Görlitzer Park’s 6 a.m. Rat Walk Now Includes Weed Etiquette and a Clipboard
A man on a tiny leash, a rat with a tiny harness, and a growing crowd of early-morning Berliners arguing about consent, public order, and snacks.
Kiez Feature Reporter
A routine sight at first light
At 6:02 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, near the Skalitzer Straße entrance of Görlitzer Park, Felix Brandt, 38, stepped off the path with the careful seriousness of someone carrying a fragile theory. In his left hand: a blue retractable leash. On the other end: a gray rat in a red harness, sniffing the frost-dark grass like it had an appointment.
Brandt calls the rat “Monika.” He says she is “emotionally literate” and “not interested in your narrative.”
“I’m just giving her a proper morning loop before the park becomes what it becomes,” Brandt told The Wedding Times at 6:11 a.m., stopping near the dog run by the footbridge. “People think Görli is only for weed and regret. But Monika needs stimulation. So do I. I’m keeping a firm grip on structure.”
When the park’s unofficial economy meets a domesticated one
Regulars say Brandt’s rat walk has become a predictable fixture—like the first espresso machine warming up, or the first person loudly explaining harm reduction to someone who didn’t ask.
Emine Yılmaz, 56, who waits for the M29 at the stop outside the park on Skalitzer Straße, said she first noticed the pair in early January. “At 6 a.m. it’s quiet. Then I see a man with a rat like it’s a small dog,” she said. “In my day, people hid their problems. Now they walk them on a leash.”
By 6:20 a.m., the situation had attracted an audience: a sleep-deprived cyclist, two hoodie-clad newcomers speaking English about “urban nature,” and a man offering unsolicited weed etiquette.
“Look, you can do your pet thing, but don’t let it run into my circle,” said a 24-year-old who identified himself only as “Jaro,” while rolling with the focused patience of a medieval scribe. “The rat has to respect boundaries. Same as everyone.”
Official response: confused, but strangely thorough
A spokesperson for the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg public order office, Andrea Kliemann, confirmed that a complaint was logged on Feb. 3 at 7:48 a.m. alleging “rodent-related intimidation” and “unlicensed charisma.”
“No law prohibits walking a domesticated rat,” Kliemann said by phone. “However, any animal must be controlled. Also, feeding wildlife is discouraged. This includes offering the rat a croissant, vegan or otherwise.”
Brandt denies feeding Monika anything in the park. “She’s not here for handouts,” he said. “She’s here for a deep dive into the terrain.”
A small creature, a large mirror
In a neighborhood that monetizes everything from silence to selfhood, the rat has become an uncomfortable symbol—less Pixar, more Foucault: surveillance, discipline, and tiny feet.
By 6:37 a.m., Monika had completed one full circuit of the path and attempted to enter a narrow gap under a bench. Brandt gently pulled her back.
“See?” he said. “Even she knows there are tight spaces in this city. The trick is not getting priced out of them.”
He and Monika left the park at 6:44 a.m., heading toward Wrangelstraße, while the crowd dispersed back into their morning coping strategies.