Handpicked Berlin

Your weekly Berlin briefing. The whole week in one read: the news, the context, and what's worth your time.
Curated by Igor Ranc.

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Newsletter issues

Nov 2, 2026

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6 min read

#218: is trash making Berlin populist?

Berlin's trash problem, Spiegel's Eralp notes and Deutsche Bahn's fewer-trains plan.

Oct 26, 2026

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8 min read

#217: where are all the flats?

Berlin's flats and new Airbnb rules, fake meetings and KiezScore.

Oct 19, 2026

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7 min read

#216: do you go to smoking bars?

Ashtrays, Knast and contactless: smoking bars, a prison hotel and BVG's card-only future.

Oct 12, 2026

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7 min read

#215: who says investors are killing?

A €2.5B terminal, a tunnel nobody can staff and beavers that need their own tunnel.

Oct 5, 2026

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6 min read

#214: how broke is Berlin?

Poor but sexy, the sequel: Europe's best club, a €5B budget hole and a pricier Deutschlandticket.

Sep 28, 2026

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7 min read

#213: who will govern Berlin?

42 kilometres later, and I am glad it’s over: the hardest part was probably carb loading.

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