Bodies of alcohol, vandalism, bullying: Beatrice Ciccardini is used to a lot from her work on Ballermann. But this year, the party guests are particularly often going too far. The restaurateur has lived on the island since 1976 and has been running the cult pub “Zur Krone” in the middle of the party hotspot on Playa de Palma since 2006.
Bar owner at Ballermann: “They scream day and night like they’re on drugs, puke and pee everywhere”
The 67-year-old says: “I’ve never experienced anything like it. You can’t even imagine that. The men’s groups go completely nuts. They scream day and night like they’re on drugs, puke and pee everywhere. And one behaves worse than the other. With some groups you think they come from another planet”.
She experiences vandalism and disturbances almost every day, says the native Swiss in an interview with FOCUS-online. “They ruin everything. They destroy trash cans, tear down signs, demolish cars. Everywhere they hit their fists and kick their feet.” Recently, a drunk rampaged in her private hallway, yelled and finally vomited on her doorstep. “You get really scared,” says the restaurateur, who lives right next to Ballermann.
“I can’t say 100 percent if Ballermann is still safe for women”
From the point of view of the 67-year-old, the behavior shows that many German party vacationers don’t care about the rules and laws. Crossing borders is the order of the day at Ballermann. And this is also reflected in the behavior towards women. “I can’t say 100 percent if Ballermann is still safe for women. For the first time in my life I am afraid to go out on the street. Because there are so many drunks and criminal gangs around.”
Mallorca pub owner gives important advice to women at Ballermann
The experienced barkeeper has a few tips for women on how to celebrate as safely as possible at Ballermann. Vacationers should “really not be traveling alone, take care of each other and not drink too much alcohol”. In no case should female party tourists go along with strangers.
And the 67-year-old gives women another important tip for their Ballermann visit: “Don’t go into the quiet alleys where there are no people. Especially on the way home, women should stay on the busy streets.” It is easier to find help there in the event of an incident. Because of the risk of street theft, women should limit themselves to “the bare essentials” in their handbags. In the event of an emergency, Beatrice Ciccardini recommends writing down your name, ID card number, cell phone number, emergency contact and hotel address on a piece of paper.
Waitress wants to smoke and wakes up two hours later with bruises on the beach
In the spring of this year, Beatrice Ciccardini found out that even precautionary measures are sometimes useless when one of her waitresses was attacked by the “Oberbayern” discotheque. “She was in Upper Bavaria and wanted to go smoke one. And then she can’t remember anything. A German couple found her two hours later down on the beach with bruises all over her body. All her jewelry, phone, keys, everything was gone. She was taken to the hospital and fortunately had not been raped. Ever since my waitress told me that, I’ve been thinking: This can happen to anyone,” says Ciccardini.
“Binge drinking” is part of the Ballermann vacation for many party tourists
From the Krone boss’s point of view, excessive alcohol consumption is to blame for the regular border crossings. For many vacationers, “drinking in a binge” is part of the Ballermann vacation. “The day before yesterday at eleven in the morning, it was about 38 degrees, two totally drunk people were lying on top of each other at Balinario 6. And when I came back in the evening, two men were lying in the sand and were sleeping. So they were totally drunk. Nobody goes there and looks, because somehow they’re all fed up anyway and there’s an alcoholic corpse on every corner”.
The Mallorcan government has been wanting to get away from “party tourism” for years. Quality not quantity. Less escalation, more luxury. But the so-called booze tourists would simply settle into the more expensive accommodations and continue partying. “Now they have built four and five star hotels. Yes, if they accommodate these groups there anyway, then the problem is not solved. And as long as there are discotheques, there will always be drunk people here,” says Beatrice Ciccardini.
Alleged gang rape is THE topic of conversation at Ballermann
The alleged gang rape of a young German tourist on Mallorca by several vacationers from Germany is currently the big topic of conversation on the Playa among tourists, locals and restaurateurs. “Our daily newspapers are full of it,” says Ciccardini, who was shocked when she read about it at the weekend.
On Thursday night, the suspects, aged between 21 and 23, are said to have forced a young tourist from Germany to have sex in a hotel room on Ballermann. One of the suspects is said to have filmed the crime with his cell phone, according to the police. The victim was able to escape to the bathroom and alert the police. The five Germans are now in custody. If convicted of rape, they face up to 12 years in prison.