Berlin is not Germany
Last week (August 13th 2026) marked 65 years since the construction of the Berlin Wall. A wall that would divide the city for 28 years and later become a global icon of freedom with its fall. As the words in the feature photo say, “You have learned what freedom means, and never forget that.”
In this Thursday’s newsletter I shared a little about why Berlin, still to this day, gives off that feeling. And I’d like to also leave those thoughts here too.
First of all, it’s widely said by everyone here that “Berlin is not Germany.“
If the rest of the country is, for the most part, rather conservative, rule-following and “by the books”, as us Brits say… Then Berlin is on a parallel lane, driving completely the other way.
When I first moved here in 2016, I vividly remember it feeling like an exhale, a breath of relief really…
Until then, I’d spent my twenties focusing more on living in different places rather than promotions.
So by the time my “settling down and getting a long-term, proper big girl job” chapter began five countries later at 25 and a half, I had this slight reserved feeling that perhaps I was a little behind.
But if I felt even the tiniest bit of shame about starting at the bottom as a trainee of yet another career path, meeting thirty-year-old German interns on my first day in the office completely changed my perspective (honestly everyone does everything much later here!).
And even after almost three years in a 9-5, working my way up, receiving several promotions, at 28, I chose to start all over again anyway, founding my own business in the name of reclaiming my time/location freedom.
And I think that’s something Berlin does particularly well. It gives you permission to go off course and find your own path, at any age.
It’s true that many people come here looking for the forbidden, the divine decadence or the darker side of the city ~ and it’s here, hiding in plain sight.
But, you can also come here simply to tune into possibility, to start over, to create, to live a bit more freely, without quite the same pressure of status or success you might feel in other Western capitals.
Own a big house? Not here, the majority just rent. Fancy cars? Nope, most of us get around by public transport, bikes or scooters. Fancy clothes? You can’t go too wrong with all black, but really… anything goes.
Married with 2.5 children? You absolutely can be. But you can also choose almost any other relationship or life constellation under the sun and nobody really bats an eyelid.
It all comes down to the freedom of choice.
Of course, Berlin isn’t for everyone. There are people who will tell you it’s amazing, creative and free-spirited (like me!), and others who’ll tell you it’s dirty, expensive, “not what it used to be” and advise you not to bother stepping foot here.
In a way, it’s all true. Because every single person experiences a place through their own history, experiences and way of seeing the world.
So I’d say ~ sure, listen to other people’s opinions… But always, always, always shape your own. Come here and decide for yourself all that’s wrong with Berlin… and all that’s right. 🙂
There’s actually one street not too far from where I live which, for me, somehow encapsulates Berlin. Its rule-breaking spirit and permission to not see life as one straight line (see photo below).
And every time I pass it, I find myself wondering… Where is the artist who painted these lines now?
If this has made you curious to experience this city for yourself, after ten years living here I wrote a Berlin insider’s guide with my favourite 33 local spots and experiences.
It’s for anyone who’d like to go beyond the obvious sights and experience some of the places that have made me and other long term residents fall for this strange, contradictory city over the years. Feel welcome to download it here.
