insider tour berlin

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Insider Reviews

Great tour - friendly, well informed and passionate guide (Hannah) who led a really interesting tour. I wanted to book on to all the other tours as soon as I had finished this one! Karen Apr. '23

Three great tours with Insider Berlin!

I found all 3 tours very well organised and the knowledge of the tour guides was excellent. This is the second visit to Berlin and used Insider tours last time and I will certainly use then again if I return to Berlin. Richard T. Apr. '24

This was a great tour.

This was a great tour - we did this on our first day and then worked out which sites to go back to over the next few days. Highly recommend. My two teenagers enjoyed it too! Amanda B. Apr. '24

Would recommend to anyone.

Had this tour recommended to us and it lived up to our expectations. Lewis was an excellent tour guide. Would recommend to anyone on a first time trip to Berlin. Dan Apr. '24

Fantastic Tour, Fantastic Value.

Our guide, Glen, was so very personable, knowledgeable, and ready to answer all our questions. I loved the tour and will recommend it to any of my friends who visit Berlin. Bradley B. Apr. '24

Really interesting tour!

Jasper did a great job of showing us lots of very interesting sights relating to the rise of the Third Reich. We were a small group which allowed for questions and chat. Really well organised, perfect length and very informative. Emma L. Apr. '24

Great tour.

Fabulous morning with Glen. He is really fascinated by the topic and the tour just buzzed with his enthusiasm. He pitched things just right and adapted based our questions. Good booking and organisation. Did 2 tours with same company in 4 days. Sine Apr. '24

Highly recommended!

Another great insider tour, chock full of interesting facts and history by a knowledgeable guide. Thanks Maria! Lynn P. March '24

Absolutely fabulous tour guide. Very knowledgeable.

Our guide was friendly and very informative. He explained everything and answered all of our questions very well. Probably the best tour to date. Thank you R y D (Spain) Mar. '24

Excellent Tour....Excellent Guide

Well worth the money a very knowledgeable guide that kept us entertained the three hours flew by! Mark March '24

Excellent introduction!

This tour was fantastic, I learned so much about the city and it's history. Klaus, our guide, really brought everything to life and was fantastic. Thoroughly recommend this tour as a first time visitor to the city. Faye P. March '24

Excellent Cold War tour..

The Cold War walking tour of Berlin was fascinating. Our guide was full of detailed historical information as well as intriguing anecdotes and my 21-year-old son and I were riveted throughout. This is a must for everyone who visits Berlin. Heather C. March '24

Would highly recommend this tour.

Our guide Tzvika was very knowledgeable and provided us with a lot of insight- thoroughly enjoyed our experience and would highly recommend this tour. Mark Wig Feb. '24

I highly recommend the tour!

I took the Explore Berlin walking tour on my first day in town. It was an excellent intro to sites in the city center, and included about 15-20 sites plus a lot of historical context [and some great gossip :-)] provided by our outstanding and entertaining guide, Maggie. She also directed us to a number of museums and locations worth visiting later in our stay. I highly recommend the tour! Christiana C. Feb. '24

Informative, friendly and professional.

Our tour instructor was very informative, friendly and professional. Would recommend to friends. David R. Feb. '24

Had a very short time in Berlin...

Had a very short time in Berlin and this was a great use of half a day. The tour guide Chris could not have been better. Very personable and knowledgeable and shared stories and insight that made me so glad I did not just do the audio tour. Really a powerful experience that still sticks with me weeks later. Amy H. Feb. '24

Fantastic Tour.

Gregor was a great guide for our Cold War tour. Our friends we were in Berlin with had never been on a walking tour before but were soon won over by Gregor’s passion for the history of his city & enthusiasm to pass stories on to others. The time passed so quickly & we can’t wait to return to Berlin again to join another Insider tour. David G. Jan. '24

Super informative and friendly!

Maggie was a super friendly tour guide and answered any and all questions related to the tour. It was a super informative introduction to Berlin! Lisa S. Jan. '24

Highlight of our Trip!

We absolutely loved this tour. Our guide, Hannah, had an incredible amount of knowledge about every location and the third reich. This tour is a must-do. Caleb O. Jan. '24

Thoroughly enjoyable tour.

Thoroughly enjoyable tour that packed a lot interesting sights and history into a brisk overview of the last 2 or 3 hundred years of Berlin. Very well informed guide (Jorg) who was friendly and approachable. His obvious interest in the history of this fascinating city, and his love of sharing it, shone through. Will definitely be returning to Berlin within the next 2 years and will 100% schedule another of the walks into my trip. 10/10. David S. Nov. '23

A fantastic tour!

Anika was a brilliant guide, her knowledge of history and especially the social context to events really increased our understanding of Berlin. A fantastic tour! Mark H. Oct. '23

Amazing experience.

The tour was easy to book. Jorg, our guide was brilliant, very knowledgeable and so interesting to listen to. It was an amazing experience and I would highly recommend it. C. Barker Okt. '23

Excellent tour.

Easy to book. Easy to find the group. We had the best guide we’ve ever had, Hannah. She was so knowledgeable, kind, passionate about the subject, and shared incredible stories. C.McQ. Sept. '23

It was a great overview in 3 hours...

It was a great overview in 3 hours. George is an amazing guide, very knowledgeable.. will definitely recommend.. Deepak C. Aug. '23

I highly recommend this tour.

I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Berlin and wanting to know more of the history of WWII. Since this is a tour that can’t be rushed, I’m glad I booked it with Insider Tour. T. Hughes May '23

I would recommend this tour.

Good lenght of time, it went quickly, well paced and good route. Ciaran was an awesome guide, enough info to make it interesting without overwhelming us with too much, enjoyed his sense of humor as well. I would recommend this tour, easy to book, find and enjoyable. Amanda T. May '23

As a first-time visitor, I am very...

As a first-time visitor, I am very grateful to have had this opportunity to get a foundational sense of the city, and orientation to its history, culture and geography. I would recommend this great enthusiasm. Our guide was outstanding:, charming, knowledgeable, steeped in Berlin and fun. Marty K. June '23

Amazing guide.

Knowledgeable and attentive particularly to the kids on the tour and encouraged them to ask questions which they did with aplomb. Ran over a little but could have listened to him all day. Ana G. Apr. '23

A wonderful introduction.

A big thank you to our guide. He led us on an easy paced tour, with excellent information and time to take in the sites and ask questions. It was a really good orientation to significant places and a great jumping off point for more discovery. Elizabeth W. Apr. '23

Best Walking Tour of Berlin.

Our guide was extremely informative and knowledgeable on the history of Berlin and WWll. 100% recommend this tour, Cirian took us from before the war, through the war and afterwards. We just wouldn’t have seen these places and had all the details if we had gone off on our own. 176Heathe May '23

The tour is fun and informative.

The tour is fun and informative on the history and landmarks of Berlin. Love our tour guide who has great sense of humour, which make all the amount of information easier to digest and remember, would be cool if the tour can be longer ha! H. Lo Jan. '23

Highly recommend this tour.

Highly recommend this tour. Our guide Jamie was second to none - knowledgeable, engaging and easy to understand. He struck just the right tone given the subject matter. Karen G. Jan. '23

It was a great experience.

It was a great experience, Hannah gave us a fantastic tour of the Third Reich. Especially the Holocaust monument was impressive. Her own story was also very powerful. Would recommend it to anyone! Alexander Jan. '23

Insightful and thought provoking.

Guide was knowledgeable, informative, engaging.....took us on the journey of the rise and fall of the Third Reich. Insightful and thought provoking. Mike W. Feb. '23

Superb guide, very knowledgeable, passionate and philosophical.

Superb guide, very knowledgeable, passionate and philosophical. This tour provides an interesting and fairly comprehensive sweep of Germany’s/Berlin’s history. Highly recommend. R3879E Dec. '22

Absolutely excellent Third Reich tour.

Absolutely excellent Third Reich tour with a high quality tour guide. Absolutely professional, warm, instructive and supportive. I recommend them without hesitation. Richard C. Dec. '22

The tour was brilliant.

The tour was brilliant. Maria was fantastic. Clearly passionate about the subject and so knowledgeable, answering all of our questions confidently. Howard T. Dec. '22

Great 1st day activity!

Great stories and a perfect introduction to Berlin! Peter did a great job leading us around East Berlin and answering our questions. Julie_B Nov. '22

A great tour.

A great tour taking in many of the key sites in and around Berlin post WW2. The knowledge and interest of our guide made the trip for all of our group. D. Cairns, RAMC Association Dec. '22

I would absolutely recommend this tour.

I booked this tour recommended by my friend and it was amazing. Our guide Peter was extremely knowledgeable, interesting and funny. I would absolutely recommend this tour if you want to get to know Berlin better. Ellen Jan. '23

Super interesting.

We had a fantastic time with Jörg who had super interesting things to say. We learnt a lot and would definitely do it again :) Jonas B. Feb. '23

Brilliant introduction to Berlin.

Our guide was superb. Loud and clear and with a great deal of knowledge. We found the tour is just right for our teenagers who really enjoyed it. I’d say a good introduction to Berlin and gives you ideas of things to further explore. J L May '23

Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn and explore!

I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Berlin ......don't miss out on this opportunity to learn and explore! Anth... Mar. '23

A very informative tour of Berlin.

A very informative tour of Berlin. You can tell that the guide was a very passionate Berliner and student of history and that enthusiasm is reflected in the way he handles the tour! S. Longe Mar. '23

High quality guided tour in English.

High quality guided tour in English. Ideal at the start of your stay in Berlin to know the historic background, and the places to visit. Our guide was very dynamic and fun. Martine O. Mar. '23

Brilliant tour - it really set us up for our stay.

We had a brilliant and wide-ranging walking tour of Berlin ... stimulating, informative, fun and moving, all at once. Made us feel very at home in Berlin and excited about the few days we had ahead of us. It really set us up for our stay. Thank you! Helen, James, Alfie and Ned. Helen B. March '23

The tour was amazing.

We did the explore Berlin tour. The tour was amazing. Perfect amount of information. Saw all of the big attractions in Berlin. Sarah B. Mar. '23

Join our expert guides to explore the wonders of Berlin over the course of our acclaimed five-star tours. Armed with years of experience and a great deal of enthusiasm, our guides will reveal the many facets of the city’s colourful past and share with you their wealth of insider knowledge of this absolutely fascinating capital in the heart of Europe.

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Insider Tour Berlin

Cutting edge english language walking tours since 1996

See ALL the main sites. Our gripping narratives will give you a truly Insider's perspective on Berlin's fascinating history and optimistic future.

See ALL the main sites. Our gripping narratives will give you a truly Insider's perspective on Berlin's fascinating history and optimistic future.

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Hackescher Markt Berlin

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Berlin Third Reich and Cold War 2-Hour Walking Tour

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Tour from Berlin

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Cold War Walking Tour of Berlin

Explore Berlin's Top Attractions 3-hour English Walking Tour

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INSIDER TOUR (Berlin) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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Berlin Third Reich and Cold War 2-Hour Walking Tour

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Tour from Berlin

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial: Bus Tour from Berlin

Cold War Walking Tour of Berlin

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INSIDER TOUR: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Insider Tour

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Berlin Third Reich and Cold War 2-Hour Walking Tour

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Tour from Berlin

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial: Bus Tour from Berlin

Cold War Walking Tour of Berlin

Explore Berlin's Top Attractions 3-hour English Walking Tour

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Insider Tour - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Insider Tour

Review Highlights

“ The best word I can use to describe our Cold War tour with the amazing Nickolai, is simply, wow. ” in 2 reviews

“ Make sure you try and follow along with where you are or else you'll be lost (like me) after the last club. ” in 2 reviews

“ it was our first time to the city and our friends recommended the famous walk , primarily in the eastern part of the city, and it was well worth it. ” in 2 reviews

Location & Hours

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Hardenbergplatz 2 - 4

10623 Berlin

Wilmersdorf

Serving Berlin Area

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Overall rating

I did the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial with Chris (the Canadian Chris). Chris was amazing! Very passionate about the tour and very informative. I would've booked all of my tours with him, if possible. The tour is very heavy. A lot to take in. I felt like throwing up as soon as we set foot on the property. I would do the tour on your last day in Berlin - not a good way to begin your trip. It's a long tour so they ask you to bring snacks and drinks. I bought some snacks last minute, but didn't even eat them as I would've probably thrown up immediately thereafter. Make sure to buy your metro ticket with the C connection. It was good to experience the tour, but definitely a heavy tour.

Wow. The best word I can use to describe our Cold War tour with the amazing Nickolai, is simply, wow. Nickolai is a true gem. From being open in sharing his own storied past with to being immensely knowledgable about the vast history of Berlin, Nickolai was for us the true star of our entire three-day trip to Berlin. In addition, Nickolai did an amazing job giving us unique insights into both sides of communism, Berlin's history, "Ostalgia", and the Cold War itself. We all felt his perspective was well-founded, well-researched, and well-explained - allowing us all to see things from multiple sides and come to our own conclusions (or inconclusions, even!) More than all of that though, it was his contagious passion and clear excitement for the city's history that truly made our four hours with him memorable, enjoyable, and something we were all instantly eager to recommend to our friends and family. I cannot recommend this tour and Nickolai enough. Basic info: tour: Cold War Walking Tour; guide: Nickolai; time: Saturday morning, early September; weather: chilly when standing around; group: we were three people and the overall group was 16 (max. 20); walking: we didn't actually walk very much - we stood around a great deal listening to Nickolai and we took the subway multiple times (price is not incl. in tour ticket).

I reserved the Cold War tour a couple months ago for our trip to Berlin. We didn't arrive until 12am Monday night and somehow managed to make our tour at 10am yesterday. Finding the meeting point is really easy. It's literally down the steps from the station. We had a small group of probably 7 and our guide was Barnaby. He was great! Although a 4 hour tour seems like a long time, it went by really fast and was great to learn the history of the Cold War. It's also a great way to become familiar with all the public transportation systems which is why I chose to do this tour first thing. Highly recommend!

Our Cold War Tour could not have been more perfect. Being a history nerd, and a return visitor to Berlin with 3 first-timers, I wanted to focus more on the Cold War aspect of the city, since WWII was a major part of my last trip. Barry was awesome! It was a blast zig-zagging around the city on the U-Bahn seeing the sights, and have history come alive. Barry's actually originally from Ireland, but clearly loved Berlin and it's history and culture and had so much to share at each site. I would absolutely take another tour with this outfitter.

Our tour guide Barry speaking at Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer.

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Business Owner

May 18, 2016

Wow Amy, thank you for the review! We are so happy we were able to welcome both you and 3 newcomers to Berlin. Barry is a really great guide, we are lucky to have him on our team! Thank you!

FAMOUS WALK - FIVE STAR The Famous walk tour with Barry is very informative. Barry is a young Irish man from Ireland who studied law in school. He has been living in Berlin for 3 years now and is very passionate about the city. He brought us all around to the major sites in Berlin including the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Memorial of the Memorial Jews in Europe, the Reichstag, and the Brandenburg gate. He provided loads and loads of info with much passion. I was not a huge fan with his talking style. He spoke way too fast that he was difficult to follow at times. I would have enjoyed the tour much more if he spoke a bit slower. The tour was supposed to be 4 hours but ended up being 5+ hours. I appreciated his thoroughness but wouldn't mind if he provided a little less info and spoke slower. That way the information would actually stick in my brain. Overall, I still had a wonderful time on this tour and highly recommend it. PUB CRAWL TOUR - 2 STARS The insider tour pub crawl is not all that great. The level of fun obviously depends on your crowd however the set up is seems like a money making scheme. For 12 Euros, you get 1 crappy beer (not even at a bar) and a few cheap fake shots. The one beer they give you is just on the street when you are waiting for the group to come together. If you think about it...the one Berliner beer they provided outside, probably cost them 0.25 Euros and the 3-4 very mini shots cost 0.75 Euros total. Therefore Insider Tour pockets 11 Euros. Multiply 11 Euros by 40 people and you get a nice profit of 400+ Euros per night. What a wonderful business for them but no value for you. Beer is honestly so cheap in Berlin, so they could have provided a few more beers at the bars. The way that a pub crawl should function is that you should get 2-3 beer tickets. Therefore when you get to the bar you can go get your beer quickly with your ticket and relax. During the Insider pub crawl, there's 40 people who all enter the bar at once and you wait in line for 20 minutes to get your drink because people order different things and have to pay etc. A ticket system would be more efficient. Another option is for the guide to actually provide us with the drinks. That way we could just sit down and chat while we are served beer. Maybe that's too much to ask for. As for the bars that Linda brought us to, the first two were laid back dive bars. They were chill and fun. The third bar was more of a club which was one of the grimiest places I have ever been to in my life. The music was super loud and the floor was all sticky from spilled drinks and chewed gum. I left within 5 minutes of arriving because it just was not my scene. Several others on the tour agreed that we all wanted to go back to the previous bar. In my opinion, the guide should have brought us to 3-4 chill pubs and 1 optional club as clubbing is not for everyone. After all, it is called a PUB crawl. Pubs appeal to all different types of people and clubs appeal to a select type of people. Then at the end, she could bring those who are interested in clubbing to the club and the rest of us could spend the rest of the night at the pub. Despite the flawed setup, Linda was an excellent tour guide. She did a great job giving us a 10 minute warning. She went around providing cups for those who wanted them. Overall, this is an okay pub crawl. It seems more like a money making tourist rip off scheme. The tour guides are very nice and friendly, but the value just isn't there. The selection of bars could have been much better. The first two pubs were awesome but the fun ended there. If you have a group of 3+ people, you are better off looking up cool pubs and doing your own pub crawl.

Did the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp tour with Jamie today and despite the frigid temperatures it was awesome. I highly recommended this tour to anyone that is visiting Berlin. We were hesitant to go to Sachsenhausen at first because it was a 6 hour tour and we are only here for two days but am so glad we decided to book. Jamie was very knowledgeable and funny and made sure everyone got everything they wanted out of the tour. On the train ride back he individually asked everyone where they were going next and gave them a map and the best way to get there. For people that didn't know he made suggestions. We may book another tour through Insider Tour for tomorrow and can only hope the next tour guide is as good as Jamie!

We did the Famous Insider Walking Tour with Jared and loved it. It's such a great way to see the city, you learn a lot of what you need/want to know, and is reasonably priced. Jared is super knowledgeable and entertaining and we had a great time. Highly recommend it!!

Visited Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp today with our tour guide, Ronan. It was such a somber day. Thank you, Ronan, for the amazing history lesson and your compassion, while asking some tough questions and helping our group understand such tragic time in history.

Best tour learning about the Third Reich in Berlin! Nicholai was professional, passionate and explained everything in the most interesting way with facts, stories and photographs. Highly recommend. He knows his stuff and is eager to share! No problems hearing everything he had to say!

Bryan not only knows his history but is also passionate about it which brought so much to this tour! Highly recommend

Thanks for the review Julie, and for joining us! Great to hear you enjoyed your tour with Brian!

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Insider Tour - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

Insider Tour

• See all photos

Berlin Third Reich and Cold War 2-Hour Walking Tour

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Tour from Berlin

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial: Bus Tour from Berlin

Cold War Walking Tour of Berlin

Explore Berlin's Top Attractions 3-hour English Walking Tour

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Insider Tour - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

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Step Inside the Coolest Shared Flat in Berlin—That Was Renovated in Just 10 Days

By Mailin Sophie Zieser

Photography by Studio Pion

All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

It is perhaps the best designed shared flat in all of Berlin , with a layout that has left nothing to chance and a remarkably curated selection of vintage pieces, contemporary designs, and works of art. Joern Scheipers’s roommate definitely lucked out, being able to rely on one of Germany’s top designers to take charge of the decor in the apartment they share. We met Joern, who together with his good friend David Kosock runs the design studio Vaust in Berlin, at his apartment in Berlin-Neukölln, a diverse, multicultural neighborhood in the southwest of the city.

Vaust is known for its contemporary and sculptural designs and interiors, and Joern’s home, which he shares with his roommate Elias and his dachshund Quintus, exudes the studio’s cool aesthetic. AD visited Joern to talk about the renovation of the flat, what it is like to live with a roommate, and why cold materials aren’t necessarily uncomfortable.

Joern Scheipers looking out the window of his flat in Berlin-Neukölln.

AD : Joern, you live in a shared apartment—tell us more about that.

Joern Scheipers: I actually moved into this flat 13 years ago, when I came to Berlin to study architecture.

So this is your first apartment in Berlin?

Yes, exactly.

The Berlin housing market was certainly more relaxed back then, how did you find it?

I learned about it from friends of friends and when I viewed it at the time, I didn’t want to move in. There were two other units in the building available and then, somewhat reluctantly, I accepted this one.

What bothered you so much? What did it originally look like?

It was very run down. There was a drop ceiling, woodchip on the walls, and in some places you could still see graffiti.

Something like the front door to the building?

Yes, exactly. And at first I didn’t even want to move to Neukölln. Back then, it wasn’t really clear what would become of the neighborhood. It was a bit out of the way for me, and my friends all lived in other parts of the city. But then everything fell into place and the flat felt more and more like the right place to be. I really like it now.

What exactly do you find appealing?

I like the layout and the old building.

Do you always have to live in old buildings?

Yes and no. I think if I had to look for somewhere else to live today, I would move into a new build. For me, historic buildings have had their day. But I like the charm of this flat. I also know I’d never again move into an old building in such an unrenovated state. I don't think there are many of them left.

The living and dining room are shared common areas. The dining table was designed by Joern, the Sophie stool is by Loes Beta GmbH , and the Panton Chair is by Vitra . On the right side of the photo, flowers sit atop a plinth from the Vaust Total Exposure series and above it hangs the work Still Life 01 by Alarah Gee. The sofa and coffee table are vintage.

How has the apartment changed since you moved in?

It was very basic before. I don’t think I even had curtains for two years, I slept on a bed made of pallets. It was a true student pad and the flat had that vibe for a really long time.

Until about two years ago. But then I had a very eye-opening conversation with a visitor at the AD “New Perspectives” exhibition in 2022 in Berlin, where we had a stand. I explained our installation to her, in which we used a lot of aluminum and stone, and she asked if I lived like that myself, and then I felt somehow caught out and like I had to change my home. I spoke to my flatmate about what he would think if we just completely renovated it. He thought it was a great idea and he gave me complete creative control. His only feedback was at the beginning: “The kitchen sounds kind of uncomfortable,” he told me.

Did you then do everything yourself?

I planned everything and my flatmate, friends and, above all, my father helped me with the renovation work. He’s very talented with his hands, and that was also a great father-son bonding moment for both of us.

By Kristi Kellogg

By Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar

By Erika Owen

You design a wide variety of spaces with Vaust. Did you take a similar approach to your own home as you do with those projects?

I’ve created flowcharts and mood boards in the same way, though I didn’t necessarily want to call it a concept...

Have you given the project a name?

No, that’s what we do professionally. We always have a certain design approach in the form of a narrative. We engage with our customers and feel out the direction it could take, what they like, what they don’t like, what needs to happen, what must not happen under any circumstances, and we use all this information and a certain vision to create a narrative. We often start with a visual story based on a certain theme, which we use as a starting point for our design decisions. I didn’t go that far with this flat. The great thing about the design process was that I didn’t have to convince anyone other than myself and my flatmate.

How long did the work take?

Approximately 10 days.

That’s quick. Probably one of the fastest renovations ever to appear in AD .

Well, we worked here about 16 hours a day and everything was very well organized.

What have you changed?

First, we painted the doors and windows and stripped and varnished the floors. We ordered all the furniture in advance and then everything was delivered relatively promptly. The kitchen before was terrible—there were some shabby cupboards hanging on the walls and everything was thrown together. We ripped them out completely and the only thing that remained was the stove. I then opted for a more commercial kitchen. These are prefabricated elements that are available in many different versions.

Joern used commercial kitchen installations in the renovation.

So you’ve been living in a shared flat for 13 years, what do you like so much about it?

I’ve actually always lived with great friends. Most of the time, it doesn’t feel like a shared flat because we complement each other so well. That’s why I have such a good vibe with the flat. There are so many people who move because they’re living in unpleasant situations, but I never had that. Of course, living together can sometimes be very intimate, and there is of course friction from time to time, but we are now at an age where we communicate more openly and respectfully. And so far, everyone has been very respectful of my objects and furniture, and that’s really important.

Materials like aluminum and stone don't necessarily look uncomfortable

Back to the design. You used a lot of cool materials and colors—how do you manage to keep them from looking uncomfortable?

I’m of the opinion that it is a fallacy that metallic surfaces always appear cold. As far as the feel is concerned, at the end of the day they always reflect their surroundings. When the sun shines into the living room, for example, it immediately appears much warmer. The light-filled hallway also conveys a certain warmth. We were lucky with the basic structure of the home.

There is no color here.

No, for me the structure of the materials is more important. The question we are often asked at Vaust is: “Is this also available in color?” And the answer is not no, because of course we don’t design neutral spaces, but that the color comes more through the material, through reflections, and the materiality always brings a colorfulness with it, and that then later captures a spectrum of colors.

But that’s usually only the case with reflective materials...

If you use plaster, it’s a very raw, natural material that has a colorfulness in its basic texture, and for us that would be the finish, for other people it’s like a kind of canvas that is then painted again. We actually rarely do that at Vaust because the materials per se already have such a beautiful texture. But everything has to correspond to an overall concept, it has to serve an aesthetic. This very natural look paired with contrasting materials corresponds to the aesthetic of our studio, and that’s also what happened here in the flat.

That’s why everything seems very clean. Is that the recipe for a coherent overall concept?

Yes, but it’s something that happens intuitively. I haven’t made a real project out of the flat—of course, I’ve done more than the average consumer, but that’s probably also a kind of occupational disease. Acting more intuitively is perhaps something I’ve developed over the years. Sometimes I can’t explain it, but I know that I can simply rely on my creative intuition. But the flat has also grown. Because I’ve lived here for 13 years, it was the final steps that led to the complete picture. But now I’m totally happy with the result.

Did you also buy a lot of new furniture when you renovated?

The chairs in the dining room are new, the sofas are secondhand, and I also bought some new art and created other pieces myself. Many of the objects come from Vaust. The dining table and the bed are my own designs.

Are you looking specifically for furniture?

Yes, sometimes it’s just pieces that fit. I spent a long time looking for the Cassina lounge chair , for example, and scoured many vintage stores to find it. Of course, my job gives me a good overview of what’s available.

How a new coat of paint can help keep your home tidy

Do you always spontaneously change something in your home?

Change is somehow always there. I also often repaint rooms. The great thing about repainting a room is that you have to move everything again, it’s like when you move houses, it’s a chance to get rid of things. That’s why I don’t own many things, but I focus on the objects I have. I hate clutter!

What else would you like to do differently?

I wasn’t allowed to paint the parquet floor in my bedroom white. That would have made the room look even more rounded. I also hate the light bulb hanging down in the living room, it’s a bit embarrassing.

Where would you move if you had to?

I would move to Schöneberg [a residential area in western Berlin]. We have our studio there now and I think it’s a bit more grown-up. But I have a lot of friends in Neukölln. I like the feeling here, I love going out to eat and there are really great restaurants. I feel at home.

This apartment tour was first published by AD Germany for their series called #thirtysomething .

Joern next to a work by David Kosock . On the sofa: Quintus, his dachshund.

The artwork and the round table are by Joern. The Sophie stool is from Loes Beta GmbH, and the Panton Chair is from Vitra.

Prototype Toy from Vaust.

Joern placed a prototype of the Toy series from Vaust on the coffee table, a flea market find.

Pendant by Vaust, a sculpture that the design studio showed at the AD “New Perspectives” exhibition.

Joern had the Fiandra armchair from Cassina on his wish list for ages.

“I love the bed,” Joern says enthusiastically. He designed and built it himself. He placed the sculpture Toy BP II by Vaust atop a plinth, while the work Deconstruction Study by Jonathan Niclaus hangs above the bed.

Quintus in bed.

Chic cover: Joern clad a radiator with aluminum. The chandelier was designed by Reidar Mester .

Stone on stone—Joern’s love of stone is reflected in many details.

The photographs in the corridor are by Tobias Faisst .

The white walls are reflected in the kitchen fronts, making the room appear even brighter and airier.

Everything in the kitchen came from a single source, including the soda maker and the shelves.

The dining table is Joern’s own design; the Sophie stool comes from Loes Beta GmbH.

What looks like a fencing mask is actually a lamp bought at a flea market.

The old wooden door contrasts with the interior of the flat and its rough walls and white lacquered floors.

The stairwell of the building in Berlin-Neukölln.

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Berlin’s government offers to give away villa once owned by Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels

The former villa of Adolf Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels is seen on the Bogensee site, near the town of Wandlitz, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Berlin, on March 22, 2024. Berlin’s government is offering to give away the villa, hoping to end a decades-long debate on whether to repurpose or bulldoze a sprawling disused site in the countryside north of the German capital. “I offer to anyone who would like to take over the site, to take it over as a gift from the state of Berlin,” Berlin’s finance minister, Stefan Evers, told the state parliament on Thursday May 2, 2024, dpa reported. (Patrick Pleul/dpa via AP)

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BERLIN (AP) — Berlin’s government is offering to give away a villa once owned by Adolf Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, hoping to end a decades-long debate on whether to repurpose or bulldoze a sprawling disused site in the countryside north of the German capital.

“I offer to anyone who would like to take over the site, to take it over as a gift from the state of Berlin,” Berlin’s finance minister, Stefan Evers, told the state parliament on Thursday, dpa reported.

Berlin has repeatedly tried to hand off the site to federal authorities or the state of Brandenburg, where the villa lies, rather than continue to pay for maintenance and security at the complex, which has become overgrown and fallen into disrepair.

Evers renewed that offer on Thursday, calling for proposals that reflected the site’s history. He didn’t say if proposals from private individuals would also be considered.

“If we fail again, as in the past decades, then Berlin has no other option but to carry out the demolition that we have already prepared for,” Evers said.

Goebbels, one of Hitler’s closest allies, had the luxury villa built in 1939 on a wooded site overlooking the Bogensee lake near the town of Wandlitz, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Berlin.

A retreat from Berlin, where he lived with his wife and six children, Goebbels used the villa and an earlier house on the site to entertain Nazi leaders, artists and actors — and reputedly as a love-nest for secret affairs.

After the war, the 17-hectare (42-acre) site was used briefly as a hospital, then taken over by the youth wing of the East German communist party, which constructed a training center, including several large accommodation blocks.

After German reunification in 1990, ownership of the site returned to the state of Berlin. However, the city found no use for it. The site has since become an attraction for day-trippers who can pick their way through the overgrown grounds and peer through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the villa.

Goebbels moved back to Berlin in the final phase of the Second World War. He and his wife killed themselves and their children with cyanide capsules in Hitler’s bunker as Soviet troops closed in.

The family’s opulent home on an island in Berlin was sold at auction in 2011.

Ray Kappe's only house outside the US brings California modernism to Berlin

A passionate owner brings Ray Kappe's brand of Californian modernism to Berlin with this new residence; the architect's only home outside the USA

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The work of the late Los Angeles master Ray Kappe (1927-2019) is part of the American modernist architecture legacy that vintage furniture dealer Lars Triesch fell in love with from afar. The result of his passion is Triesch Residence, a Kappe-designed home built in the leafy town of Kleinmachnow, southwest of central Berlin.

Tour Ray Kappe's Triesch Residence

As a young draftsman, Kappe worked on Eichler villas (Joseph Eichler's iconic low, glass-enclosed, A-frame roof homes that came to epitomise California Modern), which were, at the time, rising across 20th-century US suburbs. In the 1970s, he helped to found the academic course at SCI-Arc, the Southern California Institute of Architecture. His Los Angeles office promoted eco-modernism with flat roofs, heavy timber structural beams, and oversized picture windows framing leafy vistas. Triesch and his wife, Sara, a painter, wanted all those - but in their home base of Berlin.

They decide to build their dream home from the ground up. Seven years ago, even before securing land where constructing a flat roof would be allowed, Triesch, 44, and his family of four, went straight to the source in Los Angeles to meet Kappe and tour five of his California houses. The architect had never built outside the US but still signed on - ultimately in partnership with his sons Finn and Ron - to invent a California-inspired home for Germany that respects the snowy climate and strict Berlin building codes.

Ray Kappe died at age 92, and he never saw the finished project, which is now complete, featuring four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a sauna, a screening room, and a studio. It’s wrapped in large windows and custom-milled redwood siding shipped from Oakland, California, in a container, alongside a bespoke Ofuro soaking tub assembled from redwood planks laminated by an artisanal Pacific Coast workshop.

Challenges included a quest for Slentex, a slim new inorganic aerogel insulation to layer inside Kappe’s thin exterior walls (it reduced the required thickness of chunkier German wood-framed walls by half). Arguably, Kappe’s lifelong interest in architectural prefab also helped the design set sail. Factory-made walls and structural members got bolted together on-site in just a week, streamlining construction.

A suspended 'free-swinging' staircase uses the architect’s signature wood blocks - stacked 'like Jenga,' as Triesch notes - in Douglas Fir to match exposed structural beams. Such fir is rare in Germany, as is the 1.5”-wide clear red oak strip flooring. (Stains and wood protectants came from Sansin and Bona, two of many manufacturing partners for the house detailed on Triesch’s information-rich construction blog)

The structure grows out of a mature landscape rejuvenated by Topanga-based Richard Grigsby. Norifumi Nishioka selected plants for the wild new Japanese-style meadow with a manmade waterfall and creek bed inspired by a stream at the iconic Kappe Family home in Pacific Palisades.

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Of course, as a mid-century dealer, Triesch has 'a big stock' of vintage furniture. He decided to decorate his home with Kappe-designed pieces where possible, replicating one-offs he’d seen touring that home in LA. Today those new prototype tables and a sofa live in Kleinmachnow, while their authorized reproductions sell through his furniture shop, Original. in Berlin.

originalinberlin.com

Architecture-trained Craig Kellogg’s first article for Wallpaper magazine appeared in issue 6. He has contributed to The New Yorker and The New York Times, and he lives in the East Village of Manhattan, where he works as a creative director.

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