I want to install an additional outlet in the living room wall of my 1892 Gründerzeit apartment. The wall is pretty thick and I'm not sure if there are still old wiring inside. Do I need to hire an electrician or can I do this myself?
An assessment with an electrician is really the first place to go here - they can use a locating device to check where any old wiring actually runs, and then see if a new circuit makes sense at all. What often gets overlooked: in turn-of-the-century buildings, the walls aren't just thicker, but also built more irregularly, sometimes with cavities or fill material that can lead to surprises when you're chiseling. The electrician will also tell you whether a surface solution (cable duct or surface-mounted wiring) is an option for you - it's safer and often quicker to set up than a complete new installation inside the plaster.
Are you really keen to mess around with wiring that's 130 years old? 😅 Long story short: get an electrician to do it. With older buildings it's genuinely risky because you don't know what's lurking in the wall - old cables, gas pipes, lead pipes - and if you start hacking away at it, things can go seriously wrong. Plus you need a permit for a new outlet anyway and proper professional electrical installation, otherwise you'll run into trouble later with your insurance and landlord. Yeah, electricians cost money, but it's the only safe option.
For buildings from 1892, I'd strongly advise against doing this yourself - not because you couldn't technically manage it, but because the risks are just too big. The thick walls often still have old wiring inside them, and it's frequently not properly documented. If you start drilling around and accidentally hit an old line, things can go badly wrong.
The core problem that often gets overlooked: In houses this old, the electrical installation sometimes isn't grounded the way it is today. That means if you mess something up, you've got a real safety hazard - for yourself and later for anyone living in the apartment. An electrician can check beforehand with a locating device to see what's in the wall, and then work cleanly. It'll cost you a bit, but it's the only sensible solution.
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