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Pankow: Seniors are fighting for their home on Silent Street!
Colorful posters on Stille Strasse show senior citizens' concerns about the house. Conversations about the future will begin soon. Support needed!
Pankow: Seniors are fighting for their home on Silent Street!
In the garden of the old villa at Stillen Straße 10 in Pankow there are colorful posters designed by students from the Max Delbrück High School. These works of art reflect seniors' concerns about the future of the home, which has been occupied for 13 years. Brigitte Klotzsche, an 86-year-old resident, describes the great fear in the house because Volkssolidarität will stop working with the Pankow district from 2026. However, the district itself shows interest in maintaining the meeting place as a place for encounters and diversity.
Eveline Lämmer, another senior, emphasizes the right of seniors to run the house themselves. Initial discussions about the future use of the house are scheduled for next week. The Stille Straße e.V. would like to actively participate in these discussions to ensure that their voice is not ignored.
Support for seniors in Pankow
To strengthen their voice, the seniors have built a support network and are running a fundraising campaign on betterplace.org. Events such as readings and concerts are already well attended, and many of them enjoy support from the art and culture scene. A permanent rental agreement would be crucial in order to apply for foundation funds for the necessary renovations. The renovation needs for the villa are currently estimated at 2.3 million euros, while the immediate repair costs required are estimated at 491,250 euros.
Volkssolidarität used the house rent-free, but was responsible for all other costs. The seniors would like to run the house on their own in order to honor their voluntary work. A very special day of action with a barbecue in the garden is planned for October 18th to mobilize the local community in support.
Diverse offers for older people
Pankow also offers numerous offers for seniors that go beyond the situation on Silent Street. The website of the Social Atlas Pankow presents a variety of activities tailored to the needs of older people. These include, among other things, aqua fitness, rehabilitation sports, free computer courses as well as various creative workshops and exercise offers.
The Berlin Senior Network also plays an important role by supporting older people with analog and digital offerings. These include an online platform with information and activities developed together with older people. The platform follows the motto “Just be there!” and offers help in several languages as well as a calendar for weekly planning for seniors.
Overall, the diverse initiatives and offerings in Pankow demonstrate a committed effort to enrich the lives of older people and promote their social participation. However, the current developments around Silent Street show how crucial a collective discussion about the future of such meeting places is.