V Maybe at some point there will be a master’s thesis “Displacement and gentrification processes in Hamburg-Ottensen” in which the fate of the district kitchen “La Cantina” appears as an illustrative example. All the ingredients are there: a district canteen that has served people with little money for 20 yearsoffers lunch to the homeless, but also to people who live in the area. And people who have been unemployed for a long time have a job.
On the other hand, there is a new owner of the commercial property who is terminating the rental agreement. As it said in media reportsThe district office had explained that it was about fire protection and that the cantina was allowed to continue operating its kitchen. Now the landlord says there is a need for renovation. But he can cancel anyway, even without giving reasons. Whether he is doing this to preserve the building structure or to double the rent, only he knows for now.
There is a part of Ottensen where the… The question of gentrification has long since been resolvedon the main street with the high-end clothing store, where there used to be a scissors shop, and the equally upscale furniture store, where paint used to be sold. And there is a smaller part where the houses are shakier, where the matter is not yet so clear.
The district kitchen is located in Hohenesch in the front building of a period industrial estate, an angular building with businesses ranging from motorcycle mechanics to artist studios to lamp design. It had been in the family for a long time; the last manager had taken it over from his father with the task of preserving everything. At least that’s what one of the previous tenants says. Earlier, because everyone has left now.
With the change of ownership the wind changed
Die The story is detailed and has shades of gray. What is certain is that it began with the new ownership structure. When an architect bought the house next door, she forbade businesses to use the driveway. She also complained about the fire protection at the district office and thus got the ball rolling that brought the end of the business park. According to the old tenants, the old owner took an investor on board to finance the necessary renovation.
And with this change of ownership the wind changed. The tenants received new rental contracts with a one-month notice period and looked for longer-term prospects elsewhere. The district assembly tried to obtain a right of first refusal from the Hamburg Senate – in vain. The backyard is now empty.
Now the cantina has also been canceled. They were looking for new rooms, says Nese Wagner from the Koala sponsoring association. But that is difficult, to say the least. In Hohenesch, a stone’s throw from Altona train station, the cantina is one of the few places where people from very different backgrounds meet – this would hardly be the case on the outskirts of the city.
But the rents in Ottensen are so high that Koala, who is supported by the city and the European Social Fund, will hardly be able to afford them. The old one was cheap because of the long-term rental agreement.
There are depressingly few answers in these gentrification stories, which are always a little different and yet end the same
In the meantime, some media have reported critically on the termination and perhaps that’s why the landlord, who doesn’t want to read his name in the newspaper, is calling the taz. He says there is no alternative to termination because of the need for renovation, and it is not possible to continue operating the cantina during the work. But he helps as best he can with the search for new rooms. And what will become of the old ones? He couldn’t say anything about it, the renovation was too imponderable.
Politicians, at least the left, don’t want to give up yet. She submitted an application calling on the district to talk to the landlord. Politicians should negotiate “a long-term, structurally and economically viable safeguard for the district canteen at Hohenesch 68.” In practical terms, this means sponsoring a higher rent.
This cannot have been easy for the left. And it shows how difficult the problem is. The landlord does not say which tenants he wants in the future. And he remains silent when you say that renovation would probably look different if the preservation of the cantina was made a priority. There are depressingly few answers in these gentrification stories, which are always a little different and yet end the same.