Thread by @MollyOShah

Okay I’m going to do a thread on Berlin playgrounds to explain why American children are really getting a raw deal

(Caveat being this is based on my personal experience and the information available in English on the Berlin city website)

https://twitter.com/mollyoshah/status/1140282730405605376

One of the first things I noticed here is that there are playgrounds everywhere- like we were constantly stumbling into them. First one we saw was in our Hof (courtyard). It’s small, a spinning disk, a sandbox, a balance beam and a few riding toys

There are only maybe 100 units in our building complex so I thought it was so nice there was a playground... little did I know, it was the law

That’s right every building with more than 6 units has to provide a playground- on the way home from my daughter’s school we pass 3 of these small playgrounds that are in people’s buildings (these are open to the public generally but some are in private courtyards)

So basically every kid in Berlin (because most live in places with more than 6 units) has a small playground near their building... but those are the private ones... moving onto public ones!

There are 1850 (!!!) public playgrounds in Berlin- most in public parks. That is 1 public playground for every 325ish kids in Berlin

And they are everywhere! Here is a small one about a five minute walk from our house- definitely on the small side but it has a slide, several climbing things and is located in a sculpture garden which the kids also climb on. It used to house the actual bear of Berlin.

We stumble on these little neighborhood park ones all the time- perfect for sitting down and relaxing after a chore and letting your kid run off energy

Then in every large park there tend to be two or three playgrounds (sometimes many more) These tend to have amazing play structures and lots of variety- including large climbing areas, water/sand spots and a variety of swings and slides and oftentimes trampolines!

Trampoline!

There are also lots of special things built into parks here like petting zoos, pony rides, and these movable wooden playgrounds that travel around parks

Ziplines!

I recently took my daughter to the largest playground in Berlin which just had soooo many things!

Which for some reason had a Dracula theme?

All of these so far have been accessible to the public (most of the parks attached to apartments are also accessible but may be harder to find) but there is also a focus on play and playgrounds at places like zoos, water parks etc.

But it is 100% possible to take your kids to amazing play places without spending a dime (and in the fall that is true even for public transportation which will become free for all Berlin children).

Also for the most part all of these playgrounds are well maintained, it’s unusual to see broken equipment or garbage. And while there is some variance in quality from neighborhood to neighborhood- it’s not nearly as stark as it is in the US.

In the US, I typically had to drive (or walk a long distance) to find a playground- which depending on its location would possibly not be well maintained. Typically there would be one or two climbing areas, some swings and slides.

If I was willing to drive to richer neighborhoods or larger parks I might find some more variety and cooler exhibits

With a few exceptions anything novel, would be located on private property and cost money. And playgrounds in apartment complexes etc are not standard and are only provided to those who can afford to live places where they are included.

Berlin is proof it 100% does not have to be this way. Governments can invest in children and families. Playgrounds are a Public right. The world can be a better place. (End playground rant)

Adding a tweet to this because a lot of people are thanking Angela Merkel. Most of the playground legislation was passed under the GDR (East Germany) and the Berlin Senate has since unification been primarily run by a coalition of more leftist parties including @dielinkeberlin

The CDU is (by world standards if not American ones ) a Conservative party which promotes a lot of austerity measures... kinda like the Democrats in the US tbh

And have nothing to do with cool playgrounds.

Oh and as a last add on! I follow this page on Facebook if you are jonesing to see more Berlin playgrounds! I’ve barely scratched the surface facebook.com/berlinplaygrou…