All of Gallia is under Caesar's occupation... All of Gallia? No, a small village is still desperately putting up resistance against the Romans. What that well-known villate in Gallia is to Cesar and the Romans, some activists at the Tacheles always wanted to be to the investors in Berlin Mitte, Oranienburger Straße in particular.
For, in the past years the area underwent quite a change: a number of cosy pubs such as the "Assel" have been closed down and replaced by touristy restaurants that all seem to have the same owner, food and furniture (sadly enough the same shift can be observed at Oranienstraße in Berlin Kreuzberg). At the same time, two of the most important cultural institutions in the area had to close their doors only recently: last week the famous photography gallery "C/O Berlin" had to move to Berlin Charlottenburg and already at the end of past year the Tacheles and with it the cincema High End 54 have officially been shut down after a seemingly neverending row with the authorities.
Yet, some resilient residents still try to keep things up and running: a beaten path around the Tacheles building leads into the backyard where the artists' and verdors' daily business still continues.
The busy bustling however cannot hide what few around here want to see: that what is left of the Gallican world inside the Tacheles little by little merges with the Roman world outside.
The Tacheles we want back is a dream long dreamt. Despite all the material means of opposition, fences and hidden alleys, a daily tourist market and a fair of vanities is what remains of the former spirit of resistance, which, meanwhile, has moved elsewhere in another Berlin "Kiez".
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