Berlin, Germany
Introduction
Berlin has long been known for its appreciation of “divine decadence”. In fact, the very first organization in the world dedicated to equal rights for homosexuals was founded in Berlin in 1897! Debauchery in all its forms flourished during the Weimar Republic, and this liberated attitude continues today in Berlin, not only for gay men, but also for lesbians. In what other city can you find regular women-only sex parties, a lesbian resource centre, a number of women-only hotels and cafes, a lesbian film festival and a women’s museum??? Berlin is a definite lesbian travel destination.
The Berlin dyke scene is also more political than in many other cities, which encourages this strong and vibrant women’s community. Having a gay mayor doesn’t hurt either. On the eve of elections in 2001, mayoral candidate Klaus Wowereit proudly proclaimed “I am gay, and that’s O.K.” Wowereit won the 2001 election and was re-elected in 2006.
Berlin doesn’t have just one gay village, it has several of them, partially as a result of the post-war separation of East and West Berlin. Since the Berlin wall came down in 1989 and Berlin was re-united, there has been an explosion of gay and lesbian life in the former Eastern districts of Mitte and Friedrichshain. Prenzlauer Berg (especially around Schönhauser Allee) was a lesbian-popular spot in the 90s, but is now becoming a thing of the past. In central Berlin you’ll want to check out Kreuzberg, and Schöneberg (especially the neighbourhoods of Motzstrasse and Nollendorfplatz).
One other note of interest, in the spring of 2007, the German government announced it will erect an $800,000 memorial in Berlin dedicated to the gays and lesbians persecuted and killed by the Nazis during WWII. The sculpture, which will include a small projection area showing a looped film of either two men or two women kissing (they’ll change the loop each year), should be completed by the end of 2008. It will be located in Tiergarten Park, next to the Holocaust Memorial.
P.S. If you’re making any phone calls in Berlin, you may notice that some places have numbers with seven digits, others with eight. It may seem weird, but that’s the way it goes.
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