Typisch Deutsch: Watching Euro 2024 at the Spätis of Berlin

Words: Damiano Benzoni

Images: Damiano Benzoni

When the German National Team unveiled its new jersey for the tournament they would be the host country of, they did it with a video which questioned what the concept of “Typisch Deutsch”, typical German, is?

Among the contradictions highlighted in the clip there was the image of a young lad wearing the Germany shirt and revealing he was wearing it over a Croatia shirt. He said: “Typisch Deutsch is… to have two teams in the tournament”.

That is probably why Berlin seems the best city to see the Euros. A friend of mine tweeted, some time ago, “Someone can start singing in Kyrgyz, and he’ll find someone to sing along with”.

For all the rise of the far right, for all the contradictory relationship between Germans and immigrants from other countries, the whole world lives here. And the excitement of being one of the host cities of the European Championship is palpable.

Flags on virtually every corner, cars that have been aptly decorated. I am flying my Italian flag off my balcony, my neighbour flies his German flag, on the other side of the road someone has decorated his balcony with the cross of Switzerland.

©Damiano Benzoni/ Terrace Edition. Euro 2024. Berlin.

And then, public viewing areas. Not only the huge screens at the Astra Kulturhaus or the huge fan-zone in front of the Brandenburg Gate, adorned with artificial grass and the largest goalposts ever seen.

The true soul of Euros in Berlin are the Spätis.

Small cornershop, convenience stores, often managed by Turkish people, who have done their best to prepare their DIY viewing areas. A TV screen outside, some benches to sit on, or even just some beer crates.

And people watching, so many that in some cases they occupy the nearby cycling lanes. There are the ones who are invested in the match, who leave in anger because they can’t get anymore suffering.

Then the curious ones, just lingering in the sweet summer heat and the long daylight hours, beer in their hand and checking out what it’s going on.

Turkey won, Hermannstraße will soon be filled with the blaring of car horns and with Turkish flags. And that is typisch Deutsch.