Dirt, crap and complete ruin. The inhabitants of “bunker” paralyze the life of Getynga
Sometimes these are large -scale garbage piling at the door of the apartment, other times piles of clothes scattered without order and composition. Every now and then rats run on the floor. It is so dirty that only in some places can you see whether it is lined with panels or linings. Near the pile of garbage bags, yellowed mattresses lie, and the remains of food between them. In the corner of the apartment there is a bottle of vodka filled with yellowish liquid. – This is urine – speculates the real estate broker Sebastian Fesser.
The housing complex at Groner Landstrasse in Gethynda is shrouded in bad fame. Everyone who enters here has the impression that he has entered the parallel world in the middle of the city. There are 432 apartments here. Many of them stand empty, the others are mostly inhabited by persons receiving social benefits. 700 to 900 tenants live here.
– It's like another country. I am always happy when I leave here, “says Fesser.
For about ten years he has been the owner of four apartments in this building. Two of them are currently rented, one tenant moves out in October, and the other has not lived in the building a long time ago, but he still pays rent. “I can't blame anyone for wanting to get out of here as soon as possible,” he says. Does not consider renting apartments again. “I would be ashamed to issue such ads,” he says.
In the courtyard of the building lies an overturned shopping cart, next to it scattered advertising leaflets and plastic garbage. Before the main entrance to the building, several residents sit on the chairs. They speak broken German. When two of them make a conversation with journalists “Die Welt”, it gets loud. Others seem to be annoyed by the fact that the neighbors want to talk openly about the situation. However, they do their job.
– The building is in a terrible condition. This is a big problem – says Elena Jiga. The building complex is often called the “bunker” because of its damaged condition. Together with her husband, Micea came to Germany from Romania. They both clean up at school every day. They have been living in this building for two years.
Micea and Elena JigaNicolas Walter / Die Welt
“Finding another apartment is practically impossible,” says Micea Jiga. Every time looking for a flat, they come out that they live at Groner Landstrasse 9, they receive a refusal.
“Oh wounds, she lives there”
Sonia V. is waiting in front of the building for his grandmother. The pensioner lived in it half a year ago and just came for a few things – says the teenager. She also lived here, but a long time ago. Already then she felt what weight was drawn by this address. – At school, other children kept repeated: “Oh wounds, she lives there,” he says. She adds that some doctor refused her visits when they saw her address of her residence at the time.
He claims that its inhabitants are responsible for what this area looks like. Her grandmother always cleaned the floor on which her apartment was located. “It was clean for several hours, later it looked like before,” he says.
The city authorities under the leadership of the mayor of Petry Broistedt (SPD) believe that the main responsibility for the condition of this facility rests primarily with “on the owners and managers of real estate, as well as on some residents who, by littering the building, worse the situation even more,” they write in response to the editorial office of “Die Welt”. Sebastian Fesser, one of the 70 owners of the building complex, does not want to leave it like that. “I am a landlord, not a guardian,” he says.
The city, in turn, emphasizes that “ownership entails responsibility.” At the same time, he carries out inspections several times a week to check the fire safety of the building, hygiene and the presence of pests. – My property obliges me to pay for my things. But he doesn't oblige me to pay for others – says Fesser. Because the main owner is currently insolvent, the city separates additional and operational costs into the others. Fesser is to pay about 130 thousand euro (PLN 553 thousand), shows the editorial office of “Die Welt” relevant documents. He says he won't pay.
“Some are not suitable for living there”
The city believes that in addition to the owners, the obligation to take care of the area of the facility also rests with the property manager. Dominik Fricke, managing director responsible for the CEEles Group complex, explains that he does not want to waive responsibility under any circumstances. – There are many problems in this area. Believe me, no matter how big or small they are, we have already considered every possible solution. The problem, however, is that none of them is free – he says.
His company currently does not earn a “or a penny” on building management. He doesn't like it when his company is called “real estate shark”. – We do a significant job, which we can prove. It exceeds the amount they pay us many times – he says. One third of the apartments is currently empty, and only nearly half of the tenants pay bills. The possibilities of debt collection of overdue costs are low.
Continued article under video material
– The problem is that social benefits to cover housing costs only in theory are paid directly to the landlord's account. In practice, many tenants cancel the signed assignment agreement and stops the rent – he claims. In addition, the bankruptcy proceedings of the main owner lasts “extremely long”.
In the long run, make sure that some residents are accommodated in other locations – says Fricke. – Some residents are not suitable for living there. Everywhere they scatter rubbish, beer bottles, set fire to things in apartments – he says. Indeed, the building has several apartments that are completely burned. According to Fricke, this year there have already been 10-12 such fires.
Recently, in social media, a film was widely suffered, which shows two teenagers catching a rat from a mountain of rubbish in the yard and a stick beating him. Laughter is heard in the background. In the full version of the film, which was reached by the editors of “Die Welt”, you can see how the rat eventually falls dead to the ground.
“It is not known what will shoot their heads”
On the back of the building complex there is a new small district with single -family houses. Julia Neubauer, who does not want to give her real name, invites journalists “Die Welt” to his home. From the kitchen he has a direct view of the building at Groner Landstrasse.
“This is unbearable,” he reports. She recently heard threats from a teenager – because she asked him to leave her property. “I'll kill you,” he answered her. Since then, leaving the house, he tries “not to be conspicuous”. “It is not known what will shoot them,” he says.
It happened many times that balls landed on her property, which dug children or young people there, so she built a fence around the house. Some, however, climb him and enter her property. “Sometimes they also throw beer cans through the fence,” he adds.
Destroyed cars in the courtyardNicolas Walter / Die Welt
There is no anger in Neubauer's voice, but disappointment. He understands that people living in a building complex are frustrated by their situation. In her opinion, the city authorities have made some political errors. They should not allow such a strong “concentration” of several nationalities in such a small space.
However, she is most annoyed by the fact that no one is interested in the situation in which she found herself and others living in the immediate vicinity of the object. “We can report, but it doesn't give it,” he says. Although she raised a fence around the house and installed cameras, some men climbed it, broke her property and tried to steal an electric bike. They were not identified. Other residents also report crime. Many of them also decided to install cameras.
However, all the neighbors with whom Die Welt journalists talk rather show compassion for the inhabitants of the complex. – Everything you see there results from poverty. I feel sorry for these people – says one of the women. Another man claims that the city must fulfill his duties. – Associations for authorized persons should be separated differently. I don't understand why almost exclusively Romanians and Bulgarians live here. Every social worker knows it's nonsense – he says. He is worried primarily about children living in this complex of buildings.
“If someone doesn't notice it, it's over, it's all”
Sebastian Fesser stands in the yard of the complex. Many cars parked there do not have glass, trunk cover, wheels or other parts. Some vehicles lie on the side. These scenes resemble the area of war rather than a university city – Gynga was always famous for such status. It is not clear where the cars come from – they were probably stolen. Fesser says that the inhabitants undress the vehicles into parts and then sell them.
When he bought apartments in Getynda nearly 10 years ago, the condition of the property was “fine”. “It wasn't a dream property at that time, but it certainly wasn't in such a poor condition,” he says. Residents also claim that the situation has worsened gradually, especially in the last 10 to 15 years.
Real estate agent and owner of several apartments Sebastian FesserNicolas Walter / Die Welt
Fesser claims that the authorities only solve this problem in theory. – It should be terminated to all tenants of the contract, completely renovate the property, clean thoroughly, and then rent new customers. However, this cannot be done because you can not just throw people over the street – he says. He adds that he necessarily wants to sell his real estate in this building.
After a while, he leaves the narrow corridor of the inner courtyard to Groner Landstrasse. He looks at the picture in front of him as if he crossed the border. “I don't go there myself,” he says.
He is afraid that regular fires exploding there may eventually lead to fatalities. “It's a miracle that nothing has happened so far,” he says. Regardless of how good fire protection is, “if there is a fire, it is a fire. And if someone is in one of the apartments and he will not notice it, it's over, after all.” “After all, it will happen,” he says anxiously.
