Beyond Berlin

Beyond Berlin

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Thomas Mann at 150: At War with Words Against Hitler, for the German Soul.

From Nobel laureate to wartime broadcaster—how literature's giant became democracy's strongest voice against Nazi Germany.
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Join me on a journey through Europe's past, present, and future—from Berlin to your inbox.

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Judenplatz: The Viennese Square That Speaks to Europe.
From the Enlightenment to the Holocaust, from Ukraine to Gaza —in Judenplatz, memory meets urgency, and values face their ultimate test. Here, since…
1
The Angel of History in Berlin
Paul Klee's Angelus Novus—Walter Benjamin's Angel of History—is more than a painting: it's a catalyst of meaning and a warning. In Berlin, 2025, it…
50:15
Uncle Emil said ´NO´: Resistance in Berlin.
Listen now | Stories of anti-Nazi resistance were more numerous than many believe. Some became celebrated, others resurface only sporadically. Ruth…
1
Soviet Photographers Who Captured the End of the War.
How Soviet photojournalists Yevgeny Khaldei, Timofei Melnik, and Ivan Shagin shaped the visual memory of victory in Berlin and Vienna—and why their…
2
8 May and 9 May 2025: Berlin, a mirror of our times.
PHOTO STORY A walk through Berlin's memorials on these historic dates—where memory and meaning collide.
Help me tell better stories about Europe.
Thank you for reading Beyond Berlin. Your support helps keep this space alive — a place where Europe’s past meets its present: with stories big and…
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Words

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Thomas Mann at 150: At War with Words Against Hitler, for the German Soul.
From Nobel laureate to wartime broadcaster—how literature's giant became democracy's strongest voice against Nazi Germany.
3:18
"This is not my Europe"
Giorgia Meloni wrestles with ghosts of the past: the noble spirits of Europe's founding fathers confined to Ventotene, and the darker shadows of her…
Hope is Not a Spectator Sport
Real hope has little to do with optimism, nor with passive waiting: the voices of Vaclav Havel and Pope Francis on what hope is and what it demands.
A journey through the language of freedom, from Athens and Rome to today's Ukraine.
There are many words for "freedom", but one stands out and has become even more powerful in recent years: the Ukrainian во́ля, "volia". A journey…
28:34
"You shall fly, dove of peace; Tell everyone here, that we never want war again: We want peace."
The GDR/DDR also claimed to be committed to peace—but on its own terms. A story of symbols, hypocrisy, and arms trade — all conducted in the name of…
1
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