An obituary for the king of the “Paris Bar”

GIt’s been two weeks, no, two bad weeks to be honest, since Michel Würthle died. His death left people who cannot imagine life without him. Standing men had tears in their eyes at the funeral service on March 23 at the Paris Bar in Berlin. The women started crying. Make-up doesn’t matter. doesn’t matter. The sadness was too great.

Yes, the “Paris Bar”. It was founded in 1979, one of many bars in what was then West Berlin, but one that soon – and to this day – is incomparable in its uniqueness. A total work of art by the man who brought it to life: Michel Würthle. A man who was at home in Vienna, in Paris, in Naples, in Greece – and suddenly, somehow stranded, also in Berlin. And he embodied this cosmopolitanism like no other.

• Karlheinz Luedeking

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• Timo Frasch, Munich

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• Marc Bädorf, St. Moritz

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• Tim Frasch

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• Nina Bub

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• Christoph Moeskes

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But no, stop, that’s not supposed to be a classic obituary. Obituaries could be read in all the major feature sections. To the legendary Michel Würthle, who turned the “Paris Bar” into a world-renowned artist pub. To the true identity of Michel Würthle, which he only lived out privately throughout his life, within his own four walls – he was a fantastic artist himself. It was only in recent years that he dared to present his work to the public and enjoyed late recognition.

Michel Würthle, 1968, in Vienna
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Bild: Picture Alliance

But back to the funeral service on March 23rd. The friends had gathered there. In her regular place. The “Paris Bar” looked the same as always, everything unchanged, the same pictures, the usual table arrangement, the familiar waiters – only one was no longer there: Michel. For 45 years Michel has represented this place.

He held court in this restaurant every evening, sometimes at this table, sometimes at that. He celebrated, drank, smoked, laughed, kept silent, sighed, blasphemed, dreamed, played along. And suddenly? A big emptiness. The “Paris Bar” was empty for the first time, although it was full. What now? Michel loved life like no other. Life is something that has to go on somehow. So cheers!

Emptiness after the death of Michel Würthle: The “Paris Bar” in Berlin-Charlottenburg.
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Image: dpa