Which is a better city for a young person, Wroclaw or Berlin?

Which is a better city for a young person, Wroclaw or Berlin?

• I am thinking of moving to either Berlin or Wroclaw for a job for 2 years. I am in my early twenties. I want to go somewhere fun, with culture. Some things to know about me are: I am an American, I am Jewish, I have a warm animated personality and would like reception to those things. Any advice would be helpful. Also, how easy is it to make friends in one or both of these places?

• Answer:

  Berlin has a larger population your age and more opportunities for culture, it's a vibrant city. Wroclaw has more old-world charm as it wasn't completely destroyed after World War II. You'll find that neither Poles nor Germans are as open to smiling at every customer as Americans are - many do, but it's not universal. You shouldn't have much trouble making friends in either city, Berlin is a large university city and Wroclaw has a good student population as well, both are regional hubs (Berlin more-so, Warsaw would be a better Polish city for an experience similar to Berlin, Wroclaw, along with Krakow and Gdansk, are second tier cities). Being Jewish wouldn't make any difference in either locale, nor would being American. Being open to drinking with strangers makes a huge difference though and is a norm in Central Europe. Then again, it's a bit of a norm in the US too. In any case, you'd have a good experience in either city. For fun and culture and a large population of ex-pat Americans and out-of-towners looking to make friends (and a good community for support), I'd go with Berlin. Although it's hard to say no to living in Wroclaw :)