A myth between stage, visibility and voyeurism
The Eldorado was one of the best-known queer venues in 1920s Berlin — and remains, to this day, a symbol of the dazzling but fragile visibility of the Weimar Republic.
A name that still glows
Anyone reading about queer Berlin in the 1920s quickly runs into a single name: Eldorado. The word stands for the promise of a city that briefly and intensely allowed queer visibility on a scale Europe had hardly seen before — and that the Nazis brutally ended. The name still surfaces in films, novels, exhibitions and walking tours today.
What was the Eldorado?
Eldorado was the shared name of two well-known Berlin homosexual and transvestite venues before the Second World War. The most prominent address was in Motzstraße in Schöneberg; another was in Lutherstraße. It is among the best-documented Weimar-era scene venues — visible, advertised, mentioned in travel guides, and known internationally.
The venue combined dance floor, cabaret stage and bar. It drew a mixed audience: gay men, lesbian women, crossdressers, tourists, artists and middle-class visitors looking for a night in Berlin's nightlife.
Why the Eldorado became famous
Three factors built the legend. First, open visibility — unlike many bars of its time, the Eldorado was not run as a hidden insider venue but as a publicly advertised place. Second, the crossdressing tradition with its own balls and performances, which attracted an international audience. Third, timing — the Weimar Republic was short, creative and, in contrast to what followed, marked by a liberalism that looks almost mythical in retrospect.
Between fascination and voyeurism
It's worth not romanticising the Eldorado. Part of the audience came out of genuine belonging, another out of curiosity — and a not-small part out of pure voyeurism. Travel guides of the time listed the venue as a sight, with the unspoken promise of an exotic glimpse of "the other Berlin".
This mixture made the place both visible and vulnerable. Being on display does not equal being protected — a lesson that remains relevant for queer spaces today.
The end of the freedom
In 1933 this visibility ended abruptly. The Eldorado, like many Schöneberg bars, was shut down. The NSDAP even temporarily used the building in Motzstraße as a party office — a particularly cynical reuse. Many regulars, performers and owners were persecuted; some left Germany, others were deported to concentration camps. With the Eldorado, not just a club but an entire form of public queer self-staging came to an end.
What of the Eldorado remains today
The physical Eldorado no longer exists as a queer club. What remains is city history — and myth. Films like the musical Cabaret or novels in the tradition of Christopher Isherwood draw on images at least partly grounded in venues like this one. Academic research, exhibitions at the Schwules Museum and walking tours through Schöneberg keep the memory alive.
The more important part, though, is not the glamour but the lesson: visibility without political protection is fragile.
Live in the quarter, not just on Google
On the KiezTour we don't just say that the Eldorado existed. We talk about why such places promised freedom — and why that freedom collapsed so quickly. Our drag-queen guides stand in front of addresses in Motzstraße and explain what we can learn from them.
Frequently asked questions about the Eldorado
Where was the Eldorado in Berlin?
There were two main locations. The best-known was in Motzstraße in Schöneberg; a second was in Lutherstraße. The Motzstraße building still stands.
Can you visit the Eldorado today?
No, the original venue is gone. The address remains as a site of memory, but not as a museum.
Was the Eldorado only for gay men?
No. It drew a mixed audience: gay men, lesbian women, crossdressers, tourists, artists. The mix was part of the concept.
Why is the Eldorado still a symbol?
Because it embodied the bright visibility of the Weimar Republic like few other places — and because its rapid disappearance after 1933 shows how fragile that visibility was.
Also worth a look on the KiezTour
- KiezTour dates — Schöneberg history on location
- Historic locations in the Rainbow Quarter
- Queer Berlin in the 1920s
- Queer history of Schöneberg
