A local's guide to Germany

Five years ago, Karolina Rosina and Nils Kraiczy founded The Gentle Temper, an independent Berlin-based publishing house that produces books on travel, culture, and design. Each of her bestselling Take Me To The Lakes series of regional travel guides spotlights Germany's most beautiful lakes, cherry-picked for their natural surroundings and pristine water.

This interview is part of The World Made Local, a global collaboration between the seven international editions of Condé Nast Traveller in which 100 people in 100 countries tell us why their home turf should be your next destination.

What are your top new addresses in Berlin?

Meditation and mindfulness are vital in my everyday life, so I am particularly excited about Ohia meditation studio, opening in Mitte in September 2021. It is a sanctuary of serenity founded by Maggy Schellong and Elisa Gassner, a duo who have spent the past few years scouting the best practitioners and designing every last detail of the space with the utmost care. Their offering will include guided meditation sessions, sound baths, breathwork, yoga and more. To savour the flavours of Apulian delicacies, I recommend Fresko, which recently opened in Mitte. This speciality food shop is run by Eva and Kappa, the team behind Bar Milano, a well-established institution for aperitifs in the same neighbourhood.

Where are your favourite places to get in the water?

North of Berlin, the Schorfheide and Uckermark regions are particularly breathtaking with their overgrown forests and abundance of crystal-clear lakes — the Uckermark is known as ‘the Hamptons of Berlin.’ Not far from Hamburg, Weststrand is one of the Baltic Sea's most beautiful beaches, tucked away at the heart of a nature reserve. In Leipzig, I am particularly fond of all the former quarries. Their surroundings offer a unique sense of adventure and the waters usually stay pretty cool, even in the height of summer. Meanwhile, Wagenbrüchsee and Sylvensteinspeicher are among my favourites near Munich. Their turquoise basins and panoramic mountain backdrops beckon you in for a swim. If you're based in Cologne or Düsseldorf, I recommend exploring the countless dams that characterise the Eifel region. It is also worth visiting the Rhine Valley's quarries and reservoirs. Rursee, for example, is a sensational lake surrounded by a pristine forest.

What’s new around the lakes?

INSL is a delightful address situated on a small island in Brandenburg's Untersee near Kyritz. To reach the island, you hop on a little ferry. You can easily spend the entire day relaxing, dining, and boating here. Other tips outside of Berlin include the upscale Alte Überfahrt on the island Werder close to Potsdam. Grab a table for breathtaking views of the lake and the surrounding forests. Gut Klostermühle is a wonderful Ayurvedic spa and stately manor hotel located directly on Madlitzer See's shoreline, a one-and-a-half hour drive from Berlin. With its saunas, outdoor pool and massages, this is a fabulous place for pampering. You can walk through the forest and around the lake in 45 minutes; the atmosphere is always calm and relaxing.

Are there any great German go-to swimwear brands for a trip to the lakes?

This summer I fell in love with Oy Surf, a relatively new swimwear brand that uses innovative fabrics as well as recycled yarn from all across Europe. Its pieces are produced in Portugal and designed in Zurich and Berlin.

What else is exciting you about Germany right now?

I find it especially exciting that younger people in particular are more eager to explore their local regions. While the pandemic definitely played into this trend, we had already begun observing this behavioural shift. The result is a new dynamism in areas that had become somewhat ‘dusty.’ When urban dwellers retreat to the countryside, they often bring new energy to a region. Thus, many small restaurants, places to stay, and shops focusing on design and sustainability are emerging.

What’s next for The Gentle Temper?

During autumn 2021, to celebrate our fifth anniversary, we are launching a pan-regional lake atlas featuring the most beautiful lakes and selected getaways at the water's edge. A Bicycle Edition and Frankfurt Edition are also both in the works, and we’re in the early stages of devising editions for Northern Portugal, Southern Sweden and Austria, and Switzerland. We also have some exciting collaborations in the pipeline: we're teaming up with German ceramicist Viola Beuscher, who is designing a candle for us that reflects our Lakes and Weekender Editions, and we’ve developed a yearly planner with graphic designer Julie Joliat that encourages people to adopt more sustainable practices.