Dating apps share blame for demise of Germany's oldest and biggest gay club

Germany's oldest and biggest gay dance club has declared bankruptcy after almost half a century in business, falling victim to inflation and an evolving party culture threatening Berlin's world-renowned nightlife.

- Deborah Cole

Management troubles and dating apps were among the factors putting SchwuZ on the ropes, and in May the club shortened its opening hours, laid off staff and asked regulars for help to plug a growing shortfall, all to little avail.

"SchwuZ has filed for insolvency," the team posted on Instagram late on Thursday. "But, we don't want to give up!"

The club noted its integral role in Berlin's LGBTQ+ scene since its founding in the lively Kreuzberg district in 1977, helping two years later to launch the Christopher Street Day pride parade and the queer magazine Siegessäule.

"For nearly 50 years, SchwuZ has been more than just a club. It's a second living room. A place for queer art, community, family, resistance," it said. "Many of us have found what we were looking for here: a home, our chosen family and freedom."

SchwuZ, short for Schwulen-Zentrum or gay centre, moved to a much larger space with capacity for 1,000 revellers in trendy Neukölln in 2013, which may have been the beginning of the end.