Berlin's Universities Are Crumbling — Students Plan October 31 Protest at Brandenburg Gate

Berlin's universities are in a severe state of structural disrepair, according to figures published on 21 October 2026. TU Berlin alone has 14 buildings out of use, representing about 22 per cent of its total floor space, and needs 2.4 billion euros for renovations. Humboldt University has 12 unusable buildings (9 per cent of space), the BHT has 5 (15 per cent) and the Free University 6 (5 per cent). The combined renovation backlog for Berlin's state universities stands at 8.2 billion euros. Students Aaron Schilling (TU Berlin electrical engineering) and Friedrich Lauenstein (student adviser) are among the activists with the initiative 'Gen Z steht auf', which is organising nationwide demonstrations on 31 October, with Berlin's central rally planned at the Brandenburg Gate. The movement draws explicit inspiration from large student protests in France, which Lauenstein described as 'a great role model'. The students are also angry about the contrast between government willingness to exempt military spending from the debt brake while cutting higher education budgets.