Berlin closes Görlitzer Park barbecue area over oak processionary moth infestation

What makes the caterpillar dangerous

This year's infestation is reported to be heavier than in 2025. The district has commissioned specialist companies to remove the caterpillars and their webs on the barbecue lawn, but officials have asked the public for patience. "Wir bitten um Verständnis, dass nicht alle Nester zeitnah entfernt werden können," the district office said, noting that a high number of nests are currently being reported by citizens across the city.

The Görlitzer Park closure comes at a sensitive time for the site. Earlier in the same week, a court ordered the park to be reopened after five local residents sued against the Berlin Senate's longstanding nighttime closure of the grounds, which runs from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. and is intended to curb drug use and violence. Until a final ruling is issued, the park gates must remain open around the clock, meaning that visitors can still enter — but are now being asked to avoid the affected barbecue area.

A park already in the courts

The oak processionary moth is by no means a problem confined to Kreuzberg. On Thursday, several sports facilities in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district were forced to close, including the Mommsenstadion, while the sports office has preemptively shut the Jungfernheide sports complex until Sunday, 14 June. The district also deployed an information bus near Halemweg U-Bahn station on Friday to advise residents on the spread of the pest.

In Spandau, a district councillor warned that "Der Eichenprozessionsspinner ist eine berlinweite Gefährdung!" and called on state authorities to provide additional help. The Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg has likewise reported infestations in the Charlottenburg Palace Garden, on Peacock Island (Pfaueninsel), and in the Potsdam parks of Sanssouci, Babelsberg, and the New Garden, where nests are being removed step by step using special equipment along paths, lawns, and seating areas. The foundation cautioned that a complete removal of the nests is not possible.

A Berlin-wide spread

The impact has also reached organized sport. In Tempelhof-Schöneberg, the sports facility in Volkspark Mariendorf was temporarily closed but has since been treated by a specialist firm and reopened, the local district office said. In Lichterfelde, the hockey field of club TuSLi Hockey has been closed to children this week while the pests were treated on Friday; office manager Elisabeth Giese said adults had only partially used the field during the closure and expressed hope that the pitch could be reopened by the weekend.

Health authorities stress that anyone who comes into contact with the hairs should seek medical advice if symptoms develop. The district office has urged residents to observe posted closures and refrain from touching caterpillars or webs, even when they appear to be abandoned.