© Tatjana Ohl

I grew up on a country estate by the Danube and could have been considered a typical provincial boy. After finishing secondary school in the town of Neuburg an der Donau, I went on to study in Munich, the capital of the state of Bavaria, becoming a state-certified translator and interpreter of business English. I would probably have remained in Munich if the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 hadn’t thoroughly shaken up my own life plans with it. In any case, I was so enthralled by the different and exciting prospects on offer in the new German capital that I moved to Berlin shortly after reunification to study for an additional degree in journalism. I was already well familiar with the city from previous visits. I therefore have first-hand experience both of the divided city and of the whole period of development since reunification – something I’m now very pleased to have experienced.

While I was working for the 2000 Olympic Games bid organisation, I very quickly got to know the city extremely well. My ongoing interest in Berlin’s history and the development of the city was also aroused at that time. Today, I work as a professional host and guide for the numerous new Berliners and Berlin visitors and it would be a pleasure to meet you.