Motzstraße
Encyclopedia
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 Schwules Stadtfest, a gay
street festival, which is held every June on the weekend before the Gay Pride celebrations (CSD) in Berlin.
Even hundred years ago, from the Teens to the Thirties of the 20th century, the area around Motzstraße was recognized as a gay-friendly neighborhood. The famous Piscator
Theater (later Metropol theatre, Metropol cinema, Metropol discothek, now Goya club), the infamous Elledorado 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 neighborhood 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.
Schöneberg
Schöneberg is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg....
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
which now runs from Nollendorfplatz
Nollendorfplatz
Nollendorfplatz is a square in the Schöneberg district of Berlin. Colloquially called Nolli it was named in 1864 after the village of Nakléřov , a site of the 1813 Battle of Kulm....
via Viktoria-Luise-Platz
Viktoria-Luise-Platz
Viktoria-Luise-Platz is an oval on Motzstraße in Schöneberg, Berlin. It was laid out in 1900. It is named after Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia 1892 - 1980, the daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and Great-Grand daughter of Queen Victoria....
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
Else Lasker-Schüler
Else Lasker-Schüler was a Jewish German poet and playwright famous for her bohemian lifestyle in Berlin. She was one of the few women affiliated with the Expressionist movement. Lasker-Schüler fled Nazi Germany and lived out the rest of her life in Jerusalem.-Biography:Schüler was born in...
Straße.
The part of Motzstraße between Nollendorfplatz and Martin-Luther-Straße is considered as the centre of one of Berlin's gay areas
Gay village
A gay village is an urban geographic location with generally recognized boundaries where a large number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people live or frequent...
and the location for the Berlin's Schwules Stadtfest, a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
street festival, which is held every June on the weekend before the Gay Pride celebrations (CSD) in Berlin.
Even hundred years ago, from the Teens to the Thirties of the 20th century, the area around Motzstraße was recognized as a gay-friendly neighborhood. The famous Piscator
Erwin Piscator
Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator was a German theatre director and producer and, with Bertolt Brecht, the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio-political content of drama, rather than its emotional manipulation of the audience or on the production's formal...
Theater (later Metropol theatre, Metropol cinema, Metropol discothek, now Goya club), the infamous Elledorado bar, and countless other gay venues attracted big crowds of open-minded followers. The renowned British-American author Christopher Isherwood
Christopher Isherwood
Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood was an English-American novelist.-Early life and work:Born at Wyberslegh Hall, High Lane, Cheshire in North West England, Isherwood spent his childhood in various towns where his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was stationed...
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 neighborhood 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.