Berlin Uncensored: A History of Sex & Freedom

The tour begins with a warm welcome from your guide, Jeff, a sociologist and certified sex educator. After a brief introduction, you’ll explore Berlin’s long history of nudism (FKK), a movement that promoted body freedom from the 19th century to today. You’ll learn how nudism shaped Berlin’s culture and why it remains a key part of life at the city’s lakes and parks.

Berlin was home to the world’s first Institute for Sexual Science, founded by Magnus Hirschfeld, a pioneer in sexology. Here, groundbreaking research on desire, relationships, contraception, and gender identity was conducted. You’ll explore the institute’s key discoveries, including the invention of the rubber condom, early studies on Viagra precursors, and advances in sexual health. Berlin was also the site of the first gender affirmation surgeries, performed on figures like Dora Richter, Lili Elbe, and Karl M. Baer. The Nazis, viewing this research as a threat, destroyed the institute in 1933, erasing what could have been a revolutionary moment in sexual history.

The rise of the Nazi regime brought a brutal crackdown on sexual freedoms. You’ll learn how the Nazis censored sex, shut down erotic clubs, and outlawed sexual diversity. The Night of the Long Knives, a key moment in Nazi history, saw the execution of Ernst Röhm, a high-ranking Nazi who had been a known homosexual. The persecution extended to LGBTQIA+ individuals, sex workers, and those deemed “degenerate” by the regime. Many were arrested and sent to concentration camps, where they were marked with pink triangles, a symbol that would later be reclaimed by the LGBTQIA+ rights movement.

Before the Nazi era, Berlin was infamous for its thriving sex life and diverse nightlife. You’ll walk through locations where prostitution was openly practiced, and where Berlin’s underground fetish and kink culture flourished long before it became mainstream. From exclusive brothels to hidden kinky offers, Berlin was decades ahead of its time in catering to every form of desire.

In the early 20th century, Berlin had one of the most thriving lesbian communities in the world. You’ll visit locations tied to this subculture, including the famous Toppkeller, a meeting place for women who defied societal norms. Through stories of Claire Waldoff, a cabaret singer known for her lesbian identity, and the lyrics of the Lavender Song, you’ll get a sense of how music and nightlife were intertwined with queer identity. You’ll also hear about Josephine Baker, the famous Black performer whose time in Berlin was marked by both adoration and racial discrimination.

Berlin in the 1920s and early 1930s was a magnet for gay men from across Europe, and no one captured this atmosphere better than Christopher Isherwood. You’ll walk through areas where the author lived and socialized, inspiring his famous works that would later be adapted into Cabaret. His memoirs provide a window into a world of sexual nightlife and freedoms that made Berlin a global beacon before the Nazi rise to power.

One of the most famous nightlife spots in 1920s Berlin, the Eldorado Club was a meeting place for drag performers, sexually open individuals, and even high-ranking Nazi officials before their crackdown on “degeneracy.” You’ll hear about the Nazi Ernst Röhm, who was known to frequent the club, and how a journalist from the US magazine Vogue once visited Eldorado and named a drag queen the most beautiful woman in Berlin. The club was a symbol of Berlin’s openness before it was shut down by the Nazis.

After WWII, Berlin was divided into East and West, and so was its approach to sexuality. In West Berlin, the sexual revolution took hold, leading to a more open attitude toward relationships, pornography, and alternative lifestyles. In East Berlin, the state took a different approach—while freedom was restricted in many ways, public nudism (FKK) became incredibly popular. You’ll explore how these two competing ideologies shaped Berlin’s sexual culture on both sides of the Wall, why said Wall was referred to as the condom of the GDR, and how a conservative politician saved thousands of lives during the Aids crisis.

Today, Berlin is one of the most sexually open cities in the world, home to an unrivaled nightlife scene. You’ll hear about the history of Berghain, the world-famous club known for its strict no-photo policy and hedonistic parties, as well as the KitKat Club, Insomnia, and Lab.Oratory, where electronic music and sexual exploration blend seamlessly. The tour also covers Folsom Europe, the largest fetish festival in the world, which brings thousands of visitors to Berlin each year.