The Mitte district office has issued a preliminary building permit for a 120-room hotel to be built in the immediate vicinity of Humboldthain club on Gesundbrunnen’s Hochstraße. A Luxembourg company originally planned to build micro-apartments on the site, but their plans have recently changed. What hasn’t changed is Humboldthain’s fear that whatever ends up being built, noise complaints from the new occupants will force them to shut down. Whether a new hotel is needed there (14 others are already planned in the district and the
average hotel occupancy rate across Berlin is only 74%) and whether it can even be profitable (The Circus hotel has just recently announced its closure due to rising costs) are questions that naturally arise. The main concern, however, is how this development will affect the beloved Humbi, a well-known nightlife institution famous for its weekly Tuesday night open decks & table tennis parties. Many clubs in Berlin currently face closure, such as those on the path of the planned A100 motorway as well as a
number of those at RAW – an iconic site threatened with gentrification. To date, noise complaints have been one of the main reasons for Berlin venues being forced to shut down. A spokesperson for the Mitte district office told BZ, the first outlet to report on the issue, that they will make a decision regarding noise protection regulations before the final building permit for the hotel is granted. Meanwhile, Humbi has its lease secured only until 2028 and it’s unclear what will happen afterwards. For
the club operator Ludwig Eben, this situation means “living under a sword of Damocles”.
Humboldthain Club, closure risk, Mitte district office, 120-room hotel, Hochstraße, Gesundbrunnen, noise complaints, lease until 2028, Ludwig Eben, Tuesday night open decks, table tennis parties, Berlin nightlife