Pub death in Germany: Where is the culture of coming together?

Pub death in Germany: Where is the culture of coming together?

Köln, Deutschland - In Germany, there is a remarkable decline in traditional pubs. According to Remszeitung is the number of pubs in the last ten years dropped from over 31,000 to around 21,000. Martin Franz, Professor of Humanography at the University of Osnabrück, attributes this decline to a variety of factors that have changed people's leisure behavior. This includes increasing use of streaming services, the Internet and smartphones that lead to many of them prefer to spend their evenings at home.

The Covid 19 pandemic has tightened the situation because many small companies got into financial difficulties during the lockdown. A decline in alcohol consumption can also be observed: the average beer consumption per capita fell from 106 liters in 2013 to 88 liters in 2023. This trenduelle change is confirmed by Deutschlandfunk Nova which also indicates increasing living costs and rents that threaten many pubs in their existence.

The changes in the pub culture

Despite the challenges, there are also positive examples of pubs that have implemented innovative concepts. The Lotta pub in Cologne, for example, operated by a collective, knew how to convince existing and new guests with its offer. Traditional events such as bingo evenings and dance events have contributed to customer loyalty. Lotta also opened a beer garden that contributes to the financial stability of the restaurant.

Franz also reports on the changed expectations of the guests: Today pubs offer more space and a diverse menu. The future of the pubs could be in the event of the offers-from pubquiz to live music. In this context, the purity of the beer enjoyment, which was defined in the German purity law of 1516, is still of great importance. Pubs not only offer drinks, but are also cultivities that enjoy a high priority in Germany. The factual page emphasizes that the pub culture is deeply rooted in German history and has been a social meeting for centuries serves.

social cohesion through pubs

The social function of the pub remains unchanged. Pubs promote social cohesion by offering a room for different age groups and social classes. The demographic change, however, represents challenges when addressing younger customers. The study by Franz shows that a pub should be a place where people can come together regardless of origin or political positions.