The Nazi regime, the war (which Max and Moritz survived unscathed) and the building of the Berlin Wall brought economic decline and isolation to the quarter.
After the war, the Max und Moritz was reopened as a people's kitchen. The guests were able to dine with their food stamps in the restaurant and the rationed food supply for the restaurant was ensured with these stamps.
Many guest workers settled in Kreuzberg because of the low rents. The Max and Moritz should be converted into a furniture store, the furniture has already been relegated to the basement. Gerhard Schofer, a graduate theologian from Baden recognized the potential of the inn, saved the furniture from the cellar and furnished the new old Max and Moritz with great attention to detail. Students and artists soon came to the quarter and Kreuzberg became a multicultural nightlife district.
In the 80s, the Max and Moritz was a popular meeting place for the left-wing scene; for example, the “Alternative List” was founded in the pub.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 also marked a turning point for Max and Moritz. Falling numbers of guests meant that only the taproom was managed. Even the renovation carried out from 1996-1998 did not bring any improvement, which is why the then landlord Jürgen Teichmann handed over his restaurant to Britta Baksa-Soos and Stefan Zosel in March 2001, who were also denied success.