Today, Berlin is largely seen as one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world – and that was the case almost a century ago, before the National Socialists took power in the early 1930s.
In the 1920s, during the era known in Germany as the Weimar Republic, Berlin became not only a haven for queer nightlife, but also one of the world’s most important centers for early LGBTQ+ research, activism, and community building, which helped shape modern ideas about sexuality and gender.
In 1871, Germany introduced Paragraph 175, which criminalized sexual acts between men. It was based on earlier Prussian law and was enforced with varying intensity from 1872 to 1945. East Germany removed this law from the books in 1968, while West Germany reformed it in the late 60s and early 70s, but did not eliminate it completely until 1994.
The initial implementation of the law led to opposition from activists, doctors, and writers, among others, giving rise to one of the earliest visible gay rights movements in Europe.
Berlin, an urban center of gay life until the Nazis came to power
A central figure in that movement was Magnus Hirschfeld, a physician and sex researcher who argued that sexual orientation and gender identity were natural parts of human diversity rather than moral failings or crimes. In 1897, he founded the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee in Berlin, considered the world’s first organization dedicated to defending homosexual rights. One of the main goals of the committee was to challenge Article 175.
In 1919, Hirschfeld founded the Institute of Sexual Science in Berlin, combining research and education with patient care. The institute became known internationally for its unusually progressive work on sexuality, gender expression, and what might now be understood as transgender identity. It offered consultation, kept extensive records and promoted ideas that were far ahead of their time. It also challenges the rigid male-female binary.
In this environment, many artists felt comfortable talking openly about their non-heterosexual identities.
“At that time, Berlin was certainly one of the most liberal cities in the world,” Birgit Bosold, a long-term board member of Berlin’s Gay Museum (Schweils Museum), told DW in an earlier interview.
Despite the legal risks and prejudices, there were plenty of clubs, publications, and meeting places for gay, lesbian, and gender-nonconforming people that still existed.
Berlin’s status as one of the most important urban centers of gay life in the early 20th century changed with the Nazi coming to power in 1933. On May 6 of that year, Hirschfeld’s institute was raided and destroyed; Its library and research archives were looted, and many books and documents were burned in the infamous Nazi book burning of Berlin on May 10, 1933.
Today, visitors to Berlin can see a memorial plaque at the former site of the institute.
Schoenberg and its strange history
As today, the West Berlin quarter of Schönberg was a meeting place for artists and composers. One of its notable Weimar-era landmarks was the Café Dorian Gray on Bülowstrasse, a famous gay meeting place that was particularly important in Berlin’s gay social scene. Historical accounts describe it as a mixed venue, with some evenings for women and others for men. The venue hosted live musical performances, costume balls and literary readings before it was closed by the Nazis.
One of the most famously bizarre nightclubs of Weimar-era Berlin was the Eldorado (seen above in the title photo). It first opened in 1924 at Kantstrasse in the nearby Charlottenburg neighborhood, before moving to several different locations over the years. More than just an entertainment venue, it was a meeting place for artists, writers, performers and Berlin’s LGTBQ+ community, hosting drag performances and allowing social freedom behind its closed doors.
The atmosphere of the club inspired many people: artist Otto Dix painted scenes of Eldorado, while famous German-born singer Marlene Dietrich reportedly performed there. British author Christopher Isherwood came to Berlin in the late 1920s and after visiting places such as Eldorado during his travels he wrote his book “The Berlin Stories” – the book is based on the bohemian, quirky and political underpinnings of 1920s Berlin.
Nazis and Article 175
Once in power, the Nazis brought a brutal end to the Weimar-era culture of tolerance. They tightened laws and arrested gay men: according to data from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, at least 50,000 people were sentenced on the basis of Article 175 and an estimated 5,000–15,000 were sent to concentration camps.
While Nazi persecution violently disrupted Berlin’s vibrant gay life, the German capital gradually experienced a renaissance, becoming the center of gay culture it is today.
Edited by: Christina Barak