Berlin has long been the best place for naturists in Europe, and those wanting to wear the bare minimum for the summer are really spoilt for choice.
One of the most popular spots is a small beach on Wannsee, a lake in the south of the city surrounded by forest, where you can be sure to find a cluster of adults, children, locals and tourists swimming into the vast green lake.
There are also a few restaurants hidden in the woods and a long walk around the lake. Naturism is nothing unusual in Berlin, from the parks to public swimming pools and, as this is a public space, clothing is of course optional.
The city has never had trouble attracting digital workers. First they came from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, but more recently also from countries such as Spain, Italy, France and the U.K.
Because of its isolation during the Cold War and the fact that West Berliners were exempted from the military draft, the city has long been a magnet for artists and counter-culture types. It’s a cheap place to live and work (though less so), and offers a vibrant nightlife for young techies.
Ah, I was at the Berlinische Galerie the other day, and they had photos of the construction of the TV tower back in the sixties. Pretty impressive! Worth a look if you're in the city.
Yet against all expectations, Berlin — once the epitome of a divided Germany —
has become a city beloved by the young, a chaotic, sprawling crucible for the creative and a magnet for millions of visitors.
Today, Berlin is one of the world’s greatest hedonistic playgrounds. The crown jewel of its nightclubs is the techno temple Berghain, which began in the 1990s as a fetish party. But on any given night in Schöneberg, and across the city, a smorgasbord of sexual theme parties take place, and dress codes abound, from latex to leather to nothing at all. The Wednesday that I met Lindinger, an alternative monthly listed a dozen such events taking place on that night alone. “Berlin is outstanding as a city of sex,” Lindinger said.