Wednesday, February 25
The controversial fence and gate system around Görlitzer Park is finally finished, and the park will be closed at night from this Sunday, March 1, a spokeswoman for the responsible Senate Department for Transport, Mobility and the Environment has confirmed. This change to the well-loved Kreuzberg park was supposed to come into force last year, but construction was repeatedly delayed.
From March 1, the completely fenced Görlitzer Park will be closed at night in a similar way to Tempelhofer Feld. The planned closing times are between 10 pm and 6 am in winter and until 11 pm in the summer.
The turnstiles will remain open in one direction: to leave the park. Private security guards will take over with the locking and unlocking. This will cost €800,000 euros per year, according to a response from the Senate to a request from the Left.
Winter weather slowed down the development, with a spokesperson claiming that “Persisting frost hindered the construction measures.” Vandalism also played a role, as people damaged and stole parts of the gates and fence during construction. The fence and installation of the gates cost €2 million.
The black and red Senate decided upon the fence idea in 2023, justifying their decision due to the high crime rate of the park. According to the police, without the park as a hiding place at night, drug dealers will be traced more easily.
However, some residents, Greens and left-wing initiatives disagree with the closure, fearing displacement of drug crime into the surrounding neighbourhoods. The district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, who are already legally actioning the Senate, criticised the project, with one spokesperson calling the nightly closing “an expensive symbolic policy”. The “Görli fence-free” initiative also rejects the plans.
