podtour
The East Side Gallery and the Oberbaum Bridge
You start in Stralauer Platz, in front of a piece of the first Wall, the one built from blocks.
Kreuzberg SO 36: from Kottbusser Tor to the Wall: audio walk in Berlin
The corner of West Berlin with the Wall on three sides: who came to Kotti, a trade unionist murdered in 1980, the residents who squatted houses to repair them, the night the police left and a pensioner who planted onions on East German soil.
What this walk is about
You start at Kottbusser Tor, a city gate that no longer exists, where workers from Turkey arrived when the Wall left Kreuzberg on the edge. On one corner, a stone remembers Celalettin Kesim, a teacher and trade unionist stabbed in 1980. Beneath the great concrete block, you'll see what this neighbourhood was meant to become; on Oranienstraße, how it was saved by the people who squatted houses to repair them. On Rio Reiser's square, the night of 1 May 1987. Then on to Mariannenplatz: the hospital where Fontane worked and the ghosts that, they say, roam it at night, the squat that gave a generation its anthem, a church with the Wall at its back and, at the very end, the hut of Osman Kalın, who negotiated his vegetable garden with the border guards.
- Start
- The vanished gate and the people who arrived
- Finish
- Onions on East German land
- Who it is for
- A walk for anyone curious about 20th-century history and neighbourhoods and counterculture.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
- Underfoot
- The walk is mostly level. There are cobbles or uneven surfaces.
The route, stop by stop
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Loading the map…
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
- 1
The vanished gate and the people who arrived
- 2
January leaflets: remembering Celalettin Kesim
- 3
The plan to demolish a neighbourhood
- 4
Squatting to repair the houses
- 5
The façades that were saved
- 6
Rio Reiser's square
- 7
The night the police left
- 8
The lane surrounded by the Wall
- 9
A pharmacist-poet and a dancer
- 10
The ghosts of Bethanien
- 11
The squatters' house
- 12
A church with the Wall at its back
- 13
Onions on East German land
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
Berlin, before you go
Berlin alternates broad avenues, courtyards and neighbourhoods with lives of their own. Walk each area slowly and use transport between them: several good walks make more sense than one marathon.
More walks nearby
Alexanderplatz and the TV Tower: Legends of East Berlin
You start in front of Marx and Engels, who no longer face the way people say they do, and a Red Town Hall that isn't red because it's communist, and whose chronicle in stone was rebuilt from photographs lent by ordinary Berliners.
Berlin's Jewish Quarter: from Rosenstraße to the New Synagogue
You start in Rosenstraße, where in the winter of 1943 families, mostly women, stood in the street and asked for their husbands and children back.
Good to know
What is Podtour?
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
When can I download the app?
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
Does Podtour include attraction tickets?
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Can I listen without an internet connection?
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
What languages are included?
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
How do I get a whole city for free?
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Can I buy for myself or for a group?
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
How do I share, and when must guests accept?
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
Can I add guests after buying?
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist. When we launch, your chosen city is yours to explore.
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Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
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One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.