Opened in 1893 and claimed by some to be the oldest bar in the German capital, Alt Berlin is a favourite haunt of artists, bohemians and lowlifes. But with rents rising at an unprecedented rate, "Berlin's last village local" may soon be no more: unless a petition can change the landlord's mind, it will close its doors for the last time at the end of April.
Few tourists who stream down Münzstrasse into the city centre dare enter the bar with its dark wood panelling, and many of those who do walk straight out again. From 8pm until closing time in the early hours, regulars jostle elbow to elbow in the narrow main room. No other Berlin bar has defied the attempted smoking ban with such passion, and whoever wrote "Smells like pee spirit" on the wall in the gents' toilets wasn't wrong. There is one window, but it tends to remain shut for fear of waking the neighbours.
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