Darkrooms are a funny thing: everybody knows what they're about, and maybe you've even been inside once out of pure curiosity. But admit to having done anything? Most people would rather not… In fact, the number of darkrooms in Germany has noticeably declined over the last 10 years. What used to be almost standard at most parties and in many bars has become rarer outside of Berlin these days. Why is that, actually?

Darkrooms Are Getting Rarer Outside Berlin

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One of the reasons there are fewer darkrooms than before has directly to do with the changing gay nightlife in big cities. There used to be gay neighborhoods with lots of gay-only clubs and bars. Today, though, promoters often prefer to throw parties in regular clubs and to switch venues now and then. For a weekly or monthly party, there's often simply no time or capacity to build a darkroom. Some landlords probably also make their venues available only under conditions that make it impossible to pull off.

On top of that, gay bars today often cater to a broader audience. Accordingly, darkrooms no longer seem to fit the program everywhere. Many young gay men therefore come into contact with a real darkroom less and less often. If you still feel like a little thrill and fun, you practically can't get around your next trip to Berlin.

Darkrooms in Berlin

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Berlin has, not undeservedly, a worldwide reputation for offering one of the wildest and sexually most open nightlife scenes anywhere. In the traditional gay neighborhood in Schöneberg you can still find a number of gay bars and clubs with a darkroom, and not without reason. The darkrooms, just like the big gay parties and clubs in Berlin, are a real tourist magnet. What many gay travelers can barely find or can't find at all in their own countries still has a place in Berlin's gay scene, fortunately.

Are Darkrooms Slowly Dying Out?

Even so, the operators of darkrooms in Berlin are struggling with a few problems. For one thing, rents in Berlin are rising faster than in almost any other big German city. For operators of gay venues and gay clubs, this is becoming more and more of a threat to their existence. A darkroom takes up quite a bit of extra space, which is why not every venue is even suitable. Other gay bar owners are having trouble with stricter regulations from the city's regulatory office, which in some cases require extensive renovations.

If darkrooms are one day declared an endangered species even in Germany's gay capital, the reason could be a very mundane one…