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Why God Hates Berlin
Berlin has always been a den of sin. It goes back to the documentary, Cabaret.
At the time, prior to WWII homerism was all over the city and Berliners were proud of it. The more decadent the better.
One think the war and Bible reading would have improved the place. Apparently, not so. It remains the place where sinners from all over the world congregate. Let us all pray for God's wrath on that terrible city.
Berlin burnishes its reputation for hedonism
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY 12:28 p.m. EDT October 16, 2015
Visitors photograph a stripper performing at the Venus erotic fair in Berlin.(Photo: Getty)
BERLIN — "Everybody's in black or nothing at all."
That's how Claire Danes recently described Berghain, a celebrated Berlin nightclub known as a den of techno music and excess, to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. The Homeland actress's characterization could apply to all Berliners.
Germany's capital has long been associated with sexual liberty, hedonism and eroticism — a permissive place where permissive people do permissive things.
Which is why Venus, an erotic trade and consumer fair that claims to be the world's largest of its kind, convenes here annually. This year's four-day event, which runs through Sunday, has drawn 30,000 attendees. "People come to Berlin for something a little bit special," said Walter Hasenclever, the show's publicity director.
Venus, in its eighth year, features a mix of sex products and erotic performances in a setting that combines the ambience of an airport terminal with a flea market. Hasenclever said most of Venus' consumer customers are couples who don't blush easily.
"This city allows you to explore who you are," said Camille Darroux, 26, a part-time freelance writer who visits Berlin sex clubs such as the KitKatClub with her boyfriend.
Darroux said she first came to Berlin from her native France because she was attracted to its burgeoning tech start-up scene, but another scene quickly took over.
"People in Berlin are less judgmental than in other places in Europe," Darroux said. "Things like sex parties are very normal in Berlin. They're not something that happen only behind closed doors or in specialized societies where you have to be in the know to take part. That's not the case in Paris."
The city's reputation for debauchery originated in the Weimar era (1919-1933), a lively, creative and volatile period when pre-Hitler German society experienced hyperinflation, political extremism and sexual liberation. That spirit was memorably captured in the sexually charged Broadway musical hit and 1972 film Cabaret.
"If you had dollars in your pocket during this time in Berlin, you could buy whatever you wanted, whatever experience you wanted,"
At the time, prior to WWII homerism was all over the city and Berliners were proud of it. The more decadent the better.
One think the war and Bible reading would have improved the place. Apparently, not so. It remains the place where sinners from all over the world congregate. Let us all pray for God's wrath on that terrible city.
Berlin burnishes its reputation for hedonism
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY 12:28 p.m. EDT October 16, 2015
Visitors photograph a stripper performing at the Venus erotic fair in Berlin.(Photo: Getty)
BERLIN — "Everybody's in black or nothing at all."
That's how Claire Danes recently described Berghain, a celebrated Berlin nightclub known as a den of techno music and excess, to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. The Homeland actress's characterization could apply to all Berliners.
Germany's capital has long been associated with sexual liberty, hedonism and eroticism — a permissive place where permissive people do permissive things.
Which is why Venus, an erotic trade and consumer fair that claims to be the world's largest of its kind, convenes here annually. This year's four-day event, which runs through Sunday, has drawn 30,000 attendees. "People come to Berlin for something a little bit special," said Walter Hasenclever, the show's publicity director.
Venus, in its eighth year, features a mix of sex products and erotic performances in a setting that combines the ambience of an airport terminal with a flea market. Hasenclever said most of Venus' consumer customers are couples who don't blush easily.
"This city allows you to explore who you are," said Camille Darroux, 26, a part-time freelance writer who visits Berlin sex clubs such as the KitKatClub with her boyfriend.
Darroux said she first came to Berlin from her native France because she was attracted to its burgeoning tech start-up scene, but another scene quickly took over.
"People in Berlin are less judgmental than in other places in Europe," Darroux said. "Things like sex parties are very normal in Berlin. They're not something that happen only behind closed doors or in specialized societies where you have to be in the know to take part. That's not the case in Paris."
The city's reputation for debauchery originated in the Weimar era (1919-1933), a lively, creative and volatile period when pre-Hitler German society experienced hyperinflation, political extremism and sexual liberation. That spirit was memorably captured in the sexually charged Broadway musical hit and 1972 film Cabaret.
"If you had dollars in your pocket during this time in Berlin, you could buy whatever you wanted, whatever experience you wanted,"
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