PAID CONTENT FOR ORIGINAL BERLIN WALKSPAID CONTENT FOR ORIGINAL BERLIN WALKS
Original Berlin Walks BERLIN, GERMANY
Berlin is a city of stark contrasts — brilliance and darkness, destruction and renewal. Few places in Europe wear their history so openly, with the past etched into the fabric of the present. For those seeking to understand this complex capital, Original Berlin Walks is a great place to start. Since 1993, this company has offered immersive, thoughtful walking tours that peel back the layers of Berlin’s past, inviting travellers to see not just the sights, but to understand them. A single tour can span centuries. One moment
travellers are standing beneath the Brandenburg Gate, and the next, they’re walking through the haunting field of concrete stelae that make up the Holocaust Memorial. Just around the corner, a modest sign marks the site of Hitler’s former bunker, now an unremarkable car park. Here, guides speak with care and clarity about the rise of National Socialism, the horrors of the Holocaust and the collapse of the Third Reich in 1945. Hitler committed suicide on this very spot, and the message today is unmistakable: remembrance must focus on the victims, not the perpetrators.
From there, the story shifts to the Cold War.
Sections of the Berlin Wall, ageing watchtowers and former checkpoints like Checkpoint Charlie reveal a city once divided by ideology, concrete and fear. Across the Spree, the city softens. On Museum Island, five world-class collections sit behind grand neoclassical facades, while the nearby Jewish Quarter tells stories of resilience and return. Tucked down a graffiti-covered alley, Haus
Schwarzenberg showcases a different kind of history. Here, street art spills from pipes and doorways, honouring Jewish resistance and offering a living memorial. It’s a reminder that Berlin’s memory is not confined to museums. Among the expert guides is Tobi, a proud Ossi
(East German native), who joined the team in 2013. He was 15 when the Berlin Wall fell, old enough to remember border checks, empty shelves and the excitement of receiving westpakete (packages from relatives in the West). Like many Original Berlin Walks guides, Tobi brings both deep historical knowledge and personal experience, making the past feel immediate, human and real.
DON’T MISS Take the daily Discover Berlin Walking Tour, which reveals the city’s key sights within the rich context of its turbulent past
212 This content is brought to you by our sponsor. It does not necessarily reflect the views of National Geographic, National Geographic Traveller (UK) or their editorial staffs. Need to know
KEY FEATURES • Daily walking tours & private tours • Consistently ‘Best of the Best’ on Tripadvisor since 2011
• Local expert guides with native-level English
• Tours operate in all weather conditions & do not require a minimum number of participants
KEY ACTIVITIES • Special themed walking tours • Small-group Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp tour
• Private motorised tours in eco-friendly hybrid cars
• Cruise excursions from Hamburg & Warnemünde
GET IN TOUCH
berlinwalks.com T: +49 30 30 19 19 4 E:
info@berlinwalks.de
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