WahlheYmatPost — Understand How To Berlin

Weekly guide for Berlin’s international community

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WahlheYmatPost

  • From Kyiv to Berlin: War Changed His Path, but Not His Dream

    From Kyiv to Berlin: War Changed His Path, but Not His Dream

    At 15, Oleksandr Drevytskyi left Kyiv with his mother and their dog Ozzy after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In Berlin, he found himself navigating a new language, a new school system and an uncertain future. Four years later, he is studying mathematics at Humboldt University – and helping other Ukrainians find their own way through the city.
  • The Berlin Election Is Over – The Work Begins

    The Berlin Election Is Over – The Work Begins

    Berlin has voted – but for WahlheYmat, the bigger question is what happens next. We look at three takeaways from the election and outline two priorities for the years ahead: bringing international Berliners’ interests onto the political agenda and building a stronger coalition for civic participation.
  • Strangers by the Spree: Inside Berlin’s Outdoor Latin Dance Community

    Strangers by the Spree: Inside Berlin’s Outdoor Latin Dance Community

    Just a few hundred metres from Berlin Central Station, strangers meet by the Spree to dance salsa and bachata together. Drawing on her own experience of joining the crowd, Borbála Hanna Dévai explores how Berlin’s outdoor Latin dance scene brings together people of different ages, backgrounds and professions.
  • StimmlosTrend 2026: 96 Percent Would Vote If They Could

    StimmlosTrend 2026: 96 Percent Would Vote If They Could

    The final results of WahlheYmat’s StimmlosTrend are in. They show a striking willingness to participate among international Berliners without voting rights – but also widespread concern about the city’s future and a strong sense of having little influence over it.
  • Who Will Lead Germany Into Its International Future?

    Who Will Lead Germany Into Its International Future?

    Germany is becoming more international, while its political structures remain rooted in the nation-state. What can Charles de Gaulle’s extraordinary story teach us about leadership, persistence and the courage to rethink the status quo?
  • A Mayor Tandem for Berlin

    A Mayor Tandem for Berlin

    What if Berlin’s nearly one million residents without a vote had their own representative at the very top of the city? A second mayor, working alongside the elected Regierende Bürgermeister, could give international Berliners a visible voice in how the city is shaped. A radical idea? Perhaps. But in a city where roughly one in four residents cannot vote in state elections, it may be time to rethink what political representation can look like.
  • No German Passport? You May Still Have a Vote in Berlin 

    No German Passport? You May Still Have a Vote in Berlin 

    Around 240,000 non-German EU citizens are eligible to vote in Berlin’s district elections on September 20. A new series of multilingual events aims to explain how the election works – and how EU citizens can help shape the neighbourhoods they call home.
  • “Berlin taught me to dislike the word integration” 

    “Berlin taught me to dislike the word integration” 

    Berlin was the city that changed everything for Marilena Chatziantoniou. After more than two decades working in humanitarian aid around the world, she founded Just-Go-For-It to help people recognise opportunities rather than obstacles. In this interview, she explains why she rejects the word “integration”, why community matters more than bureaucracy, and why she believes participation is something we choose every single day.
  • What is Germany’s greatest asset?

    What is Germany’s greatest asset?

    Germany doesn’t need to become more German. It needs to become better at turning its greatest asset—its reputation as an open, reliable, and innovative country—into a magnet for people and ideas from around the world.
  • Migrants With Degrees Are Not What Germany Is Looking For

    Migrants With Degrees Are Not What Germany Is Looking For

    As state-funded German courses become harder to access, many migrants are left trapped between limited language skills and low-income jobs. At the Lohana Berkins Center in Berlin, Darío Farcy and his team are trying to break this cycle through free education, solidarity, and community organizing inspired by Latin American grassroots movements.
  • Two birthdays, one dream for Berlin

    Two birthdays, one dream for Berlin

    This week gives us two reasons to celebrate: WahlheYmat turns three and WahlheYmatPost turns one. But just days before Berlin votes, our birthdays are also a moment to remember why we started – and what kind of city we want Berlin to become.
  • Berlin Wiki: Election Day – From Casting Your Vote to the Results 

    Berlin Wiki: Election Day – From Casting Your Vote to the Results 

    What happens when you enter a polling station – and what happens once the polls close? In the final part of our Berlin Wiki series, we explain how to cast your vote correctly, how election results are determined and how Berlin’s House of Representatives election works.
  • Berlin Wiki: How Do You Decide Who to Vote For? 

    Berlin Wiki: How Do You Decide Who to Vote For? 

    In the next chapter of our Berlin Wiki series, we focus on how voters make up their minds. From party manifestos and the Wahl-O-Mat to personal priorities, media and conversations with others, we look at what can help people make an informed choice – and why participating in elections matters.
  • Berlin Wiki: What Are the Key Issues in Berlin’s Election?

    Berlin Wiki: What Are the Key Issues in Berlin’s Election?

    Housing, transport and education directly affect everyday life in Berlin – and they are among the central issues of the election campaign. In this part of our Berlin Wiki series, we look at the challenges facing the city and how the major parties differ in their proposed solutions.
  • Berlin Wiki: Equal Access to Democracy

    Berlin Wiki: Equal Access to Democracy

    In the next part of our Berlin Wiki series, we look at who can participate in elections and under what conditions. What has changed since Berlin lowered the voting age to 16? How can elections be made accessible to people with disabilities, and what does equal opportunity mean when it comes to voting?
  • Berlin Wiki: Ways to Influence Politics in Berlin

    Berlin Wiki: Ways to Influence Politics in Berlin

    Elections aren’t the only way Berliners can influence political decisions. Volksbegehren, Volksentscheide and Bürgerinitiativen offer different ways to put issues on the political agenda and push for change. In this edition of our Berlin Wiki series, we explain how these forms of participation work – and who can take part.

Diverse voices tell the complete truth.

WahlheYmatPost — Understand How To Berlin

Weekly guide for Berlin’s international community

Quick stories, local events, and ways to take part, right in your inbox — made with Berliner Morgenpost.

Your data matters to us — see our privacy policy.

This is a cooperation with Berliner Morgenpost. You can subscribe to their newsletters here.

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