Alison and Mo from The Mill recently travelled to Berlin to celebrate Stille Strasse’s 10th anniversary celebrations, read on to find out more about their trip and this inspiring community organisation.
It’s not every day that The Mill receives an invitation for two people to fly to Berlin for a long weekend, all expenses paid, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of a fellow community centre! But Stille Straße isn’t just any community centre. Back in 2012, they had a thriving programme of groups and activities run by and for local old people in their centre, when the local authority announced they were selling the building. When all other protests failed, six centre members, aged in their 60s, 70s and 80s, occupied it for a total of 112 nights, after which the local authority gave way. The news of their resistance spread and they became internationally famous as the oldest squatters in the world.
In 2015, three years later, Lewis Jones and Maria Lisogorskaya from the architectural practice Assemble heard their story. They invited ‘Stille Straße 10’ to work with them on a project developing flexible and adaptable housing for older people. A working group of Stille Straße members came to London to look at projects here, including The Mill. It was after this visit that Stille Straße promised to invite Lewis, Maria and their Mill contacts to Berlin for their 10th anniversary celebration in July 2022.
We were picked up from the airport by Kai and Barbara, and driven to the house at ‘Stille Straße 10’, a substantial old family house with a big garden in a quiet residential area. Eveline, the impressive overall manager, welcomed us and introduced us to other centre members. After a delicious lunch made by the kitchen team, and booking into our hotel, we walked back to the house together for the first of the weekend’s celebratory events. A good-sized audience had gathered in the big main room of the house for a showing of two films telling the story of ‘Stille Straße 10.’ The films were particularly valuable in that they were made at the time, and preserved a live record of events.
The next anniversary event on Saturday afternoon was in a decorated hall in Schloss Schönhausen, an 18th century royal palace in a beautiful park a short walk from Stille Straße. A small band of Stille Straße musicians played before and after readings from ‘Die unbeugsamen Alten der Stille Straße 10’, (‘The indomitable oldies of Stille Straße 10’), the recently published book which tells the story of the occupation and its aftermath. The readings were interspersed with speeches and presentations of flowers to special guests and key players in the story.
Afterwards it was only a five minute walk back to Stille Strasse for a garden party and BBQ. Mo presented the large card of good wishes, signed by Mill staff and volunteers, and the hand made items from the Sociable Sewing Group and Friday knitters. Everything was well received. It was a lovely afternoon with music by English teacher Rob and his band mate, both excellent musicians and singers.
On Sunday, we came together in a local church for a concert of four choirs, including of course the Stille Straße choir. Individually and together they performed a varied programme of songs, chosen to promote peace and international understanding, and sung in a wide variety of languages – a fitting finale to the weekend’s public events.
Back at the house, we were invited to join in a filmed discussion involving two Stille Straße squatters and trustees; a representative from the Berlin ‘Tenants’ Alliance against Eviction’, three members of staff from the Berlin ‘House of World Cultures’, Lewis Jones from Assemble and ourselves. The discussion looked at how we could work together and support each other. This included the international links with Lewis and Maria, and with us at The Mill. There is a clear wish for The Mill and Stille Straße to stay in regular contact.
On our free mornings we were free to explore Berlin, accompanied by a series of Stille Straße English class members. We visited the recently opened Kleines Grosz Museum in Central Berlin, and on Sunday, we had a thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable morning on a boat trip on Lake Tegel, perfect for a hot summer day.
All in all, it was a wonderful weekend! We could not have been made more welcome or been better looked after, from the moment we arrived in Berlin on Friday, to the goodbyes at the house on Monday morning, when we were presented with a further bag of goodies to take back to The Mill. Everybody we met was exceptional in their friendliness and generosity. It was a delight to meet and spend time with these hospitable people, exchanging experiences and getting to know each other. We wish everyone at Stille Straße all the very best for the next ten years. Let’s keep in touch!