This Homolulu Berlin tour is about queer role models, activists, and pioneers of the queer movement, which got its start in 19th-century Berlin. We will cover milestones such as the world's first public coming-out, the first gay activist group, the first institute for sexology, the first gender-affirming surgery, and the vibrant queer nightlife of the Roaring Twenties.
Along the way, we will encounter notable figures such as Magnus Hirschfeld, Dora Richter, Christopher Isherwood, Cläre Waldoff, Marlene Dietrich, and Anita Berber. We will discover surprising stories, including how a police chief supported the LGBTQ+ community at the end of the 19th century and why Berlin “invented homosexuality.” The tour includes a stop at the second-oldest gay bar in the world that is still in operation, as well as at the vibrant venue where women partied wildly and sought a companion for the night. Of course, we can't leave out the internationally renowned Club Eldorado on Motzstraße, where the tour will end.
We will start on Unter den Linden, stop at Gendarmenmarkt, ride past the Brandenburg Gate and through the Tiergarten, pass the Federal Chancellery on our way to the banks of the Spree, and finally discover the queer areas of Nollendorfplatz and Motzstraße in Schöneberg.
The tour lasts approximately 3 hours and ends in Schöneberg on Motzstraße.
Please bring a bicycle or scooter!
Biking is the best way to explore Berlin. The city is flat, and cycling is not very strenuous. However, Berlin is very sprawling, which makes it difficult to explore everything on foot, so a bike is the perfect option. There are many bike rental companies that you can book via an app. Here are some options (prices may have changed), for example:
- Callabike: “Starter” 10 EUR/day
- Next Bike: Bicycle rental, maximum €15 for 24 hours
- Lime/Uber/Bolt: e-scooters & e-bikes: varying rates
We will meet at Unter den Linden 4, in front of the Neue Wache, by the benches to the right of the building (with your back to the street).
Homolulu Berlin looks forward to seeing you and to taking you on the tour!
