Berlin buys 670 flats on Karl-Marx-Allee from private owner
Move to renationalise buildings follows protests over rising property prices in the city
The state of Berlin has bought back 670 apartments on the historic Karl-Marx-Allee from a private owner after decades of property privatisation in the German capital.
A 1950s prestige project for socialist East Germany, the grand boulevard that stretches from the city centre to Friedrichshain in the east has been the frontline of a months-long fight over gentrification and rising property prices.