Our Office Team

Original Berlin Walks is Berlin's longest-operating walking tour company. Below you'll find our office team that work behind the scenes to make the magic happen out on the streets. You can find out more about our guide team by clicking here.

Lars

CEO/OWNER

I was born and raised in Cologne, West Germany, and moved to Berlin to study Geography and Urban Planning at first the Technical University, and then the Humboldt. I previously worked as the manager of an international hostel chain in both Budapest and London, but Berlin has always been my true home – I’ve spent most of the past twenty years here!

lars profile

CAROLINE

Administration & Customer Service

I grew up near the town of Gera in the former Communist East Germany (although I can't remember much of the GDR). My passion for languages and tourism prompted me to explore other cultures. Having learned French in a small village in the Pyrenees, I later decided to perfect my English by pursuing my Master's degree in tourism in Birmingham in the UK. After my studies I worked in the tourism industry in Hamburg for five years, but was drawn to Berlin for its cultural diversity and vibrancy.

Caroline

JONNY

Tour Content & Guide Liasion

I was raised in a small village in Nottinghamshire, England, named Farnsfield. At the age of 18 I left Nottinghamshire for the sunny skies of Newcastle in the North East, where I studied politics and sociology, with a focus on European politics. Germany cropped up a few times during my degree, who'd have throught? As part of my studies I had the fortune of spending half a year in Copenhagen, and that’s what really gave me the buzz for living abroad.

I moved over to Berlin in 2010 after falling in love with the city as a tourist. I originally planned to be here for just a quick 6 months, and have now been here for years! The longer I stay in Berlin, the more fascinating I find it. As a tour guide I get to not only continually discover new things about the city’s past present, but share it with people from all over the world.

Alex

Partnership and Customer Service Manager

Originally coming from New York, but growing up and studying my BA in North Carolina, Germany only became relevant to me after I arbitrarily chose to study German along with my History degree. After completing an exchange program in Tübingen in 2008 to 2009, I returned to the US to finish my BA and was soon thereafter offered an internship in Berlin. I intuitively took this chance in 2010. Upon moving to Berlin, I realized very quickly that I would not be leaving any time soon. After two years of indulging in the varied tastes of the city, I began working as a city guide and on my Masters in Global History at Freie and Humboldt Universities. Having found a passion in tourism I also began in 2015 to work as a Tour Director, organizing and accompanying mainly US high school students during their multi-city European excursion. My education and work as a guide across Germany and Europe has connected all my interests and continues to peak my curiosity. With many years of tourism experience, I feel as if I found my professional niche and I’ve now brought this with me to the Berlin Walks team.

Alex Backend