Sign up for the editor's
weekly newsletter
July 30, 2010
Berlin to give Alexanderplatz an extra scrubbing
Published: 18 Sep 08 08:52 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20080918-14369.html
Berlin’s Alexanderplatz will get a special scrubbing four times a year to rid the austere eastern square of ketchup stains, bratwurst grease and thousands of pieces of chewing gum.
- Behemoth wine barrel to be tapped after 400 years - Society (29 Jul 10)
- What's on in Germany: July 29 - August 4 - Lifestyle (29 Jul 10)
- The Local's English-language movie listings for Germany - Lifestyle (28 Jul 10)
Now the city’s BSR cleaning service will use a new device that will blast the granite free of what hundreds of thousands of commuters leave behind every day.
“We’ll try for the next year to see if the wet cleaning will be a permanent solution,” Ephraim Gothe, an official from the Mitte district, told the paper.
The special cleaning takes up to five days and costs €10,000, so it will only be done four times a year.
Chewing gum poses a bigger problem than other types of filth such as grease from discarded bratwurst. City officials are trying to find a better way to remove the gooey wads than the current method – freezing with nitrogen and then chiseling them off.
“We’re testing different technologies – high pressure, steam jets, or icing – to see which works best against chewing gum,” said BSR spokesman Bernd Müller.
The Local (news@thelocal.de)
Fark It!
Digg This
Facebook
Share everywhere
Send to a friend
Printable version
Twitter ThisToday's headlines
TRAGEDY IN DUISBURG
Own party now turns on Duisburg mayor
Embattled Duisburg Mayor Adolf Sauerland faced demands to resign from his own conservative party on Friday over the Love Parade tragedy that left 21 people dead. READ »
Germany wins double-gold at European championships
Germany scored double-gold Thursday night at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, taking first place in both the women’s 100 metres sprint and the javelin throw. READ »
Skilled migrants urgently needed, says minister
With Germany industry facing a looming skills shortage, Economy Minister Rainer Brüderle revealed on Friday he was planning a major recruitment drive to attract skilled migrants. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
Behemoth wine barrel to be tapped after 400 years
The world’s oldest giant wine barrel, held in a Saxony-Anhalt hunting mansion, has been refilled for the first time in its 400-year history and will be filling glasses at a festival beginning on Friday. READ (1 COMMENT) »
Elderly woman robbed by fake relative after weekend reunion
Police are searching for a woman who robbed a retiree after she claimed to be a relative and spent the weekend at her home along with a child and dog, police said on Thursday. READ »
Single-parent families on the rise in Germany
The number of single-parent families in Germany has risen over the past decade, with nearly one in five mothers and fathers now raising their children on their own, a national “microcensus” revealed Thursday. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
Weatherman Kachelmann released from jail
Four months after he was arrested for allegedly raping his girlfriend, weatherman Jörg Kachelmann was released from custody on Thursday. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
Home offices should be tax-deductible, court rules
Teachers, professors and other people who keep a second office at home are in for a windfall after a court ruled Thursday that tax deductions on home offices should be expanded. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
More Society
- 29/07 Neo-Nazis hack into Buchenwald concentration camp website (1 comment) »
- 29/07 Single-parent families on the rise in Germany (3 comments) »
- 29/07 Elderly woman robbed by fake relative after weekend reunion »
- 29/07 Behemoth wine barrel to be tapped after 400 years (1 comment) »
- 28/07 Gay German theologian lashes Catholic Church (4 comments) »
- 28/07 Police seize 'ancient' bus after 1.8 million kilometres (18 comments) »
- 28/07 Nazi death camp guard charged with murder (24 comments) »
- 27/07 Political pressure steamrolled safety fears (2 comments) »
- 27/07 Depression and schizophrenia filling German hospital beds (25 comments) »
- 26/07 Duisburg police relieved of Love Parade investigation »
Highlights
See all ads | Join the Marketplace
-
Kimberly Fitzgerald
Professional, qualified counselling service for English-speaking women -
Pukka German
Learn German with us! -
Liz Frey Relocation Service Agency for Furnished Accommodation Munich
Liz Frey Munich - furnished accommodation -
Feuerberg
Feuerberg, a cafe, bar, and restaurant in Untergiesing -
Heilpraktiker Joe Ferraro
Massage and holistic healing -
ACTING and CONFIDENCE TRAINING
Professional Acting and Confidence Training in the English Language -
Foreign Currency Direct Plc
Foreign currency direct - buying or selling foreign currency
Sponsored Links
Jobs in Germany, in English
799 jobs available
469 new jobs this week
6 new jobs today
- Product Manager Fleet-Management
- Consultant Installation Specialist (m/f)
- Application Support Engineer (m/f) Microcontroller MSP430
- Lawyer, Senior Counsel (m/f) (JA-GER75852)
- Research & Development Controller (m/w) (JA-GER75888)
- Account Executive
- HR Manager Germany - Global IT Consultancy - Frankfurt
- Consultants / Top Graduates, advance your career in Health-Care!
- Business Analyst
- Manager Differentiated Generics m/f
Latest news from The Local in Sweden
- 30/07 Chaos reigns in central Sweden after heavy rain »
- 30/07 Train breaks down from Stockholm to Malmö »
- 30/07 Ibrahimović pledges to stay at Barcelona »
- 29/07 Protestors arrested in anti-US demo »
- 29/07 Couple suspected of dog smuggling set free »
Blog
Essentials
Dating
Looking for your own blonde bombshell? Or is the strong, silent type more your
style? Find a German sweetheart here.
Weather
"After clouds comes clear weather," say the Germans. But what about after that? Find out in The Local's weather
section.
Blog
German stuff that's distracting us today.
Noticeboard
Whether you want to buy, sell, hire, announce or promote something, here's the place to do it - completely free of
charge.
Discuss
Debate the news, ask for advice, make friends - or just let off steam.
Register
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
News from the Goethe-Institut
- High Risk in the Crisis: Start-Ups in the Culture Business
Organisational talent, networks, staying power and, ideally, plenty of start-up capital – these are important prerequisites for a business start-up. - Cooperate or Capitulate? Clubs and All-Day Schools
In view of the massive expansion of all-day schools, clubs are facing unprecedented problems. - Copying Allowed: Creative Commons Licenses
Creative Commons is a licensing system that enables authors to grant the rights to use their own work. - Spaces of Knowledge. Uwe Jochum on his “Geschichte der abendländischen Bibliotheken”
From cave paintings to the digital library on the Net, Uwe Jochum’s "Geschichte der abendländischen Bibliotheken", spans about 20,000 years of library history.... - Creative Small Business: The Writer and All-Round Artist Thomas Kapielski
Among contemporary German authors, one stands out who for years has been able to operate in various forms of expression and does not fit into any category: Thomas Kapielski....
News from Young Germany
- Pop diva from the "Green Hill"
She’s regarded as the great hope of Bayreuth and marks the beginning of a new era in the history of... - University of Heidelberg number one among graduate students
The number of international students coming to Germany to complete their doctorate is on the rise,... - World's best youth orchestras to perform in Berlin
From August 6-22 some of the world's best youth orchestras will come together for the 11th Young... - The "Gigasaur" comes to Frankfurt
Forty meters long and weighing in at over 80,000 kilos, the Argentinosaurus has arrived in... - Backpacking Germany
Many people find backpacking in a foreign country a daunting prospect, but hitting the road with...
News from DeutschlandOnline
- Westerwelle expects autumn talks on Iran nuclear programme
Visiting Turkey German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Wednesday (27 July) said he expected... - Yoko Ono to exhibit interactive Berlin show in September
Conceptual artist Yoko Ono is to unveil a new show in Berlin this September on the subject of... - German banks pass european stress tests
Seven European Union banks have failed the stress tests run by regulators on 91 lenders and will... - German, Swedish truckmakers study collaboration
Swedish heavy-vehicle maker Scania AB said Thursday it is studying non brand-related collaboration...
Noticeboard
Toytown Germany
- 09:47 Customer service positives in Germany
- 09:46 Documents required to open a DKB Cash account
- 09:44 Cycling tours around Munich
- 09:36 €100K salary before taxes in Berlin
- 09:34 Using VOIP phone in Alice DSL
- 09:30 Paulstep's Leipzig BBQ II - Paul dons apron again
- 09:25 Mortgage advice based on personal experience...
- 09:25 Websites to book cheap flights
- 09:12 SATURDAY 2010 Free Museum Entrance in Frankfurt
- 09:11 Updates on Sunday shopping in Frankfurt
Sales managers - country wide
The Local is seeking talented and experienced media sales professionals for our online advertising sales in Germany
FULL JOB DETAILS
The Local is seeking talented and experienced media sales professionals for our online advertising sales in Germany
FULL JOB DETAILS
Flat rate internet + free calls to USA, UK, Canada and more
Surf‘n’Talk service from TKS offers a powerful combination of high-speed Internet connectivity along with an around-the-clock flat for calls to your “home country”. Find out more at the TKS website.
INFO > www.tkscable.com
Surf‘n’Talk service from TKS offers a powerful combination of high-speed Internet connectivity along with an around-the-clock flat for calls to your “home country”. Find out more at the TKS website.
INFO > www.tkscable.com
JOB: Sales position @ Globe Business College Munich
GBCM is currently seeking an experienced sales person to work in the area of student recruitment in Germany and internationally
FULL JOB DETAILS
GBCM is currently seeking an experienced sales person to work in the area of student recruitment in Germany and internationally
FULL JOB DETAILS
JOB: Customer Service Agent - Munich
Mr Lodge GmbH, Germany's biggest agency for furnished apartments, is looking for an English native speaker
FULL JOB DETAILS
Mr Lodge GmbH, Germany's biggest agency for furnished apartments, is looking for an English native speaker
FULL JOB DETAILS
