does is happen often that strangers take pictures of you? What to do?

honestly, this isn't normal in berlin in the sense that it's something you should just accept. legally, the situation is a bit murky - you're allowed to photograph public spaces, but taking pictures specifically targeting a person without consent can fall under harassment or violate their right to their own image, especially if it's done in a way that feels intrusive. the guy near gneisenaustraße sounds like he was being a creep, not a street photographer.

next time, you can absolutely say something. a loud "was machst du da?" or "ey, lösch das foto" usually gets their attention and might make them think twice. most people doing this rely on you staying quiet. if they argue about it being legal, just say it makes you uncomfortable and you want them to stop - you don't have to be a legal expert to set a boundary. the ku'damm guy waiting for you to cross is definitely crossing a line, that's stalking-adjacent behavior.

it's happened to me a few times near hermannplatz, usually older guys with big lenses. i usually just stare back and ask if they want my autograph, which is petty but makes them feel awkward. you could also take out your own phone and take a picture of them, that tends to kill the fun real quick. but honestly, trust your gut - if it feels weird, it prob is.

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This has happened to me twice near Warschauer and once at Nollendorfplatz. The legal situation is that you have a right to your own image under the Kunsturhebergesetz, so a random person can't just publish or commercially use your photo without permission. But taking it in public is technically allowed if it's part of a general street scene, not specifically targeting you. The problem is these guys know the gray area and exploit it.

I think the best thing you can do is make a scene. Say "Entweder du löschst das jetzt oder ich ruf die Polizei" loud enough that other people turn around. Even if the cops wouldn't do much, the threat usually works because they don't want witnesses. The guy on Gneisenaustraße sounds like he was testing your reaction, so giving none just confirms he can do it again to someone else.

For what it's worth, carrying a small notebook and writing down the time and a description of them helps. Even if you don't call the police, having that info makes you feel less powerless. I started doing this after a similar situation at Kottbusser Tor and it helped me feel like I had some control back.

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yeah that's super weird and not normal at all, even for berlin. i'd say next time just call it out loud, like "ey, foto löschen" or "was soll das?" - most of these creeps bank on you staying quiet. also if they're using actual cameras not phones, that's even creepier tbh, feels more planned out

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Worth noting that Berlin street names have official umlaut and ß rules that trip people up, so a sign showing "Strasse" versus "Straße" is not actually a spelling error, just an older transcription. Same with "ue" versus "ü" (e.g. "Kantstrasse" vs "Kantstraße"), both are considered valid renderings and you'll see the ß version on the blue Schilder and the ss version on older plaques or in databases that predate Unicode. If the difference you're seeing is between those two forms, there's nothing to fix and both are technically correct.

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if the signs u mean are the old enamel ones on the house facades those are often protected as Baudenkmal so nobody's allowed to correct them even if the spelling is outdated. the binding version is whatever is in the Berliner Strassenverzeichnis plus the entry in the Liegenschaftskataster, so if u tell me the street i can point u to the right Bezirksamt Mitte or Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf page. tbh the merged district thing is real but the facade signs are a separate story, theyre basically museum pieces at this point

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honestly thats super common in Charlottenburg, the district offices were merged from older Bezirke and nobody ever fixed all the Schilder. if its a real street you can check the official strassenverzeichnis on berlin.de, that list is what the Burgeramt actually goes by. which street is it? some of the Kaiserdamm / Kantstrasse signs are notorious for this.

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