10.00 am - 4.00 pm
In its literal translation, the term Wagenburgen refers to the wagon barricades erected by the pioneers when they came under attack in the Wild West. In its modern use it could mean anything from trailer park to carriage stronghold or portacabin site.
There are about 100 of Wagenburgen in Germany, Berlin has ten sites. Very few of those Berlin Wagenburgen are legalised and have a lease on a piece of land. Most are merely 'tolerated', i.e. they occupy an area in town and are allowed to stay if there are no other plans for that area. Most of the sites are around the area of the former Berlin Wall, and consist of groups of eight to 30 people. They see themselves as an alternative housing project, not as a kind of self-help project to combat homelessness.
Even after several years on the same site, Wagenburgen typically retain their provisional and transitory character. The more uncertain their situation, the more pronounced this character is. It can be seen in the social structure of the group as well as their spatial structure.
The main attraction offered by this lifestyle lies in the opportunity to live in a freely constituted community, live ecologically, pay no or little rent, and have the mobility inherent in a wagon. It allows living within a loose structure; individual members can be very different. Any conflict situation can be alleviated by the spatial divisions on the site. The members can shape the inner and outer space of their personal living environment, as it is quite free from pre-organised functional division.
Many people are attracted to the mobility of life in a wagon. It is possible to change location on the site itself, to change sites completely, or to travel around. This flexibility has become more and more popular. There is a trend towards self-propelled vehicles, which is partly due to the uncertain situation (eg. threat of eviction), partly influenced by the demands of the education and job market, and partly down to a basic need for independence and freedom. However, this mobility only works if there are enough sites where wagons can find a temporary home.
Since 1990 there have been nation wide meetings called "Wagentage". These meetings take place roughly every three months, each time in a Wagenburg in a different city. The programme includes workshops, parties, film screenings, concerts, theatre performances and so on.
Within these networks there is a constant exchange of ideas and there are close contacts between wagon dwellers from different cities. A growing number of people travel around and visit different Wagenburgen throughout the country. Within the framework of these "Wagentage" the magazine "Vogelfrai" is published. "Vogelfrai" (= "outlawed") contains news from the different Wagenburgen, such as eviction threats or site changes, reports on workshops, event listings or small ads. This magazine also always provides the latest address list.
German Law offers several ways of rendering the 'mobile home lifestyle' illegal. Thus spoilt for choice, local authorities often passed the buck of responsibility back and forth and ended up doing nothing. On the other hand, however, their effort to create an investor-friendly environment in the 'Enterprise Berlin' scenario all but eradicated the tolerance towards sub-cultures so prevalent in the 1980s. Since then, groups which are either not able to fit in with this new plan (the homeless and the poor) or not willing (Wagon dwellers, squatters) have been identified as public enemies and become both socially and geographically marginalised. This political line was followed between 1993 and 2000 and resulted in seven evictions, some of which involved an enormous amount of police force.
The Wagenburgen however refused to be helpless victims. They resorted to demonstrations, press releases, promotions, involved universities and held talks with politicians and investors and managed to shake off their labelling as useless homeless or antisocial criminal elements.
Over the last two years one Wagenburg (post-eviction and after several months without a site) was able to find a permanent place and another one was at least allowed to occupy an alternative site, albeit short term. In that respect the Wagenburgen find themselves in a more relaxed situation now. Elsewhere, however, things are different. In Hamburg, for example, a Wagenburg (Bambule) eviction at beginning of November 2002 involved a high level of police brutality, followed by weeks of protest and repression.
During the INURA conference people will have the opportunity to visit one or several Wagenburgen and find out first hand about the lifestyle and situation on site.
Some information (in German) as well as photos can be found at:
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