Ian Coyne

Biography

Tour Director Ian Coyne is an expert tour leader with a long-held passion for 20th century European history. A highly engaging storyteller, he strives to inform, enthuse and entertain those who join his tours by both sharing his detailed knowledge, and the array of personal stories he has gathered over 25 years dedicated to designing and leading tours.

A German speaker, Ian’s 20-year career in the Civil Service saw postings to various European cities, including Berlin, which, at the time, had just become the capital of a reunified Germany. Having worked as a guide in Berlin since 2001, Ian has watched the transformation of the city and witnessed how modern Germany’s culture of remembrance uses monuments, education and public debate to ensure the past is never forgotten. He has held a licence to guide at the Sachsenhausen Memorial since 2019.

In addition, Ian has been guiding and managing tours to the Western Front since 1998. In 2014, to commemorate the Centenary of the start of the First World War, he was part of a small group of expert guides and historians who cycled the Western Front, from the Belgian Coast to the Swiss Border.

With his experience, knowledge and connections with a wide variety of experts, Ian looks forward to working with ACE to design and lead several new 20th century history departures, covering not just the events themselves but also the social history, literature and other creative aspects of these dynamic, turbulent times.