craig stennett

Kisch & Co has been a fixture on Oranienstraße in Kreuzberg, Berlin for over 24 years. However, the property was bought up by a real estate fund: Victoria Immo Properties based out of Luxenburg. The new rent asked by the owners was beyond Kisch & Co‘s means and they had requested for an approach that asked an  affordable and fair rent for a bookshop, This was rejected by the real estate fund and today (22/04/2021) the case of dispute ended up at Moabit Criminal Court in Berlin. the courts decision today was as expected: The bookshop must leave the premises in Oranienstraße and also pay the costs of the proceedings.   At the court Bookseller Frank Mertens used the trial's proceedings as an opportunity to make a political statement. He stated: "We are sitting here because we are of course fighting for our existence, for the preservation of our bookshop and the jobs of our great employees. But beyond that, it is also about preserving the entire cultural and social location of Oranienstraße 25," because the other projects in the building are also threatened. No tenant in the building could afford the rent, which had been tripled by the new owner.

Adding: "On the one hand, there is the profit interest of some filthy rich private speculators who hide behind lawyers acting in a fiduciary capacity. On the other hand, there are the years of work by cultural workers, gallery owners, museums and the commitment of the residents."