David Bowie Berlin plaque destroyed after 3 weeks

The David Bowie plaque before it was destroyed
The David Bowie plaque before it was destroyed (Image credit: Getty)

A plaque marking David Bowie’s old flat in Berlin has been destroyed just three weeks after it was unveiled.

Bowie stayed at Hauptstrasse 155 in the city’s Schoneberg district between 1976-1978 and created his Berlin Trilogy of albums Low, Heroes and Lodger while at the address – a flat he shared with Iggy Pop.

The porcelain plaque was unveiled at the end of August, with fans, friends and politicians attending the ceremony.

Berlin mayor Michael Muller immediately gave the €3400 plate the green light, despite legislation usually requiring a five-year waiting time before such an honour is bestowed to ensure the deceased figure was of historical significance.

Makers KPM – The Royal Porcelain Factory – stated at the time that should it be stolen, vandalised or destroyed, they could replace it within 24-hours – with the Berlinger Morgenpost confirming the company have indeed created a new one.

It is not yet clear if the plaque was stolen or fell from the wall, with police continuing their investigations.

Bowie died in January this year aged 69 after an 18-month battle with cancer – just days after the release of his Blackstar album.

The last-ever Bowie recordings will be released in October on the Lazarus Cast Album, which features tracks from Bowie’s off-Broadway show Lazarus.

The Bowie plaque in Berlin

The Bowie plaque in Berlin (Image credit: Getty)

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Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers and magazines as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. After initially joining our news desk in the summer of 2014, he moved to the e-commerce team full-time in 2020. He maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott grew up listening to rock and prog, cutting his teeth on bands such as Marillion and Magnum before his focus shifted to alternative and post-punk in the late 80s. His favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Drab Majesty, but he also still has a deep love of Rush.