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BBS - Berlin Guides Association

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BBS - Berlin Guides Association

We are Berlin's official tour guides association comprised of expert guides working in and around Berlin.
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We use our network to establish partnerships with reputable museums and institutions and to further educate each other to become even better guides We are a Berlin guide association for experienced guides. We use our network to educate each other further to become even better guides.

14/11/2024

One of Berlin's most historically important buildings is perhaps the New Syngagogue, built in the 1860s, after the Jewish population in Berlin had grown by leaps and bounds. It was designed in the Moorish style by architect Eduard Knoblauch. The Jewish community wanted it to stand tall and proud, in contrast to the Old Synagogue, built in the early 1700s, hidden in a courtyard and restricted to just one story. It was not destroyed during Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, due to a brave police officer, but was later bombed during World War II. It sat as a ruin for many decades, until the front portion was finally rebuilt in the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. To learn more, take a tour from one of our members!

07/11/2024

Anyone who comes to Berlin knows Museum Island, but in fact, the entire island is called the Spree Island, after the river that runs around it. On one end are the famous museums, but in the middle used to sit the Hohenzollern Prussia Royal City Palace, first built in the early 1700s. During World War II, the Palace was somewhat damaged, and then the remains were taken down by the East German government. In its place, they built the Palast der Republik, where the East German parliament met. Once the Wall fell, this building became obsolete, and partly due to the asbestos inside, it was destroyed in the early 2000s. After much intense discussion, the city decided to re-build the palace with a replica of the facade and a more modest interior. It is now called the Humboldt Forum and is home to several museums and a cultural institutions.

04/11/2024

Our final October excursion was in fact a galactic expedition to the oldest and largest observatory still open to the public in Germany, the Archenhold Observatory. It is located in Treptower Park, built in 1896, and is home to the longest moveable telescope in the world. Our members learned not only about the history of the observatory, but also about the solar system, constellations, and light pollution. The Observatory has another claim to fame - it is the first place where Albert Einstein gave a public lecture about his theory of relativity. The Observatory was founded by Friedrich Simon Archenhold and his son Günter took over in 1931, but as the family was Jewish, Günter was forced to resign. There are several Stumbling Stones in front of the Observatory to remember the family's fate - several were murdered by the N***s, but a few were able to escape and survive.

31/10/2024

In mid-October, the Berlin Guides Association hosted a trip to Greifswald, a city in northern Germany in the state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. About 15 members came along. We started our day with a walking tour of the old town, which included the market square, a monument honoring the famous German painter Caspar David Friedrich, the university (founded in 1456), and the harbor. Afterwards, we had the great fortune of viewing the excavation site of a medieval hospital by archaeologist Dr. Claudia Melisch, the wife of one of our members. We then took another tour, this time of the outstanding Pommersches Landesmuseum, and ended our day with a delicious dinner. Many members ordered fish, a speciality on the coast. It was a wonderful experience and we were all so glad to learn more about another city in Germany!

28/10/2024

In early October, the Berlin Guides Association organized a tour of the exhibit "The Romanesque Cafe in 1920s Berlin" at the Europa Center in Berlin, which is running until late January 2025. The special thing about the exhibit is that it takes place where the Romanesque Cafe was located about 100 years ago, near the famous Kurfürstendamm and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. We were welcomed by three of the curators of the exhibition - Arne Krasting, Katja Baumeister-Frenzel, and Michael Bienert. While enjoying a glass of sparkling wine, we learned about the "Golden Twenties" and the guests of the Cafe, which included the painter Max Liebermann, the poet Mascha Kaleko, the painter Jeanne Mammen, and the playwright Bertolt Brecht. Many of those guests were later persecuted in under the N**i regime; some were able to flee, while others committed su***de or were murdered.

24/10/2024

Berlin's most famous boulevard is without a doubt Unter den Linden, the royal road leading from the Prussian's city palace out to their royal hunting grounds (Tiergarten) and their first summer palace (Schloss Charlottenburg). Along this street is also a beautiful neo-baroque building, built in the early 1900s by architect Ernst von Ihnes - the State Library of Berlin. It is actually one of several state libraries, but this one is the most prominent. In front of it is an iconic statue of Frederick the Great, who was not only an exceptional statesman, but also a patron of the arts. He is remembered as Prussia's most important king and helped turn Berlin into a world-class city.

17/10/2024

Berlin is a very flat city; the only hills you will find contain quite a fascinating secret - they are rubble mounds from the rubble of World War II! The largest one can be found in the southwest of the city, in the forest of Grunewald, called "Teufelsberg," or "Devil's Mountain." This rubble mound covers a partly-finished N**i building and was so tall, that the Americans and British built a listening post on top, the remains of which can still be visited today. Not only is it historically signficant, but the area is now covered with incredible street art. It is a bit of a hike, literally, but definitely worth a visit!

10/10/2024

Behind Friedrichstraße Train Station is an unusual blue building with very long windows. Today it is a museum, but during the Cold War, it was an arrival hall for visitors from West Germany coming to East Berlin to visit family and friends. Friedrichstraße was the first train station to be accessed from West Berlin and was turned into a checkpoint for train passengers. The building earned the nickname "Tränenpalast," or "Palace of Tears," because so many tears were cried upon seeing family and friends after such a long time, but then also when those family and friends had to leave again. When the Wall fell, the building was briefly occupied in the 1990s by young Berliners and turned into a night club, but then later it was taken over by the city and turned into a public museum which is free to visit. It has a small but illuminating exhibit about the Friedrichstraße crossing and every day life in East Germany - check it out!

03/10/2024

Today is German Unity Day, a holiday in Germany celebrated the reunification of former West and East Germany. The most infamous symbol of the German separation was the Berlin Wall, which was erected on August 13, 1961 and encircled former West Berlin. It lasted 28 years, until it fell on November 9, 1989. Most of the Wall was torn down, but you can still find several pieces intact. But what about the big stretches in between those leftover pieces? Many people wanted the Wall to be completely destroyed, but for remembrance, keeping a symbol of that past is important. So in central Beriln, if you look closely, you can find a brick path in the pavement running exactly where the Wall used to be.

26/09/2024

As a visitor to Berlin, going to a bookstore probably isn't high on your list of things to do. But if you live in Berlin, Dussmann is *the* place to go for books. It is a huge store with not only books, but also movies, calendars, souvenirs, and stationary. They even have an English-language book section. When our members want to expand their knowledge about Berlin, Dussmann is often their first top to discover new books.

19/09/2024

One of Berlin's most unusual historically protected monument has got to be the Bierpinsel in Steglitz, a neighborhood in southwestern Berlin. This short, stout tower was built in 1976 in a futuristic pop architecture style and was home to the Tower Restaurant Steglitz. Over the years, many restaurants and cafes have called the Bierpinsel home, and for a short time there was even a disco inside. However, currently it is empty, and plans are to reconfigure into a co-working space, hopefully to be opened in 2025. If you want to see something off-the-beaten-path in Berlin, head to the Bierpinsel!

12/09/2024

Every weekend you can find a wonderful market next to the Zeughaus (Royal Armory) on Unter den Linden, just beside the Spree river and across from Museum Island. The first part contains handmade crafts by local artists - such as printed t-shirts, paintings, ceramics, jewelry, and hats. If you walk further, beneath the train tracks and beside the Bode Museum, you will find the second part - antiques of all sorts from basements and attics. The markets in Berlin are very popular, so if you come to the city, definitely take some time to check them out!

05/09/2024

One of Berlin's most famous painters was Max Liebermann (1847-1935) and as part of his legacy, he left behind a beautiful villa on the Wannsee Lake in the southeastern part of the city. Liebermann was a founding member of the Berlin Secession and served from 1920 as the president of the Academy of the Arts. However, Liebermann was Jewish and when the N***s came to power, he and his family were persecuted. The villa was forcibly sold and was then a post office training center, later a hospital, and finally a diving club. It wasn't until the early 2000s when a group of local citizens organized and worked to turn the villa back into a place of beauty and art.

29/08/2024

While standing in front of the Brandenburg Gate, you will certainly notice the United States Embassy and the French Embassy on either side. But just behind you and around the corner is the British Embassy, tucked away on a side street next to the Hotel Adlon. The British Embassy was located there first in the late 1880s, but after World War II and during the Cold War, the British Embassy, like for many other western nations, was located in Bonn. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, these embassies moved back to Berlin and the current building was constructed by Michael Wilford in 2002. It is an excellent example of postmodernism and definitely worth a quick detour to walk by. One of our members took these pictures just after Queen Elizabeth passed away in September 2022.

22/08/2024

Near the Alexanderplatz train station, you can find a curious clock designed by Erich John and installed by the East German government in 1969. There are 24 panels to represent the 24 major time zones; on each panel can be found the cities within that time zone - 148 cities total. There is also a simplified version of the solar system sculpted above the clock. The sad irony of the World Clock is that when it was installed, most East Germans could not visit many of the places listed. Now it is a historically protected monument, as well as a popular meeting point for locals and tourists alike.

15/08/2024

This imposing structure, found at Alexanderplatz in Berlin, is called the Rotes Rathaus and is Berlin's town hall. The mayor's office is located there, along with the offices of many politicians and administrators who run the city. It was built in the 1860s in the High Renaissance style by Hermann Friedrich Waesemann. The red brick was partly chosen to match the St. Mary's Church, a medieval church located just across the square. When the city was divided, West Berlin's town hall was in the district of Schöneberg. But now that the city is back together, the Rotes Rathaus is again the town hall for the entire capital.

08/08/2024

The Berlin Wall divided Berlin for 28 years. It was put up during the Cold War, when Europe was separated by the so-called Iron Curtain. West Berliners lived within the Wall, surrounded by East Germany. When the Cold War ended and the Wall fell in 1989, it no longer had any function and people could travel freely back and forth between the two sides of the city. Physically removing the Wall was a big task and resulted in a lot of discussion - most people wanted it gone, but some pieces were kept as reminders of the past. You can see these pieces all over the city - some hidden, some in plain view; some in accurate locations, some used as decoration. This piece was found by our member Heather Ellis on Wilhelmstrasse, just a short walk from the Brandenburg Gate.

01/08/2024

One of Berlin's most famous landmarks is the TV Tower, built by East Germany in the early 1960s. It is the tallest structure in Germany and the fifth-tallest in Europe. If you are in Berlin on a sunny day, look closely at the silver ball, because from the right angle, when the sun is shining, the reflection creates a giant cross. The TV Tower was built when religion was heavily frowned upon and crosses were banned. It was just a fluke of construction, but the East German leaders were furious. The West Berliners could see this from their side of the city and gave it the nickname "The Pope's Revenge."

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Finn @ Nollendorfstrasse

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Jonathan @ Anhalter Bahnhof

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BBS - November 2017 - German Technical Museum

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The BBS - Berlin Guides Association

The Berlin Guides Association (Bündnis Berliner Stadtführer e.V) is the German capital’s official association of professional tour guides. We use our network to establish partnerships with reputable museums and institutions in and around Berlin and have the best tour guides that the city’s tourism industry has to offer, who offer energetic and educational tours in the native language of your choice: Bulgarian, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Mandarin, Russian, and Swedish. We are Berlin.