After decades of reorganization and reconstruction, Berlin has emerged as a hip European capital and tourist destination. Berliner Luft, a book by photographers Benjamin Tafel and Dennis Orel, celebrates some of the city’s less obvious delights. It spotlights destinations tucked away in faraway neighborhoods, behind unmarked doors, and open only late at night.

     Divided politically, culturally, and physically after World War II, Berlin was a potent symbol of both cold war anxiety and postwar recovery. After reunification in 1989, and before the international economic collapse in 2008, the city offered plentiful housing stock and affordable rents. This, as well as the slightly romantic, run-down spirit of the place, drew creative types from around the world. So, at the same time that Germany was becoming part of the European Union, Berlin was distinguishing itself as a global center for art, fashion, design, and food. The city which had, before reunification, inspired musicians like David Bowie and U2, gave rise to a mecca-like club scene and became a playground for international DJ’s. The city’s oldest airport, Tempelhof, which was designed as a stage set for the Third Reich, was closed to air traffic in 2008 and has been happily, if controversially, repurposed for skateboarding, fashion shows, and music festivals.