Nordstory - Rostock's shopping mile - The "Kröpi" between yesterday and tomorrow
Kröpeliner Straße was the first pedestrian zone in the GDR and is still the most popular shopping street in the Hanseatic city of Rostock today. Every hour, 5000 people stroll or rush through the lifeline. Thousands of tourists come to see the unique mix of old and new. Kröpeliner Straße is at least as famous as Mönckebergstraße in Hamburg or Zeil in Frankfurt am Main. "die nordstory" shows people who live, work and relax in this street and fight to keep the shops open. Because more and more traditional retailers are leaving the "Kröpi". Is Rostock's lifeline slowly dying out?
Michael Höppner has just given up one of his shoe shops on the mile. The constantly rising rents and problems with access are not only causing him problems. Now in the sixth generation, the shoe retailer and his son are focussing on the main shop right next to Kröpeliner Tor. A place where he used to test his courage as a young boy. Daniel Dietrich is the new kid on the block with a shop in the shopping mile. In the Fünfgiebelhaus, the most important new building project since the Second World War, he wants to offer fairly produced fashion, CBD products and gifts. He wants to have the goods on the shelves by Easter.
Five floors above, Tom Richter lives on 50 square metres with a small roof terrace and a view of Universitätsplatz. This is where the publisher researches topics for his new lifestyle magazine. It always includes his travel reports from the remotest corners of the world. Together with his mate and artist friend Ené Slawow, alias ENEOS, he prepares exhibitions in France + Mallorca. Renowned gallery owners are interested in the life-size shower lady sculptures by the Rostock artist, who has his studio in a former shower factory in a side street. Some of his pieces can already be found in the homes of millionaires on Mallorca.
And Franka Engfer brings them all the post. But not as quickly as she would like. Those who love their bikes will be pushing them from 10.00 a.m. in Kröpeliner Straße.
Broadcasting on 12th of April 2024 at 08.15pm + on 18th of April 2024 at 03.00pm on NDR + RB Bremen/ ARD
Music: POPVIRUS Library