Renowned Art Historian Helga Kliemann Dies at 99
Berlin's Neukölln tenants fight to save historic homes from uncertain sale
On February 4, 2024, the art historian Helga Kliemann passed away at the age of 99. She was the widowed partner of Carl-Heinz Kliemann, one of Berlin's most significant post-war painters. Like her late husband, Helga Kliemann intended her legacy to be entrusted to a foundation—the Carl-Heinz and Helga Kliemann Foundation, administered by the city-owned Berlin City Museum Foundation.
But part of this legacy has now sparked controversy. Kliemann did not bequeath only paintings and documents; her estate also included two residential buildings in Neukölln's Schillerkiez neighborhood, on Herrfurthplatz. Now, the tenants are up in arms. They claim that what is happening to the buildings is precisely what the owner never wanted: they are being sold—to the highest bidder.
Erik Lehmann sighs as he speaks of Helga Kliemann. For 20 years, the man—who prefers to remain anonymous—has lived at Herrfurthplatz 7. He remembers a time "when this area wasn't hip yet, when the neighborhood was still quiet." He witnessed the arrival of bars and cafés, the closure of nearby Tempelhof Airport, and the skyrocketing rents that followed. "Everywhere, just not here," he adds, thanks to "the strict instructions from Ms. Kliemann and the property management." Even now, rents in the building remain below market rates and affordable.
"Ms. Kliemann," as Lehmann always refers to his former landlady, had always insisted that little should change in the building. She also wanted artists—people who needed space to live and work and who, as Lehmann puts it, "don't always have the most stable incomes"—to be able to stay. The building remains the only one on the square that has not been renovated. Some apartments still have coal heating because tenants can't afford upgrades. The corner pub downstairs, Daffke, is an original, its walls still adorned with frescoes from the Gründerzeit era. And the sense of community among residents remains strong. "When a neighbor has a birthday, everyone is usually invited," Lehmann says. "It's such a beautiful exchange, especially because the people here are so diverse. We want to keep it that way at all costs."
An Executor, a Second Heir
But this idyll is now under threat. Something went wrong with the inheritance. As a spokesperson for the Berlin City Museum Foundation confirmed to our website, the residential buildings were part of Helga Kliemann's estate. However, there is a "compulsory heir"—a relative entitled to a minimum share of the inheritance. In accordance with the will, the probate court appointed an executor, who decided to sell the buildings to pay out the compulsory heir. A buyer has already been found, and the notarial contract has been signed.
Naturally, this has left tenants fearing the worst. "We're dreading that after the sale, extensive renovations will be forced through, rents will spike, and the building will turn into a construction site," Lehmann says. For many residents, such changes would threaten their very existence, the long-term tenant adds. "A lot of people are really scared."
The tenants have gone public with their concerns. About a week ago, they held a rally in front of the building. A large banner stretched across the balconies of the gray façade reads, "Berlin, please exercise your right of first refusal!" Their hope is that the district will intervene, using its preemptive purchase right to snatch the property away from the buyer. This would require the buyer to either commit to socially responsible rent policies to avoid the preemption or transfer the building to a nonprofit organization.
But the odds are not in their favor. Since the Federal Administrative Court severely restricted preemptive purchase rights in 2022, they now apply almost exclusively to derelict properties—and these buildings do not fall into that category. "We are still reviewing the case," says Jochen Biedermann (Green Party), the district's construction councilor. However, he acknowledges that the legal hurdles for exercising the right of first refusal "are very high."
Was the House of Representatives Bypassed?
What has caught the attention of Biedermann's party colleague, Neukölln MP André Schulze, however, is the fact that the Carl-Heinz and Helga Kliemann Foundation describes itself as a "dependent" foundation under the Berlin City Museum, which is owned by the state. And a state-affiliated foundation cannot simply sell a residential building. "For good reason, the sale of property by a state foundation requires approval from the House of Representatives to prevent such sales at maximum prices at the expense of tenants," Schulze says.
Yet the foundation argues it never actually owned the house. The inheritance, it claims, went to the executor of the estate, who first had to satisfy the statutory heirs before any remaining assets could be transferred to the Carl-Heinz and Helga Kliemann Foundation. As a result, the foundation's spokesperson asserts, "the rules of the state of Berlin on the sale of state-owned land do not apply." They insist they had no influence over the property being sold to the highest bidder. "The Berlin City Museum Foundation itself could imagine alternative ownership models," she adds.
Schulze remains unconvinced by the foundation's claim that it had no say in how its own inheritance was handled. "Experience suggests there was coordination between the executor and the foundation regarding the sale of the house," he tells our website. In any case, he calls it "disastrous" for a public foundation to inherit a building only to sell it off. "This way, the public sector is fueling speculation in the housing market."
For the tenants, trust has been shattered—especially since the building's community was only informed after the deal was already done. "You can sell a house or its tenants, and in this case, we were the ones sold," says Lehmann. His hope now is that the still-unknown buyer will come forward. "They don't have to be heartless. We're willing to make contact."
