Tour guide in Berlin Jan-Benedict (JB) W.

Let's see Berlin together! I was born and raised here, and have had a love for history since childhood. Continuous research on the history and current reality of Berlin and Germany, as well as on the history of art and architecture allow me to provide context and in-depth information. WWII in all its aspects has been a strong focus in my recent guiding work, and I have done related fact checking for two books by an American and by a British historian. I have also been guiding in the neighboring city of Potsdam for over 20 years, with a focus on the history of the extinct Kingdom of Prussia and its material and intangible cultural heritage. Privately I keep up my passion for film and photography, and have been practicing Argentine Tango for over 10 years. I have visited Buenos Aires six times for extended stays. Guiding found me as a calling at an early age. . . attending boarding school on a North Sea Island I had the idea and was allowed to conduct "Historical Island walks" on weekends already as a teenager. I later started working as Berlin tour guide in the summer of 1995 at age 20, and have kept it up ever since. Briefly trained as a videographer and did my required service in the German army, but have been working full time as a freelance professional tour guide continously since 1999. I have worked as local guide and live speaker for both domestic and international student groups, travel and corporate groups of all sizes, VIP clients as well as in the private tours segment, which is now my main focus. My presentations are mainly conducted as tours by private coach or limousine and as walking tours, but as I have recently taken up cycling regularly I will be happy to do tours by bicycle as well! I have acquired a sound knowledge of German history, focusing primarily on 20th century history, but also on old Prussian history. I lived in Potsdam for a brief period in the early 1990ies - the magnificent second residence town with all its exquisite royal palaces and gardens. I feel that the topics of the Nazi Dictatorship and the East German Communist dictatorship are very complex, but after many years of reflecting on them I believe I have found some answers regarding the "how" and "why". Sharing these with my international guests remains interesting and also challenging. I also learn from my guests and appreciate their reflections very much. Other than my specialty to provide historical interest tours, I am a great movie fan. . . and enjoy creating dynamic tours and itineraries for the enjoyment and inspiration of my guests. My interest is to inform and to entertain, both at the same time. I am very keen on presenting well and to find the right balance between intense and also efficient sightseeing on the one hand and relaxed moments on the other hand - just the right mixture, and, of course, individually customized to your interest and taste. Do tell me what you like and I will adapt and improvise at a moment's notice. . . ! I find some aspects of Anglo-American culture and tradition greatly endearing and love interacting in English. I am absolutely fluent in that language. I also have a basic knowledge of French and of Spanish and my goal is to gain proficiency in these languages eventually. I personally conduct about 220 tours per year in Berlin and Potsdam, ranging from short to full day tours or even touring on several days, including introductions to many important memorials and museums, as well as inside tours in some of them. My experience with this job allows me to adapt my tours with ease and to perfectly navigate the city traffic good or bad, and also to organise sightseeing with utmost efficiency no matter how short the time available for a tour may be. I mostly use professional drivers, but also occasionally act as driver guide with equal enjoyment. I hold the extra license legally required for that (for up to a maximum of 8 passengers). More than 20 years of working as a full time professional tour guide - official guide licenses issued by the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg: Berlin: Charlottenburg Palace (Old Palace and New Wing) Charlottenburg Palace Gardens Pfaueninsel - Peacock Island Glienicke Palace Gardens Potsdam: Neues Palais (in the Sanssouci Palace Gardens) Sanssouci Palace Gardens (not for the Sanssouci palace interior - 40 min audio guide visit possible) additional palaces Neuer Garten Special old guide license for Berlin Guide Association members for the main halls of the Pergamon Museum (introductory tours only) Guide license for the Sachsenhausen Memorial Extra license "Personenbeförderungsschein" to legally act as driver guide