Hordes Of 'Yuppies' Are Cramping Berlin's Party-Animal Style

Cool club kids in Berlin are making a fuss about losing their local jaunts, and it seems like Berlin is also losing some edge. Reuters reports that with gentrification, a new band of "yuppies" (their words, not ours) are cracking down with noise complaints for the party city, endangering all the techno dance halls, beer gardens, and social clubs.

In fact, there's a term for it: "Clubsterben", or "club death." Promoters estimate that almost 15 clubs are in danger of shutting down, not to mention any of the 225 bars and discos. Apparently, Berlin is becoming prime real estate for people looking to polish up the city, and rents have risen more than 10 percent in the last year in certain neighborhoods (some of which are now club-free).

In one particular instance, the Kreuzberg club S036, which had entertained the likes of David Bowie and Iggy Pop in the '70s, was nearly shut down after a noise complaint. Authorities told S036 to buy a soundproof wall for €100,000, or simply stop the music (please don't!) at 10 p.m.

Luckily, the community all pitched in for the wall (a made-for-TV movie waiting to happen), but still —  Berlin sans techno dance halls and beer crates seems just wrong. Check out where to eat in Berlin here.