Berlin: The gay districts: Schöneberg

The most known gay and lesbian district is Schöneberg where the community sets the flag. Coffee shops, bars and other institutions but also the snack bars are decorated with rainbow flags. Here the community is established for a long time in the streets like Fuggerstrasse, Eisenacherstrasse and Motzstrasse.

One of the first gay bars was the Eldorado, which was discovered in the 20s by the avant-garde artists. The Schöneberger district was also the setting of the film "Anders als die Anderen" (Different from the others) from 1919, which deals the first time with the subject of homosexuality.

One member of the film team was the sex researcher Magnus Hirschfeld who founded the Institute of Sexual Science in Berlin and played an important role in the gay history. Many of the still existing coffeehouses and bars were established at the end of the 70s, for example the Anderes Ufer, a cosy café where gay and lesbian met. This café remained still here, but the name changed. Today it is called Neues Ufer. Tom's Bar and Hafen are also two time-honoured, but still very popular institutions in Motzstrasse.

New in this street is the Heile Welt with its comfortable Lounge. Other new addresses are the cocktail bar bedroom in Kalckreuthstrasse, the WUWU Club in Kleiststrasse with its Table Dance and Single Dating Night as well as the Café Berio in Maassenstrasse (I really recommend it). Its cakes and offers for breakfast helped to put it on the top list of favoured cafés not only for lesbians or gays. The Fuggereck has the flair of a typical Berlin pub. In Fuggerstrasse gays, lesbians and friends meet in the Café So&So, which is at the same time bar and Red Lounge. The Prinzknecht as well with its Darkroom and the beer garden stands for fun and action. All kind of parties is celebrated in the disco Connection.
In the district of Schöneberg exists an excellent infrastructure of information and care centres for gays and lesbians, for example the information centre for lesbians in Kulmer Strasse or the helpdesk Mann-O-Meter for gays in Motzstrasse.

Of course, my favourites places are on Schöneberg area and I strongly recommend. This area is the paradise for fetishist guys like me.