2026 Kurfürstendamm – documentary photography, photos by Andreas Muhs

Kurfürstendamm, Berlin-Charlottenburg, 2026, 30 photos, analog

The fear of riots began in the autumn with the youth protests in other European countries. In addition to the senseless violence against the police, shops were looted there. The announcement of the first Gen Z demonstrations in German cities was accompanied by media reports on endless loops, suggesting that something like this would naturally happen here as well. As a precaution and against the advice of the authorities, the luxury goods stores on the Kurfürstendamm in particular wanted to protect themselves against possible attacks. Some of the reveals of windows and entrances were filled with plywood panels in surprisingly high craftsmanship quality. Even the display cases on the sidewalk disappeared under wooden boarding. Since the luxury boutiques are concentrated in the western part of the Kurfürstendamm, the close proximity probably also led to everyone barricading themselves in. On Saturday evening, the protests then took place at other locations in Berlin; no one strayed into Charlottenburg. On Sunday morning, I found the perfect symbol for an overly anxious capitalism there.

Hasselblad SWC