Jürgen Schmitt

I have lived near the Hackesche Höfe for many years, and I still enjoy walking people through its linked courtyards, each with its own Art Nouveau tiling and its own mix of shops and small venues. On camera I move slowly between the courtyards before continuing into the Scheunenviertel, once the centre of Jewish life in the city, pointing out a few of the small brass memorial stones set into the pavement along the way. I keep a warm, unhurried pace and welcome questions about the district's history through several very different periods. Video suits the courtyards well, since the tiling and ironwork reward a close, steady look.