Cover

Inhalt

Preface

The gay capital city – capital of the gays

The (gay) history of Berlin

Reasons to come to Berlin: Sex, Fetisch, Party and Nightlife

Trade Fairs and Events

Art, Culture, Sight-Seeing

Stage, Opera, Shows

Shopping

Beauty, Sport and Wellness

Hotspots in Berlin

Schöneberg: Map

Schöneberg: Complex laws and cheap beer

Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg: Map

Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg: Cute boys and sharp tongues

Friedrichshain: Map

Friedrichshain: Vice, lurex and zest

Kreuzberg 61: A canteen with view, a bar with Barbies

Kreuzberg 36: Integration with pop, techno and belly dancing

Neukölln: Last but not least

General infos

Hotels in Berlin

Out and about in the city

Public transport map

Imprint

Preface

Since 1981 our gay guide “Berlin von hinten” has enjoyed immense popularity in the gay scene. Since the beginning our guide has more and more international readers. Berlin is becoming more international and attracts young people from around the world. To adapt to this trend, we have come up with a new title. The new name is the Spartacus Berlin Gay Guide.

Your guide is divided into 4 parts. Part 1 provides you with an overview of the meaning of Berlin as a gay metropolis and portrays the gay aspects in the story of Berlin.

In part 2 you will find reasons why you should make a visit to Berlin. In this part you will also find a list of address from businesses and locations that are worth a visit. In part 3, which forms the focal point of our Spartacus Berlin Gay Guide, there are also further useful address lists. Local maps help the reader find his way round this metropolis.

Useful information and the popular vouchers can be found in the 4th part.

All that remains is to wish you fun in using our guide and discovering the Berliner gay scene.

The editorial team of the Spartacus Berlin Gay Guide

The gay capital city – capital of the gays

It is true – Berlin cannot open an airport on time, Berlin is poor (but sexy), Berlin S-Bahn railroads see all seasons as enemies, Berliners grumble about many tourists and the Swabians in the Prenzlauer Berg. However, Berlin also can different. Berlin Gay Guide shows another side of Berlin, the creative Neukölln, the popular Friedrichshain, Kreuzberger party nights and Schöneberg – the gayest district in the whole of Germany. Berlin is young, Berlin is different, Berlin pulsates with life! We show how exciting Berlin is. A city which never sleeps..

Berlin is the gayest of all German cities and internationally it is at the top of the list of important international gay cities. OK, Berlin has more rainy days than Sydney and less glamour than New York, but this city offers things that can only be found here: the longest open air gallary in the world, the largest department store in Europe and the highest building in Germany. Do you need more superlatives? Around 420 galeries for classic, modern and contemporary art make Berlin the largest collection of galleries in Europe and soon the renovated and restored Museums Island will be the largest museum complex in the world (expected completion 2015). The largest park ground, offering relaxation, is not in Munich but in Berlin at the Tempelhofer Park, the former airport grounds. Here one quickly forgets that Berlin is a meropole.

How many of the 11 million visitors per year to Berlin (increasing annual trend) are actually gay is unknown. It seems, however, at all the important gay events in the city (Teddy Award in February, the CSD Pride Parade in summer or the Folsom Street Fair in autumn) the gay world is in Berlin with gay men from Trier, Trinidad or Australia: the gay world is our guest. This is not surprising as Berlin makes the gay heart beat faster. Not only the world’s only gay museum, but another 180 exciting and bizarre museums. Berlin does not only have an endless selection of nightlife possibilities with its unique selection of pubs.

Berlin is most importantly a tolerant city in which gay men can be themselves. Berlin offers freedom. In Berlin one can breath freely – unless you happen to be in one of the pubs which doesn’t take the new non-smoking law too seriously. There are several examples of these where „live and let live“ applies. Those who do not enjoy the thrills of Berlin – regardless of their special or fallacious nature or desire are beyond help.

This guide in no way represents everything which can be found and done in this city. After all it should be able to fit into your pocket! It is also possible that some of the information was totally up-to-date at the time of creating this guide has changed, then in Berlin change is guaranteed. This guide should awake your desire to visit this fantastic city and assist you with your discoveries.

FACTS & FIGURES

Berlin is big:

Covering an area of 892 km2 / Nine times larger than Paris!

Berlin is international:

3.5 million inhabitants, of which 494.000 have a foreign passport / 185 nationalities live here.

Berlin is mobile:

5.419 km of city streets / 960 bridges (more than Venice!)

Berlin is green:

44 % of the city is made up of parks, forrests, rivers, lakes and waterways / 440.000 streetside trees

Berlin is high:

368 m high TV tower – the highest construction in Germany and one of the tallest in Europe.

Berlin is intelligent:

4 universities, 4 art acadamies and 17 technical colleges and around 160.000 students – making Berlin one of Germany‘s largest university cities

Berlin is attractive:

9 palaces / 180 museums and private collections / 3 opera houses / 150 theatres and stages offering every possible genre

Berlin is fit:

1.900 sport clubs, including football with around 100.000 members, followed by gyms with around 80.000 members

Berlin is delicious:

6.500 restaurants / 546 ice cream parlours and cafés / 2.800 snack bars / 225 bars, pubs, clubs

Berlin is popular:

almost 25 million overnight guests / almost 11 million visitors / avarage stay 2,3 days

Berlin is awake:

number of hours when the city sleeps = 0

Berlin – always worth a visit!

Berlin was and is the most open-minded and tolerant city in Europe while retaining its former charm. As early as the 1920ies this million-inhabitant capital had the wildest nightlife on the European continent.

Today, nearly 100 years later „new Berlin“ once again offers everyone free space whether political, religious, creative, cultural or economic, in this capital everybody is welcome and free to implement and live out his ideas.

After the fall of the wall something new developed in Berlin. Clubs like the “Tresor”, “E Werk” and the “Ostgut” opened their doors in Berlin and became international creative magnets. Today the city offers the unique events, which are only possible here. For example, Folsom Europe – a street party for friends of the fetish world; the dance Olympus for young, world class dancers; the club night; City of Lights or Long Nights of the Museums and a lot more.

However, the best thing about Berlin – the lowest consumer prices. No cosmopolitan city or metropolis in Europe offers such an affordable cost of living. Culture, art and the nightlife are thereby affordable for everyone. Public transport runs practically round-the-clock at an affordable price allowing one to visit the many events which take place in Berlin.

Alain Rappsilber

Alain Rappsilber: Board of directors Folsom Europe e.V.

The (gay) history of Berlin: how it came about, how it is today and its three coming outs

It has probably less to do with the Berlin air and more to do with the local tolerance, which characterised this city since the resettlement policy of the Grand Elector after the thirty-year war. After the fall of the Berliner Wall the feeling of new freedom added to this along with the vast free spaces, especially in the eastern part of the city. It is however difficult to say whether there is more happening in the gay scene nowadays than during the frequently mentioned, so-called golden twenties.

Five Most Famous Quotations Regarding Berlin

Five of numerous quotations regarding this fantastic city.

“Everyone should be free to do as they please.“ Friedrich II, king of Prussia, 1740

“People of the world – take a look at this city!“ Ernst Reuter, Lord Mayor, 1948

“Ick bin ein Berliner!“ (I am a Berliner!) John F. Kennedy, US President, 1963

„Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!“ Ronald Reagan, US President, 1987

“I am gay – and that is a good thing!“ Klaus Wowereit, Candidate for the position of Mayor of Berlin, 2001

Berlin’s current mayor Klaus Wowereit, well known among the majority of Berliners for his open attitude as integration figure, is an example that these days gay men play a very different role in the community – at least this is the case in Berlin. They use this image and promote the suspense of the city. Wowereit, affectionately known as Wowi, is a party fan and has written the greetings text for the Folsom Street fare and had to hear criticism from his political opposition parties for doing so. This is true tolerance in every day life of this city.

Let’s go back a few years. Berlin as gay metropolis had its first coming-out at the end of the 19th century. In 1897 Magnus Hirschfeld set up the so-called scientific-humanitarian committee (WhK) and fought against discrimination of homosexuals. In 1919 he opened the Institute of Sexual Sciences. It became the centre for all research regarding sexual reform. In addition it was an information centre and sanctuary for people with sexual problems. It was also a source of information to interested laymen and further education for medical students.

In Berlin one not only took part in academic, theoretical discussions, but also in wild parties. At the beginning of the 20th century there were around 40 gay scene locations. The heart of this scene was located around the Nollendorf-platz. In the middle of the action André Gide, Francis Bacon or Christopher Isherwood, who lived for a while at Nollendorf Street 17, marked today with a commemorative plaque to the creator of “Cabaret”.

The party life came to an abrupt end when the Nazis came to power. They murdered over ten thousand gay men in the concentration camps. The Institute for Sexual Sciences was plundered, the library and all documents from Hirschfeld were burnt, along with other publications which were not considered to represent the German spirit. The WhK was closed.

Nach dem Ende des 1000-jährigen Reiches feierte man im Mief der Fünfziger privat und traute sich erst langsam wieder aus den Schränken.

Not the homosexual is perverse but rather the situation in which he lives.

Scenes from “Not the homosexual is perverse but rather the situation in which he lives.”

The second coming-out was marked with the emergence of Rosa von Praunheim’s film “Not the homosexual is perverse but rather the situation in which he lives.” The society’s change in moral standards was reflected by the change made by homosexuals and their public appearance. Whereas the gay scene in the GDR developed within church groups and under local authorities, the gay scene in the rest of Germany developed a pleasure-orientated self-awareness, where political rights were also respected.

Due to the isolation of West Berlin things developed here differently than in the rest of the country: more liberal, faster and with more commitment. In 1975 the Rosa Winkel publishing house was established with the aim to provide the general public with information about gay politics, the gay scene and sciences. Two years later the café “Anderes Ufer” opened its doors. A sensation at the time as it was the first establishment for gays which was not hidden in a backyard or behind darkened windows with a peephole at the door. It had big, open windows where everything was in the open. In 1978 Europe’s first gay bookshop “Prinz Eisenherz” opened. Thereafter there was an alternative to the porn shops for those wishing to purchase publications for the gay community. One year later the first Pride Parade (CDS) took place, although the first demonstration by gay men took place in the catholic city of Münster a few years prior to this. In 1981 our publishing house Bruno Gmünder Verlag was established. Two years later the first support office in Germany for AIDS patients, family and friends was created. At the same time the world’s first gay museum opened its doors, and has its place in the museum world ever since then.

The first gay bookshop in Europe

The first gay bookshop in Europe

In the same year the sport association Vorspiel was created and fought against strong opposition: the Berlin Track & Field Federation refused recognition of this association as they considered the name Vorspiel (foreplay) offensive. “Sexual inclinations do not belong in an association name” was the attitude of the federation, who saw the sport and social life of the federation at risk. This dispute landed in court. The courts of Berlin ruled that the connection between foreplay and gay was a non-objective emotion which opposed the integration of all track and field associations. The association changed the name to “Vorplay – a sport association for gay men and lesbians” which was then accepted. Today the association has a membership of around 1000 men and women – Europe’s largest association of this type. Sport is not just physical exercise but plays an important role in acceptance. This was emphasised in 1996 when the mayor of the time Eberhard Diepgen became patron of the Euro Games.

New impulses were set in place with the unification of both German states. Techno music became the soundtrack in Berlin during its third coming-out. These droning sounds were played at illegal parties which took place in semi-deserted and completely rundown buildings in the eastern part of the city. Sex and music became united.

With the motto “porn for us from us”, the production company Cazzo created their first porn film “Berlin Techno Dreams”. After extensive casting in the local gay scene, it was filmed in the club Eimer in a run-down building in the district Mitte. Countless extras were engaged and almost everyone in the gay scene knew and recognised the extras. Porn became socially acceptable.

The Love Parade following grew and grew and Cazzo, with its productions with close connection to the local gay scene, in which one could discover more and more of the stars in the local gay bars and clubs, achieved a unique porn style for Berlin, something between American muscle beauties and east block cuties. Ever since then the production companies such as Wurstfilm, Spritzz or Berlinstarfilm have emerged. The porn industry made this city their home base.

CSD at Brandenburger Tor

CSD at Brandenburger Tor

At the same time homosexuality became socially acceptable and enjoyed special protection: After the states Brandenburg and Thuringia, Berlin was the third federal state in Germany to implement equal rights for gays. In 1995 the new constitution in Berlin came into force – where no one can be discriminated against because of their (homo-) sexual orientation and the partnership law came into effect. 2001 was a pink milestone: the first local politician came out and nevertheless (or perhaps due to this declaration) was voted mayor of Berlin. Klaus Wowereit (Social Democrat Party) was also President of the Federal Council of Berlin in the same year, reaching the forth highest public office in the republic. This position had never been attained by an openly gay man in the past!

This short trip through the gay history of Berlin is probably sufficient information for you. If more information is required regarding the gay history a visit to the excellent “Schwules Museum” (gay museum) is a must! The museum has recently moved from Kreuzberg to Tiergarten and offers even more exhibition space and a cafe. On the page 18 in this guide you can find more information about the new gay museum. The Märkische Museum is a further source of information with many historical exhibits.

The Gay Museum

In the Gay Museum Berlin’s gay history comes alive

Change of location at the gay museum

The Gay Museum moved to their new location in the Lützowstraße 73 in May 2013 comprising of three floors on 1600m². On the ground level are four exhibition rooms and a café, which can also be used for the exhibitions. On the first floor is the reference library with work stations for those doing research as well as the offices and a workshop can be found. In the basement there are air-conditioned storage areas in which the museum’s archives are housed.

Along with the spatial expansion the move has also brought about a thematic enhancement for this museum founded in 1985. The Gay Museum* has become a place for the diversity of sexual identity as well as popular concepts regarding gender. The new location was opened with three exhibitions. The previous permanent exhibition was archived and replaced with the theme transformation an interim exhibition which runs until the end of 2014. The new permanent exhibition is still in the conception stage.

In the centre of this chronologically layed-out display, transformation is the social theme - the order of sexes and the changes which have occurred since 1800. The exhibition with focus on Germany is an associative journey through the many transformations which the LGBTIQ (lesbian/gay/bisexual/Trans/Intersex/Queer) communities and their protagonists have gone through in history. The exhibits originate predominately from the Gay Museums own collection.

Furthermore transformation- artistic photography displays an artistic documentation regarding the museum itself. The New York residing artist Johanna Jäger, the Berliner architecture photographer Tobias Wille and the international operative artistic organisation Ennten Clay, based in Berlin, were commissioned by the Gay Museum* to reflect the move in photography.

Alternating special exhibitions of art and contemporary history will form the base of the interim exhibitions as well as those for later planned permanent exhibitions. The start is made with the exhibition “between tradition and modern” – early paintings from Jochen Hass 1950 to 1955, on exibit from the 18th May until the 19th August 2013. The Gay Museum presents a premier – the early woks from the artist Jochen Hass (1917-2000). He reflected his gay lifestyle in his works like no other artist of his generation. His individual approach put him on a stand with artists like Marcus Behmer, Hellmut Kolle, David Hockney and Robert Mapplethorpe.