History Flakes - The Berlin History Podcast
Explore the history of one of the world’s most captivating cities with "History Flakes - The Berlin History Podcast." Your hosts, seasoned tour guides Pip Roper and Jonny Whitlam, take you through the highs and low-lows of Berlin's past, exploring events, lives and stories from Berlin's past.
From the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall to the artistic renaissance of the Weimar Republic and the dark days of the Nazi dictatorship, each episode is a blend of history, stories from the tour guide streets, and a dash of humour. Whether you’re a history buff, a lover of Berlin, or simply curious about the forces that shaped modern Europe, join Pip and Jonny as they peel back the layers of Berlin's history. Discover the heroes, villains, revolutions, and evolutions that have defined this iconic city.
Welcome to History Flakes!
Episodes
26 episodes
S3E1: Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, part I
Spring 2025 marks the 80th Anniversary of the end of World War II. We're kicking off this season, focused on WWII, by discussing Ravensbrück concentration camp, the only camp purpose built for women under the Nazi regime. <...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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1:06:40
S2E11: Berlin: The Early Days with History of the Germans
Dearest Listener! Please enjoy this very special bonus episode! We welcome Dirk Hoffmann-Becking, from The History of the Germans Podcast. If there’s something this man doesn’t know about the Wittelsbachs, I sure as hell don’t w...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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1:10:07
Special Announcement - Women's Day Tour, 11:00, Sat Mar 8
‼️👉 Click here to sign up! 👈‼️Link not working? Look up “Pay What You Want Tour - Inter...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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0:42
S2E9: Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker...Josi Bakes as we've taken to calling her, respectfully. Fizzing with energy, talent, and pure GUMPTION. The only African American woman to be inducted in the Pantheon of France. Her story takes us from the poverty and violence...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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1:03:26
S2E8: Stella Goldschlag with Matti Geyer
Join us for a discussion with Berlin tour guiding legend Matti Geyer, as we tackle the sad, mad and certainly very bad Stella Goldschlag. Born and raised to a secular Jewish Berlin family, she would take advantage of her ability to pass as 'ary...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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54:29
S2E7: Stalinallee & Karl-Marx-Allee
How to build a new countryStep 1: No, not like that!Step 2: Stalin, do you like your birthday present?Step 3: We must make Stalin a nice birthday present, this time while singing a catchy song.Step 4: Oh, Stal...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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57:46
S2E6: Angela Davis
What happened when civil rights activist, one-time FBI’s most wanted, scourge of J Edgar Hoover, Angela Davis met the GDR? A lot actually. Want to find out? Join us as we dive into Angela’s early years and into her eventful 20s, growing up surr...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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47:25
S2E5: 2024 Christmas Special with Berlin Companion
And what a special it is! We're joined by the Berlin Companion herself, Beata Gontarczyk-Krampe, author of the wonderful Berlin Companion blog. Beata's deep dives into Berlin history most peopl...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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53:51
S2 E4: Frederick the Great
What makes a king “Great”? In this episode, we follow up on our exploration of Frederick’s intense and domineering father, the Soldier King, to uncover what shaped Frederick into a true Renaissance man. With secret lessons in music and literatu...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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1:01:43
S2 E3: The Soldier King
THIS guy...This. Guy.Meet Friedrich Wilhelm II. The Soldier King. Father of Friedrich the Great, second ever King of Prussia. He's a fighter not a lover, unless you're over 6 foot, in which case watch out, he might love you so hard you'...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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1:02:57
S2 E2: The East German Coffee Crisis
Wanna have a coffee? Well, I hope you're not an East German in the '70s & '80s, 'cos it's gonna be tough (and taste like wood).On this episode of History Flakes Pip & Jonny dive deep into the lukewarm cup of coffee that is East ...
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44:38
Special Episode - Tour of Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde
Come enjoy an atmospheric walk around a cemetery bursting with history! Let's explore the Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde in this beautiful, golden Autumn together.Listen at home, or follow along with a blog post, map, and photos - you ...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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1:21:47
S2 E1: Nosferatu and F.W. Murnau
Dear Listener, Come closer to the fire, pull your shawl a little tighter about your shoulders...pay no attention to the pale looking figure staring longingly at your neck from the shadows. It is our great pleasure to kick off Hi...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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51:06
Episode 13: History Flakes Live! Max Schmeling
Let's dive into the wild and bruising life of Germany’s best-known pugilist, Max Schmeling—the man who went from Weimar wonder to darling of Nazi propaganda, and somehow managed to emerge in post-WWII West Germany with an intact reputation....
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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30:11
Episode 12: History Flakes Live! Anita Berber
Anita Berber, pioneering dance performer extraordinaire, or violent thieving drug-addled lunatic? Why not both!?Join us during our first live recording as we talk about the life and times of Anita Berber, the ultimate performance wunder...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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31:09
Episode 11: Markus Wolf, Stasi Foreign Intelligence Chief - Part Two
Finally, the most important part of any super spy’s career… Le Sex. Markus Wolf continues to prove himself second to none in spy mastery. We hear about his highs and lows…but mostly highs because he wrote the book on himself which we’re using a...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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1:08:52
Episode 10: Markus Wolf, Stasi Foreign Intelligence Chief - Part One
Who’s the greatest spy that ever spied and love machine spreading Communism throughout the world? WOLF!Markus Wolf that is. Join us as we discuss the early days of the elusive and seductive spy master of East Germany. Born in Germany, r...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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48:38
Episode 9: Tempelhofer Feld
Where can you find a former air field, military parading ground, amusement park, Turkish cemetery, concentration camp and kite surfer’s paradise?! Not all at the same time, it’s Tempelhofer Feld of course!!!We’re going through the histo...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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49:54
Episode 8: Ruhleben Football Association
Are you enjoying the Football? Or do you feel like it’s very much happening at you?! Either way, enjoy the latest episode of History Flakes! How else would you know that there was an English Football league in Berlin during WWI? Crazy!F...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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39:32
Episode 7: Broadcasting to the Enemy in WWII
This episode is a 3 in 1! We talk about 3 distinct characters broadcasting to enemy soldiers during WW2. William Joyce, aka Lord Haw Haw, a seemingly confused Irishman with a pretty serious alcohol problem. Mildred Gillers, aka Axis Sally, a fa...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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39:16
Episode 6: Law & Justice in Nazi Germany (Part 2)
Ok, let’s see how this guy ends. In part 2 of our episode on Law and Justice in Nazi Germany we talk about some of the big legal events which make life increasingly difficult for those categorised 'undesirable' by the Nazi regime and sees Rolan...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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48:52
Episode 5: Law & Justice in Nazi Germany Part 1: Establishing the Dictatorship
Strap in nerds. In the first episode of our first two-parter, we use the career of Roland Freisler to track some of the huge legal changes that would secure the dictatorship of the Third Reich. We get up to 1934 here, where the Nazis are on the...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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52:22
Episode 4: All That Jazz in Berlin
This episode we'll be talking about Jazz's reception in Berlin and Germany more broadly, from its early arrival in the 20s to the Third Reich's attempts to stamp it out. Minister for Propaganada and Enlightenment Joseph Goebbels has a plan to m...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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48:05
Episode 3: S-Bahn Murderer
Just weeks before the beginning of the Second World War, a dark spectre begins to stalk a particular section of the S-Bahn train line in Berlin. The press under Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels is loathe to publish news of anything but ...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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58:39