issue 167
When German trains saved Jewish kids
Today Berlin remembers Kristallnacht, the night of Nazi terror that led many Jews to flee the country, among them almost 10,000 children evacuated from Germany thanks to the Kindertransport trains... Read more
Trains on the brain
Have you ever had something that you were completely obsessed with? We met with three "trainspotters", who tell their story's about their love for trains. Read more
Wanna save the world? Ride the damn train!
Flying everywhere can be nice and cheap, but traveling by trains are far more safe for the environment. Are low-price flights worth putting the environment in danger? Read more
Face the future: Transmediale
The 31-year-old confluence of art, culture and technology returns Jan 31 (through Feb 4) to HKW under the banner "Face Value" with, among other things, 30 3D-printed portraits made from Chelsea Manning's DNA. Read our full guide. Read more
Locomore's bumpy ride
It was the David to Deutsche Bahn’s Goliath: a vintage train that could get you from Berlin to Stuttgart for €22 with free wi-fi and organic food. But it went bankrupt in less than half a year. Now, Locomore has been resurrected. Here's the story. Read more
Boys in the sand: Eliza Hittmann
INTERVIEW! Eliza Hittmann on appropriating the male gaze in "Beach Rats". It hits Berlin cinemas Jan 25. Read more
CTM: Total entertainment forever
Founded in 1999 as a one-off Transmediale side programme, CTM has become its own beast, engulfing every hot performer, genre and format that could possibly constitute “adventurous music and art”. It's on across the city Jan 26-Feb 4. Read more
Love and freedom: Perel
Part of CTM’s Panorama Bar lineup on February 2, Berlin-based DJ Perel tells us about utilising her own personal turmoil to create unity on the dance floor. Read more
Confessions of an U-Bahn driver
BVG employee “Michael P.” challenges the transport company’s shiny-happy image with the day-to-day reality of his job. Read more
Railway romance never rusts
It’s the most-watched show about trains in the world, with over a million Germans tuning in 12 times a week. And even two years after the retirement of its cult presenter Hagen von Ortloff, Eisenbahn-Romantik has continued right on track. Read more
Moving you, watching you
In Berlin, surveillance in public transport might not rival the ubiquitous CCTV in cities like With more cameras on the U-Bahn, an increased police presence and a new facial recognition pilot, we’re being watched now more than ever before. Read more
Welcome to the dollhouse
INTERVIEW! Ahmet Öğüt on the seriousness of his miniature buildings in his exhibition Hotel Résistance, on at KOW through Jan 28. Read more
Controllers out of control
Gruff and even corrupt and violent... Right here at the heart of “ordentlich” Germany, plainclothes ticket inspectors enforce law and order with mobbish zeal on public transportation. Who are these people, and how do they get away with it? Read more
Kennedy versus Castorf
REVIEW! The figureheads of the new and old Volksbühne square off with two new plays – and two very different aesthetics. Read more
Frahm wants the Funk
INTERVIEW! Genre-bending composer and pianist Nils Frahm on how his new studio at the Funkhaus inspired his latest album All Melody, out Jan 26. He rocks the the Funkhaus for four sold-out shows in the lead up Jan 22-25. Read more
