Jacob van Hoof
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Hi, thank you for checking my profile! I am Jacob - a poet, writer, history buff, a Cold War and GDR aficionado, Bowie fanatic, storyteller, and tour guide. In my work as a tour guide I feel genuinely privileged to be able to share my untiring love for and ever-expanding fascination with Berlin with people from all over the world. Every tour is personal to me, so expect an honest, engaged, and authentic approach when you let me show you around the city.
So, how did I end up here, in this city, doing this work? Ever since I saw the Wall come down on television as a child, something about Berlin, its history, and the drama of the Cold War captured my imagination and sparked a lifelong fascination. Years later, when I first visited Berlin to see Depeche Mode in concert, everything fell into place: my fascination with (Cold War) history, my love of music, literature, art and architecture as well as my obsession with the greatest artist of them all: David Bowie.
After years of coming back to Berlin and wandering through this city’s unique urban landscape, exploring, studying and reading about its vast and layered history, I have come to know Berlin and its stories deeply. Now that I have settled here, I have turned that knowledge into my profession.
What do I have to offer? Today I guide for Berlin on Bike and lead the Bowie Berlin Walk on behalf of Berlin Music Tours, the only tour operator officially affiliated with the legendary Hansa Studios. I also run my own touring business, Handlebars & History, through which I offer personal and in-depth walking and cycling tours (I am Dutch, after all) through Berlin, centred on themes including the Cold War and the Berlin Wall, David Bowie in West Berlin, football, architecture, and music. Please visit www.handlebarsandhistory.com to explore my tours and get to know me a little better - I would be delighted to meet you and show you around.
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Music of Berlin
Art & Museums
Berlin Football Culture
