"Hiking The Berlin Wall" A guided walk along the Berlin Wall Trail from Griebnitzsee to Wannsee... The edge of the city can be as fascinating as the centre, as we will discover on this 12km guided walk along the Berlin Wall trail. This walk takes in some of the most beautiful corners of Berlin and Potsdam, with much of the walk between the woods and the water. Of course, this being Berlin, the walk is not only picturesque, and along the way we will discover the villas that housed Stalin, [...]

"Rixdorf & Rollberge" A cultural-historical stroll through Neukölln   Berlin‘s gritty, working-class Neukölln district is widely known as a problem-gone-hip, now home to a colourful mix of people from all around the world. On this tour through the northern part of the borough, we‘ll uncover many different layers of its changing and often surprising history, some of which are still visible, with others  concealed in old photos, literature, eye witness reports and personal [...]

Berlin’s GDR Museum

John Feffer explores the split personality of Berlin's GDR Museum... The GDR Museum in Berlin is actually two museums in one. And these two parts, both devoted to everyday life in the German Democratic Republic, subtly contradict one another. That might not have been the intention of the museum founders. But this tension actually captures the ambiguities of East Germany and the ambivalence that many Germans feel today about the erstwhile communist state. The experience inside the main [...]

Berlin’s Historic Heart

“Berlin's Historic Heart” A cultural-historical stroll through the backstreets of Mitte  Image by Richard Carter The area between Alexanderplatz and the river Spree has been at the centre of multiple incarnations of Berlin's existence, from the 12th century village by the river to its socialist rebuilding as the centre of East Berlin.  This short tour will wind its way from Alexanderplatz, through the backstreets of Mitte, to Berlin's curious 'old town' in the Nikolaiviertel, [...]

"Der Kiez ist anders" A cultural-historical stroll through Wedding & Gesundbrunnen  Image by Paul Scraton The historic neighbourhood of Wedding has always been a place apart, as the saying goes. From a health resort and spa town on the edge of the city it grew with Berlin’s industrialisation to become “Red Wedding”, a working class neighbourhood of tenement blocks, infamous for its militant left-wing politics and one of the few districts of the city never to vote for the [...]

Building East Berlin An urban history tour through Friedrichshain and Mitte Image by Richard Carter Beyond East Berlin's reputation for being grey and boring is a colourful history of utopian visions and intriguing innovations which formed the backdrop to daily life in the socialist capital. Rising from the rubble of World War II, the old city centre became a showcase for the latest architectural ideas. This tour reveals a story of the city beyond what the history books tell, shedding a new [...]

Nadelwald

Grashina Gabelmann visits Berlin's co-sewing space Nadelwald... It has been fascinating to observe how the concept of DIY has spread over the last half century from the realm of home improvement to motivate an entire global network of cultural activities from fashion to music. Nadelwald - “Nadel” can mean both sewing needle and pine (either tree or needle) - is one of the latest ventures in Berlin to embody the best of the DIY trend. This small co-sewing space, based [...]

Berlin Pop Choir

Ana Freitas hits some high notes (and chases away some demons) with the Berlin Pop Choir... Monster Ronson’s Ichiban Karaoke Bar is a dimly lit, almost claustrophobic place right across from the U-Bahn Warschauersstr. On Tuesday nights, it’s worth ignoring the mouldy scent in the air, grabbing a beer and heading to the back room where you’ll see dozens of people from all over the world singing anything from Britney Spears to Iggy Pop. This is no normal karaoke though; there's [...]

Improve Your Photography Image by Paul Sullivan In the last couple of decades, the digital revolution has enabled photography to transition from an obscure art form to a mode of visual expression so ubiquitous we don’t even need cameras to snap images any more – our smartphones will do. While this is good in many ways, it also means a lot of technical and aesthetic basics are lost, and a lot of bad photography is disguised with retro filters. This 3-hour tour -- run by industry [...]

A Brewmeisterin in Berlin

Rebecca Loyche gets an insider view on what it takes to be a (female) Brewmeister in Berlin... The VLB- Versuchs und Lehranstalt fuer Brauerei in Berlin has been teaching the art of crafting the perfect beer since 1883. The school offers a wide range of services and schooling, from setting up breweries worldwide to holding brewing conventions, and their courses are even offered in both English and Russian. I got the chance to meet with former student, now faculty member and [...]