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Berlin
Berlin is the only city in Deutschland with no Sperrbezirke, i.e. no areas where prostitution is banned. Although in recent years the trade appears to have become extinct in all areas apart from the Kurfürstenstraße area (including Bulowstraße but not Potsdamer Straße) and Tiergarten &Suuml;d
The
Kurfürstenstraße is constantly in the news because of general concerns about the growth of the trade there (not least from residents from the newly built upmarket apartment blocks). Various ides are always being touted : Verrichtungsboxen, making the area a Sperrbezirk during daytime.
A shop on the corner of Kurfüstenstraße and Potsdamer Straße (LSD) has increased the 'erotic' aspect of the area. In 2008, plans for a Laufhaus in this area was rejected by the Stadtsrat. But in 2019, both the building which houses LSD and the Woolworth's building on the opposite corner were sold to a property development company, obviously implying that both buildings will eventually be demolished.
This general area has been die Schmuddelecke (area for all that is taboo) des alten Westens for about 130 years. Previously the famous Sportspalast arena had stood on Pallasstrasse and was an incentive for sevaral brothels in the area. In the 70s, the trade spilled from Potsdamer Strasse into the Kurfüstenstraße.
This is a relevant video
• Luxuswohnungen am Straßenstrich Kurfürstenstraße
In the recent past, the trade was more widely spread and existed on the Kurfüstendamm, Lietzenberger Straße, the general stretch of Kantstrasse between Stuttgarter Platz and Savigny Platz, Potsdamer Straße, Oranienburger Straße, 17. Juni am S-Bahnhof Tiergarten, Alt-Biesdorf, Kynaststraße am Ostkreuz, Savignyplatz. These are all assumed to be extinct.
The nearest thing that Berlin has to a Laufhaus is the Freudenhaus Hase in Wedding.
• Felicitas Schirow was the well-known owner of the brothel Cafe Pssst!, which ceased trading in 2015. This link goes to an earlier article. And this article gives information on the closing-down.
• Artemis, Berlin's largest brothel in Halensee (Charlottenburg). This was famously subject to a major police raid in April 2016 but the police have been forced to admit that little illegal was going on to justify their actions (compensation has been awarded of ca. 100 000 euros).
The notorious
KitKatclub is now at
Brückenstraße 1, in Mitte
Sex cinemas which offer more than just the chance to view films were, and still are, a speciality of Berlin - although tending to being reduced in number (seemingly affected by Covid as well).
"Sexy Modelle zeigen Dir nicht nur deinen Platz, sondern bieten darüber hinaus auch mehr. In einem Berliner Sexkino kannst du nicht nur Erotik-, Sex- und Pornofilme aller Art sehen, sondern dich von den Platzanweiserinnen verwöhnen lassen. Oder du machst im Kino eine nette Bekanntschaft und vergnügt dich mit privaten Spielen".
(Sexy models do not only show you to your seat but also offer more. In a Berlin sex cinema, not only can you watch a film but you can also let yourself be spoilt by the usherette. Or you could strike up an acquainance in the cinema and engage in your own private games)
In einigen Sexkinos bieten auch Einige Sex zu günstigen Preisen an, andere Pornokinos lassen sie auch Paare rein. Einige Pornokinos haben Hinterzimmer, wo es nach dem Film so richtig abgeht, bei anderen gibt es die klassischen Filmkabinen.
(In a few sex cinemas sex is also offered at reasonable prices, others let couples in. A few have back rooms for use after the film, others have classical film cabins.)
• Moni's Kino (Cinema), long-established institution and operating at two addresses - Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 38 (U-Bahn, Mierendorffplatz) ,Sprengelstraße 24 (U-Bahn, Amrumer Strasse)
I far as I can tell, the following are open at the beginning of 2024, although maybe offering differing "standards of service"
• Kittys Salon, a famous brothel during the war years. And this is another report Kittys Salon
Established in 1947, the Pension Clausewitz brothel was located on the third floor of 4 Clausewitzstraße, off the Kurfürstendamm. In the 1960s, it was taken over by Hans Helmcke. Soon after a major sensation was declared with withspread allegations that the brothel was being controlled by the Stasi and several important West German government officials had been compromised. It is generally assumed that was a total fabrication. In 1973 Helmcke was lured to an apartment in Mathildenstraße in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg by rivals in the industry. Two days later after failing to agree to their demands, he was strangled with his own tie. They tried to burn the body but two days later his partially burned body was found on the Autobahn between Hamburg and Lübeck. Three people were prosecuted for the murder
Eroscenter Haus Hamburg , Hamburger Straße 31. Further information here
Laufhaus Erfurt, Am Stollberg 50
Eroscenter Halle, Delitzscher Str. 80
X-Carree, corner of Delitzscher Straße 15/Am Güterbahnhof 1 - 3
• Photographs of the above
Angels Sexworld, Dessauer Straße 24
How to get there : Get a tram from the Central Station. The house is on the right-hand side of Torgauer Straße and you can't miss it.
•
Report on the closure of the original Haus am Wasserturm in 2012
Street prostitution is illegal in Leipzig so be warned.
• Report on the situation in Leipzig shortly after 1990
Eros Center, Am Bahnhof Bramow 10 - about halfway between Rostock center and Warnemunde.
• Some information on the opening of the Eros Center and the crime-ridden situation before it was opened, can be viewed here
Sex Cinemas
Chemnitz
Dresden
Erfurt
Halle
Leipzig
The Haus am Wasserturm on Torgauer Straße was a former Laufhaus which has been re-opened nominally as the FKK Leipzig, but a separate Laufhaus still exists, for which entry is free (the FKK club requires an admission charge of about € 55). Further details here
Rostock
