Tom's Bar
 The bar's exterior in 2016 | |
 | |
| Address | Motzstraße 19 10777 |
|---|---|
| Location | Berlin, Germany |
| Coordinates | 52°29′53″N 13°20′59″E / 52.498180643032356°N 13.349714492405989°E |
| Type | Gay bar |
Tom's Bar was a popular gay bar in the Schöneberg locality of Berlin, Germany.
Description and history[edit]
Tom's Bar opened in April 1982 in the gay district of Berlin's Schöneberg and, like Toms Saloon in Hamburg, initially operated predominantly as a leather bar, eventually adopting a less prescriptive dress code.[1] The bar, which experienced marked changes following new ownership in 1993, was described as a "dark, sweaty and debauched men-only cruising establishment" with a "rough, manly atmosphere".[1][2] One of its slogans was "for successful cruising".[1] The space, on two floors, included a darkroom. Tom's closed in late February 2024, replaced in March 2024 by the Berlin outlet of Joan Igual's Barcelona/Madrid gay cruising bar enterprise Boyberry.[citation needed]
Reception[edit]
According to Berlin Tourismus and Kongress GmbH, the bar's slogan "puts it in a nutshell, and it's no exaggeration... People of all ages and from all walks of life get together here, especially when the night is getting on."[1] Similarly, Tom's was called a "great place to finish off an evening" in The Rough Guide to Germany (2009).[3] In Top 10 Berlin (2014), Juergen Scheunemann included Tom's Bar as number five on a list of the best gay and lesbian attractions in the city. Scheunemann called the bar a "traditional pub" and a "well-known pick-up joint ... not for those who are shy and timid".[4] Tom's Bar was an iconic Berlin establishment; it was the gay place that tourists had heard of, though the space became unrecognisable from its "clone"-era days of leather manliness inspired by master erotic draughtsman Touko Laaksonen (1920–91), better known as Tom of Finland.
See also[edit]
- Easter in Berlin, Berlin's annual leather and fetish event
- Folsom Europe, Berlin's annual BDSM and leather street festival
- LGBT culture in Berlin
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Tom's Bar". visitBerlin. Berlin Tourismus and Kongress GmbH. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- ^ Williams, Christian (3 March 2014). The Rough Guide to Berlin. Penguin. p. 374. ISBN 9781409371205. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- ^ Stewart, James; Walker, Neville; Williams, Christian (1 May 2009). The Rough Guide to Germany. Penguin. p. 131. ISBN 9781848360167. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- ^ Scheunemann, Juergen (3 March 2014). Top 10 Berlin. Penguin. p. 108. ISBN 9781465425393. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2015.