The last time I visited Berlin, I was traveling with my parents, who are, well, not really fun. There’s nothing wrong with traveling comfortably and hitting all the tourist spots, but personally, I wished I would’ve explored more to see the real Berlin. Don’t get me wrong. I think it is incredibly important to see all of the historical monuments and locations, especially in a place so rich with it. But, since I had already seen all of it, this time around I opted for discovering the Berlin of today.

Luckily, there’s a free alternative tour around Berlin daily. They basically take you through all the hip neighborhoods, give you a brief history of Berlin post-World War II, and teach you a little about street art and its impact on the community. Obviously, I’m not an expert on Berlin history, but I did learn a lot while I was there. So sit down because I’m about to give you the shortest history lesson of Berlin post-World War II.

Back when the Berlin wall was still up, dividing West Berlin and East Berlin, many people moved out of Berlin and as far away from East Berlin as they could. However, the government badly wanted people to remain and live by the wall, regardless of how dangerous it seemed. So, they lifted the mandatory military draft for the people who resided by the wall. This, in turn, brought people who were strongly anti-war to move by the wall. Those people, as one could believe, were people of the arts. They were poets, musicians, artists, and basically a bunch of hippies. There was an obvious stark contrast from one side of the wall to the other. On the west side you had people spray painting the town and filling it with music. On the east side you had men in military outfits, sporting their guns and walking in single file. So, why is this important? Well, you can imagine that Berlin was reborn after World War II into this alternative, steam-punk, anti-capitalist, anti-war city. Even walking throughout the city, you’ll find remnants of the war expertly and artistically covered over with vibrant colors and politically aggressive statements. Some bars even avoid selling beverages like Coca Cola because it implies falling victim to the “Big Man.”

It’s always interesting to see how a city handles it’s own atrocious history. Some cities cave and lose themselves in their dark past. Some cities commercialize it and find a way to make it positively impact their failing economy. Other cities, like Berlin, completely oppose their past and do everything they can to be the anti-thesis of who they once were. Honestly, I loved it. Berlin has become one of my favorite cities on this planet.