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The Berlin key (also known as, German, Schließzwangschlüssel, or, in English, forced-locking key) is a key for a type of door lock. It was designed to force people to close and lock their doors, usually a main entrance door or gate leading into a common yard or tenement block. The key was a solution to the problem of access via communal doors of such blocks (Mietskaserne) as early as the 19th century. Invented by the Berliner locksmith Johannes Schweiger, the Berlin key was massively produced by the Albert Kerfin & Co company starting in 1912

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With the advent of more recent locking technologies, this kind of lock and key is becoming less common. It was estimated in 2005, that 8000–10000 are still in use today in Berlin, Germany. The key is subject of the book The Berlin Key by science and technology studies professor Bruno Latour. According to Latour, this technical object is a decisive agent that can mediate the relationship between the tenants, users, and visitors of a building. He also proposed that the key performs a “program of action” or a “script”, which is “Please bolt the door behind

volksans SemiBold M 18px

The Berlin key (also known as, German, Schließzwangschlüssel, or, in English, forced-locking key) is a key for a type of door lock. It was designed to force people to close and lock their doors, usually a main entrance door or gate leading into a common yard or tenement block. The key was a solution to the problem of access via communal doors of such blocks (Mietskaserne) as early as the 19th century. Invented by the Berliner locksmith Johannes Schweiger, the Berlin key was massively produced by the Albert Kerfin & Co company starting in 1912

volksans SemiBold M 18px

With the advent of more recent locking technologies, this kind of lock and key is becoming less common. It was estimated in 2005, that 8000–10000 are still in use today in Berlin, Germany. The key is subject of the book The Berlin Key by science and technology studies professor Bruno Latour. According to Latour, this technical object is a decisive agent that can mediate the relationship between the tenants, users, and visitors of a building. He also proposed that the key performs a “program of action” or a “script”, which is “Please bolt the door behind