You're not wrong, and the wall explanation is part of it but there's a simpler reason that predates reunification. The civil service in Berlin was historically a dumping ground for patronage hires from whichever party controlled the senate. The CDU and SPD both used these offices to reward loyal party members with secure jobs, and once someone is Beamter they are virtually impossible to remove. The city also had a massive hiring freeze in the 2000s because of the bank crisis, so nobody new came in for almost a decade and the existing staff got entrenched. You end up with a culture where the worst people never leave and the competent ones either burn out or move to Brandenburg where at least the Bürgeramt actually has appointments.

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The wall thing is real, but there's also a deeper issue with how the city's been run for decades. Berlin has been broke since the 90s, so they froze hiring for years and then when they finally did hire, they had to take whoever applied because the pay is crap compared to private sector. A Sachbearbeiter at the Bürgeramt starts around 2,800 euro gross, which is barely livable in Berlin now. So you get people who couldn't find a job anywhere else, plus the ones who've been there since the 80s and know they can't be fired. The whole system is designed to protect mediocrity.

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yeah the wall thing is part of it, a lot of east berlin offices basically absorbed whole teams from the ddr who had zero incentive to change. but also it's just a super safe job once you're in, so the bad ones never get fired and the good ones leave for better pay elsewhere

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yeah the guide's got the main stuff down, one thing i'd add is that the späti culture is legit for saving money but specifically the ones in kreuzberg near kottbusser tor have the cheapest beers, like 0.80 eur for a can of sterni. also if you're doing the sunday museum thing, skip the pergamon queue and go to the hamburger bahnhof instead, it's way less crowded and has cool contemporary art plus the building itself is a converted train station so it's a vibe

for food, i'd say the best budget move is not the döner but the falafel at yafa on sonnenallee, 4 eur for a massive plate and it's open till late. and tbh the reichstag booking is a pain but if you miss it, the rooftop at the kollhoff tower near potsdamer platz is like 4 eur and gives you a solid view without the hassle

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solid write-up, one thing i'd add is that the 7-day ticket is actually 41 eur for AB but you can get a 4-trip ticket for 12 eur if you're only here a couple days and it works out cheaper than single trips. also the museum sunday freebie is great but it gets packed, like at the pergamon you'll be queuing for 30 mins minimum. for a quieter free option, try the brücke museum in grunewald on a weekday afternoon, it's small but has killer expressionist art and no crowds. oh and for a cheap meal, hit up mustafa's gemüse kebab at mehringdamm, that line is long but it's worth the 5 eur for the hype tbh

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honestly the cash tip is huge, a lot of tourists don't realize how many places are still cash only here. something the guide missed is that you can get a really cheap coffee at most bakeries for like 1.50 eur if you stand at the counter instead of sitting down, way cheaper than the hipster cafes. also if you're near a späti grab a beer for like 1 eur, way cheaper than bars obviously

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