I was born and raised in Berlin – Kreuzberg, which is located pretty close to the Wall. Though growing up in the heart of West Berlin, I also got a glimpse of the eastern part of the city early on because of family friends.

In the mid-1980s, I started studying communications and worked as a cab driver on the side. This allowed me to not only get a better understanding of the city, but also to experience the fall of the Wall with my own eyes.

In the 1990s, I was bitten by the travel bug and had the opportunity to work as a tour guide in Central America. I enjoyed this so much that in 2007 I began training as a city guide in Berlin, completing the training as a certified tour guide. I had finally found my true passion and calling, exploring the streets of Berlin ever since.

Since my curiosity is unbridled, I am constantly collecting new anecdotes of Germanys capital. Many of them I share on Berlin Radio 91.4 as host of the segment “Stadtführer Claas – die Stimme für Berlins Geschichte” (city guide Claas – the voice for Berlins history). On a constant quest in finding hidden gems, I like to further explore parts of the city in my free time to add to my tours.

My favorite tours are eyewitness tours of the Berlin Wall with lots of personal stories, tours to my home district of Kreuzberg or to the “roaring twenties” in Berlin.

Therefore I do my tours with passion, humor and a bit just like this city is: with heart and snark. And besides the “hard facts”, the little stories and anecdotes are especially important to me, because that’s how history comes alive again.

My city tours can be done as walking tours, bike tours, bus tours or on boats.

For more info, check out my website: www.claastours.de