By Michael Behrendt and Oliver Ohmann
Barack Obama is back in the capital! Mr. President Barack Obama (61) has been in the city since Tuesday and resides in the Hotel Adlon, next to the US Embassy and the Brandenburg Gate.
The former US President (reigned from 2009 to 2017) will appear in the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Event motto: “An Evening with President Barack Obama”. In an interview with moderator Klaas Heufer-Umlauf (39), he talks about “great challenges and opportunities of our time”.
Tickets are still available – and quite a few – but expensive: from 105 to 607 euros in the VIP area!
President cool: Because it was so hot in Berlin in June 2013, Barack Obama took off his jacket before his speech at the Brandenburg Gate Photo: AP
Before Berlin, the ex-president of the United States was in Zurich and Amsterdam. Obama is being guarded by the police, the SEK and the US Secret Service on what is already his fifth visit to Berlin.
The performance in the hall begins at 8 p.m. and lasts around 60 minutes. Tickets were available in advance from 83 euros.
The amount of Obama’s fee, which is intended to benefit his foundation, is secret. After spending the night in the Adlon, Obama flies back to the USA on Thursday morning.
Charming candidate: In 2008, Obama took a porcelain bear to the States as a gift from Governor Wowereit Photo: AP
Obama and Berlin – that was love at first sight 15 years ago. On July 25, 2008, more than 200,000 Berliners flocked to the Victory Column. The US Senator gave a big speech at the Großer Stern in the Tiergarten.
At that time he was only the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2008 election campaign. Above all, however, he was a beacon of hope and his slogan “Yes, we can!” was on everyone’s lips. He was greeted and celebrated like a rock star at his first appearance in Berlin.
As President, he spoke in front of the Brandenburg Gate on June 18, 2013, and in November 2016 he returned to the capital for a farewell visit. The following year he came right back to the Kirchentag and most recently in April 2019 to attend the European School of Management and Technology.
Welcome back to Berlin, Mr President!