Nachbarn auf Zeit

The Nachbarn auf Zeit initiative began with a sheep march involving nearly 200 sheep, starting at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, passing Bellevue, across the Großer Stern and on to Hansaplatz. This demonstration, in which over 500 people took part, drew attention to the precarious situation of itinerant shepherds and, at the same time, to the dire situation in our cities, where cars are given more space than people, let alone animals. The demonstration took place in cooperation with shepherd Knut Kucznik. Also present were the Association of German Regional Sheep Breeders’ Associations (VDL), the Federal Association of Professional Shepherds (BVBS) and the Berlin-Brandenburg Sheep Breeders’ Association.

A thematic link between the sheep and Hansaplatz is the motto of the 1959 International Building Exhibition (Interbau), in which the Hansaviertel was conceived as the ‘City of Tomorrow’. What will the city of tomorrow look like in the face of climate change and rampant species extinction? The flock of sheep served as a catalyst and a thought experiment for how urban green spaces could be used and designed in a climate-friendly way. For this reason, five sheep remained in the Hansaviertel for a month after the demonstration – as temporary neighbours. The meadow next to the Hansa Library was converted into a sheep pasture with a pen for this purpose.