SchwuZ

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The building at the former location Mehringdamm 61

The SchwuZ (short for gay center) was established in 1977 from the homosexuals Action West Berlin set out and became the first alternative gay club in West Berlin . In contrast to the extensive, partly elitist gay scene in Berlin before 1977, the newly founded center did not hide itself and was freely accessible to all interested parties. The motto of the early days was Get out of the hatches , into the street from Rosa von Praunheim's film It is not the homosexual that is perverse, but the situation in which he lives , which gave the impetus for the establishment of the SchwuZ. Politically interested students such as Egmont Fassbinder, Michael Ostwald and Elmar Kraushaar were involved .

history

In the homosexual action Westberlin (HAW), which was founded by the student milieu and aimed at the abolition of Paragraph 175 , the fun faction and the political faction were in dispute from the start. After actions such as the Kiss-In 1974 in the pedestrian zone Wilmersdorfer Straße , those involved recognized the political advantages of non-theoretical activities. At Easter 1975 they went on a traditional walk to the Krummen Lanke . The teacher Rainer Perfölz was involved , whose occupational ban in 1974 caused a sensation with reference to his homosexuality and after demonstrations by students.

In 1977 the period of theoretical rigor ended with the dissolution of the HAW and at the same time the gay center was founded in the same premises. Cinema seats and a self-built counter were installed on a factory floor. A smaller room was renamed the Aunt Magnesia Room , after the queer name of the sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld , and equipped with mattresses. In addition to political activities, the monthly plenary sessions dealt with the organization of events in the premises. Later artists like Rick Astley , Blondie and Erasure gave concerts in SchwuZ.

The SchwuZ was the focal point for many projects and activities such as the first Berlin Christopher Street Day in 1979 or the gay city newspaper Siegessäule . The rooms were used by many artists and groups as rehearsal rooms, such as the Teufelsberg production , Die Tödliche Doris , Cora Frost and Rosenstolz . At first, entry to the men's catching discotheque events on Saturdays was free, later entry was one mark . Different groups such as Hollmannstrasse or one of the gay AStA departments organized dance events. This gave the SchwuZ a central role in the ever closer networking of gay groups in Berlin. Later, the founding of the meeting of Berlin gay groups resulted from contacts made in SchwuZ.

While all those involved initially worked on a voluntary basis, since the professionalization in 1999, which went hand in hand with a complete renovation of the rooms, all evening workers have been paid.

SchwuZ took part in the “ United We Stream ” campaign of the Berlin club scene, which suffered massive losses due to the measures taken against COVID-19 .

Premises

The first premises were made available by Rosa von Praunheim , who had rented a floor below his film studio in Dennewitzstrasse for this purpose. A little later, the SchwuZ moved into a factory floor in Schöneberger Kulmer Strasse 20A. The O-TonArt theater is located in the same building today. In 1987 the company moved to Hasenheide am Südstern . Here, also on a factory floor on the 4th floor, the SchwuZ moved in 1995 to the basement at Kreuzberger Mehringdamm 61. In the same building was the Schwules Museum from 1989 to 2013 and the General Homosexual Working Group (AHA) until 2008 , as well as a café named after Melitta Sundström , through which access to the SchwuZ also led for the majority of the time. In autumn 2013 the SchwuZ moved to the former Kindl brewery , Rollbergstraße 26 ( Neukölln ), directly adjacent to the so-called Schillerkiez , where considerably larger rooms are to be able to cope with the increased number of visitors. The first party at the new location took place there on November 16, 2013. These rooms served, among other things, as a backdrop for the music video for ... und ich tanz '(Latches Mix) by the Hamburg singer Peter Heppner .

See also

swell

  • Archive of the SchwuZ

Web links

Commons : SchwuZ  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ SchwuZ: The new board. In: BLU Media. Retrieved June 8, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Ulf Lippitz: Boys in love. In 1977 the gay center was founded in Berlin . In: Der Tagesspiegel , June 10, 2007, p. S7
  3. ↑ Home. Accessed April 14, 2020 (German).
  4. ↑ Good-bye Kreuzberg: The SchwuZ is moving . In: Victory Column , April 27, 2013
  5. ↑ The traditional "SchwuZ" moves to Neukölln . In: Berliner Morgenpost , October 23, 2013
  6. ^ Peter Heppner: Peter Heppner - contributions. facebook.com, November 5, 2018, accessed November 25, 2018 .

Coordinates: 52 ° 28 '44.9 "  N , 13 ° 26' 0.3"  E