Tough battle to survive for Berlin's artists

Artists from all over the world have settled in Berlin, a city renowned for its liberal, free-wheeling lifestyle and its modestly priced apartments and studios.

More than 20,000 are hooked into the creative arts scene. But while Berlin scores high marks as a place where life can be lived to the full, it remains a city short of cash and jobs.

"Poor but sexy," Berlin's Social Democrat mayor Klaus Wowerweit characterised it three years ago.

After World War II, Berlin's big industrial concerns switched their operations to cities like Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf in the Cold War years, and there was never any question of a return after the nation's unification in 1991.

The result is that Berlin has been cursed by a lack of job opportunities. So why, then, do artistically minded people gravitate to the city in such large numbers?

City tourist experts say it has to do with the richness and diversity of Berlin's cultural life, its buzzing night life, picturesque lakes and forests, and efficient public transport.

Another advantage is its size, covering an area twice that of Paris.

"Unlike most other big cities, you never feel hemmed in or restricted in Berlin," says Martin Riches, a veteran British sculptor who arrived in the late 1960s planning to stay six months. He is still here 40 years later.

"In London, Paris and New York daily life can be hectic. Getting to work sometimes proves a tiring business.

"Here it's different. You can travel from one end of Berlin to the other in relative comfort on the city's trains and buses," he says.

Berlin offers a colorful mix of cabaret, theaters and cinemas, in addition to three opera houses. But its economic viability remains fragile, with the city heavily reliant on tourism and its reputation as a cultural jewel.

While the city remains a magnet for self-employed artists, sculptors, designers and architects they often earn less than they would in cities in western Germany, the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) said in a recent survey.

Many have very low incomes, earning less than $ 875 a month, notes the DIW. In Berlin that's barely enough to rent a medium-sized apartment, let alone support a family.