we happen to look out the window, we are also very calm. The soldiers continue to do their duty calmly and in a disciplined manner, so they do not allow themselves to be carried away to get rid of any counter-arguments in order to discuss now perhaps across the national border.
Following these statements, the camera shows film recordings of the border security systems and views of West Berlin, which were normally taboo in the GDR .
Then the commanding officer of the border section, Captain Schäfer, introduces himself, who particularly refers to the good cooperation with the border population in securing the state border. It helps by providing good information, it helps to enforce law and order and it also helps when unauthorized persons are in the border area, in which they address them and, in an emergency, temporarily arrest them in order to prevent a possible border violation. Meetings are held regularly with the head of the People's Police Station 14 in order to coordinate with one another. In addition, 20 volunteers from the border troops were recruited for this section, who make a significant contribution to ensuring that the tasks of border security can be fulfilled. A view over Friedhof II of the Sophiengemeinde Berlin , which also borders Ackerstraße and which was made smaller by part of the wall, closes this chapter of the film.
House community celebration Ackerstraße 150/51
The head of the house community welcomes the tenants present to the annual farewell party in the house's club room. He particularly welcomes the KWV manager responsible for her house , to whom he thanks for the good cooperation so far. Furthermore, thanks for special achievements are expressed to some members of the house community. He also mentions that the house was awarded a plaque for special hospitality during the 1973 World Festival of Youth and Students . Then he just asks you to go over to the cozy part. The editor of this film, Veronika Otten, uses this part to talk to the HGL director about the reasons for establishing a house community 20 years ago. The main reason was the desire to have a say in the management of the house and soon after the establishment of the building, the restoration of the sanitary facilities could be initiated. The KWV administrator is also full of praise for the cooperation. Then Veronika Otten speaks to a married couple who have expanded their apartment themselves and converted it into a fairly modern state, which she can then see for herself. In the meantime there is dancing at the party and the alcoholic drinks also contribute to the success of the evening.
Production and publication
This 16mm film was not intended for public screening in the GDR .