🌤️ Guten Morgen, Berlin!

Here’s your quick update on what’s happening around the city on Friday, August 29 - from urgent alerts to stories in the subreddit. Today we went through 100+ articles, posts and events so you don't have to. Let’s dive in.

🇩🇪 Mysterious series of brutal knife attacks in Berlin

A 19-year-old Afghan man went on trial at the Berlin regional court on charges including dangerous bodily harm, accused of taking part in a series of knife attacks across the city between October 2024 and February 2025; he remained silent at the opening hearing.

Prosecutors say the group targeted mostly Afghan victims in several districts, leaving some with lasting nerve damage and requiring emergency surgery. Some alleged assailants remain unidentified, and a witness suggested a drug dispute may have motivated the assaults.

The trial resumes Tuesday, Sept. 2, with further witness testimony expected as the court weighs identification of the defendant and the alleged motive. (B.Z. – Die Stimme Berlins, 2 minute read)

🇩🇪 End of the line: the S-Bahn is already heading for the next crisis

Berlin’s S-Bahn is experiencing extended service disruptions, especially in the northeast, as maintenance replaces worn rails and switches amid ongoing infrastructure and operations problems after a crisis meeting produced limited fixes.

An internal report says over half of disruptions are S-Bahn-caused, with 30% due to infrastructure managed by DB InfraGo, including obsolete signal boxes and too few sidings. Similar underinvestment led to the 2009 fleet crisis, and critical interlockings may not be fully renewed for about a decade.

Berlin and Brandenburg plan to award new operating contracts in September, enabling train orders, but the new service starts no earlier than 2031, raising a risk of rolling-stock shortages by 2029 if approvals and upgrades lag. (Tagesspiegel, 2 minute read)

🇩🇪 Berlin: Five-storey building evacuated due to risk of collapse

What Happened: Berlin authorities evacuated a five-story mixed-use building on Reinhardtstraße Thursday after its roof truss shifted toward the street, pushing the facade outward and prompting engineers to deem the roof at risk of collapse.

The Big Picture: Fire officials said only the roof structure is unstable, though earlier images suggest the misalignment predates today. Streets and nearby shops, including offices, were closed as the Federal Agency for Technical Relief began stabilization work.

What’s Next: Officials expect to secure the roof with steel cables into the night; Reinhardtstraße will remain closed, and residents and businesses cannot return until the site is stabilized and declared safe. (BILD, 2 minute read)

⚡ Quick Hits

📅 Events Today

💬 What Berliners Are Talking About

💔 Fun Fact: Berlin is sometimes called the “Singles Capital” – about 50% of Berlin’s households are single-person (and over half of Berliners are unmarried). The city’s free-spirited, individualistic lifestyle might have something to do with it!

👋 That's a wrap!

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