大象传媒

Ever since the 20s, Berlin's been famous for its nightclubs - louche and throbbing with music. Today, there's a bigger draw in that they bring money into the city in the form of budget airline revellers who sometimes land, go clubbing until dawn and then head for the airport again.

But some have already closed and more - about 15 on one estimate - are under threat. They were set up in disused buildings like power stations and warehouses in the poorer areas of East Berlin, but now find developers knocking on the doors.

The clubs are big music venues so more closures would remove a vibrant part of Berlin's music scene. Accordingly, the city government has set up a 'Music Board' with a budget of more than a million dollars.

There is a debate within the Berlin government over whether the money should be used to support music very specifically or the club scene in general.

But there is a wider issue: should vibrant, grungy nightclubs be supported by state money - is that not the antithesis of what these alternative establishments are about?

As one club manager put it: "We're an oasis of fringe culture in Berlin, living with the faint hope that we will survive.

"But," she said, "We don't want to be an island in the middle of a gentrified town".