by ATinNM
Thu Jan 9th, 2014 at 07:05:55 PM EST
Berlin's 'poor but sexy' appeal turning city into European Silicon Valley
A decade ago Berlin's mayor Klaus Wowereit tried to attract creative types to the city by declaring "Berlin ist arm, aber sexy" (poor but sexy).
It worked. The City's astonishingly low rents compared with other European capitals - a one-bed flat a short walk from Alexanderplatz in the centre of town can still be picked up for as little as 450-a-month (£373) - have helped draw arty people from across the world and made Berlin a major centre for artists, writers, musicians and, increasingly, technology and web entrepreneurs.
Berlin has more going for it than cheap rent but a low Cost of Living is a big help in fostering Creativity and it's blood-sister Innovation.