Motzstraße
Motzstraße is a street in Schöneberg, Berlin which now runs from Nollendorfplatz via Viktoria-Luise-Platz to Prager Platz. Named after Adolf von Motz a Prussian Finance Minister, it was laid out around 1870.
One part of Motzstraße (the section north of Nollendorfplatz) has been renamed twice, firstly to Mackensenstraße and in 1996 to Else Lasker-Schüler Straße.
The part of Motzstraße between Nollendorfplatz and Martin-Luther-Straße is considered as the centre of one of Berlin's gay areas and the location for the Berlin's Lesbian and Gay City Festival which is held every June on the weekend before the Gay Pride celebrations (CSD) in Berlin. On Motzstraße #6 the American Church was located between 1903 and 1944, when an Allied air raid destroyed it many other buildings in the area.
Even hundred years ago, from the Teens to the Thirties of the 20th century, the area around Motzstraße was recognised as a gay-friendly neighbourhood. The famous Piscator Theatre (later Metropol Theatre), Metropol cinema, Metropol discothek, now Goya club), the infamous Eldorado bar, and countless other gay venues attracted big crowds of open-minded followers. The renowned British-American author Christopher Isherwood lived just around the corner in Nollendorfstraße, where he was remarkably inspired to write several of his best-selling books.
The section around the beautifully restored Viktoria-Luise-Platz is a more upscale neighbourhood with some nice old architecture.
To date, Schöneberg's Motzstraße is a modern street in former West Berlin, well known for its gay-friendly atmosphere.
External links
- Berlin for gays and lesbians
- 1954 map showing situation of Motzstraße
- Motzstraße Vicinage (in German)