The History of Escort Services in Berlin: A Journey Through Time

Before the 1990s, Berlin’s escort scene wasn’t something you’d find in guidebooks. It was hidden in back alleys, whispered about in bars, and regulated under laws that changed with every regime. Today, it’s legal, visible, and part of the city’s fabric-but it wasn’t always this way. The story of escort services in Berlin isn’t just about sex work. It’s about survival, politics, freedom, and how a city rebuilt itself after war, division, and repression.

Prostitutes in the Weimar Republic: A Golden Age of Freedom

In the 1920s, Berlin was Europe’s most liberal city. After World War I, the Weimar Republic lifted moral restrictions. Women worked as escorts in luxury hotels, cabarets, and private apartments. There were no laws banning prostitution-only rules about where it could happen. Brothels needed licenses, and sex workers had to register with police. It wasn’t perfect, but it was open.

Neighborhoods like Kurfürstendamm and Schöneberg became hubs. Famous figures like Marlene Dietrich danced alongside clients who paid for more than just a show. Estimates suggest over 60,000 women worked in sex-related jobs in Berlin alone by 1929. The city had over 1,000 registered brothels. Many were run by women, not pimps. Some even owned real estate.

This wasn’t just about money. For many, it was independence. Women from rural areas came to Berlin to escape poverty, abuse, or arranged marriages. They earned more than factory workers. They dressed well. They traveled. They had control-until the Nazis came.

Nazism and the Erasure of Autonomy

In 1933, everything changed. The Nazi regime saw sex work as a threat to racial purity and social order. Brothels were shut down. Registration was abolished. Women who worked as escorts were labeled “asocial” and sent to concentration camps. Others were forced into military brothels for soldiers.

Prostitutes who had once been visible and relatively safe were now hunted. Police raids increased. Women were publicly shamed. Many disappeared. The state didn’t just ban prostitution-it erased its history. By 1945, the number of women working in sex work had dropped by over 90%. The culture of openness died with the Weimar Republic.

East vs. West: Two Cities, Two Systems

After the war, Berlin was split. In West Berlin, under American and British control, prostitution was tolerated but not officially legal. Police turned a blind eye as long as it stayed quiet. Women worked from apartments or walked the streets near the U-Bahn stations. The Red Light District around Kurfürstendamm slowly returned, but without the glamour of the 1920s.

In East Berlin, under Soviet rule, prostitution was officially illegal. The state claimed it had eliminated exploitation. In reality, it just drove it underground. Women worked in secret, often under pressure from the Stasi or as part of state-sanctioned “foreign exchange” programs. Western tourists paid in Deutschmarks, and some East German women were recruited to entertain them-sometimes under coercion.

There were no brothels. No signs. No advertisements. But the demand never disappeared. Western visitors, diplomats, and soldiers created a quiet but steady market. Women who worked in East Berlin risked arrest, job loss, or worse. The system was brutal, but it worked.

Reunification and the Legalization of 2002

After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the city changed again. West Berlin’s more relaxed attitude began to spread east. But it wasn’t until 2002 that Germany passed the Prostitution Act. This law made sex work legal nationwide-and Berlin became the epicenter.

For the first time, escort workers could sign contracts, pay taxes, and access health insurance. Brothels could operate openly. Advertising became legal. Women could register as self-employed. The law didn’t make everyone happy, but it gave them rights.

By 2005, Berlin had over 2,000 registered sex workers. Many worked independently, using websites and apps to find clients. Others joined agencies that offered security, translation services, and legal advice. The city created a support center near Alexanderplatz for workers to report abuse, get tested for STIs, or find housing.

Unlike in other countries, Berlin didn’t criminalize clients. It focused on safety, not shame. The city even ran public health campaigns: “Know Your Rights,” “Safe Sex Is Your Right.” It was pragmatic, not moralistic.

The Modern Scene: From Back Alleys to Apps

Today, Berlin’s escort scene is diverse. You’ll find students supplementing their income, retirees looking for companionship, and women from Eastern Europe and Latin America building new lives. Many work online through platforms like EscortList or private Telegram channels. Others meet clients in cafes, hotels, or rented apartments.

There are still red-light zones-like the one around Warschauer Straße-but they’re quieter than in the past. Most workers prefer privacy. The city doesn’t police them unless there’s a complaint about coercion or underage work.

What’s changed most? Technology. In 2010, most ads were printed in magazines. Now, they’re encrypted messages. Payments are via cryptocurrency or bank transfer. Clients can read reviews. Workers can screen before meeting. The power has shifted.

There’s also a growing movement for decriminalization beyond Germany. Berlin-based activists have partnered with organizations in Amsterdam and Vienna to push for EU-wide labor rights for sex workers. They argue that legal status isn’t enough-workers need union representation, pension access, and protection from exploitation.

Myths and Misconceptions

People still believe Berlin’s escort scene is full of trafficking or exploitation. That happens-but it’s rare. According to Berlin’s police annual report in 2024, fewer than 12 cases of human trafficking linked to sex work were confirmed citywide. Most workers are German citizens or legal residents with visas.

Another myth: that escorts are desperate or addicted. The truth? Many are educated. Some have degrees in psychology, art, or languages. They choose this work because it pays better than retail or admin jobs. One woman I spoke with in 2023 worked as a freelance translator during the day and offered companionship in the evenings. She said, “I don’t sell sex. I sell time. And I set the price.”

There’s also the idea that Berlin is “wild” or “degenerate.” But the city doesn’t glorify it. There are no neon signs. No strip clubs on every corner. The scene is quiet, professional, and regulated. It’s not about spectacle-it’s about choice.

What You Won’t See in Tourist Brochures

Walk through Kreuzberg on a Tuesday afternoon. You might see a woman in a trench coat talking to someone near the canal. She’s not selling drugs. She’s not panhandling. She’s checking her phone for a client’s message. She has a therapist, a bank account, and a cat named Mika. She’s not a statistic. She’s a person.

Or go to the weekly meeting at the Berlin Sex Workers’ Collective. You’ll hear stories about landlords who won’t rent to them, banks that freeze their accounts, or doctors who refuse to treat them. But you’ll also hear about women who started their own agencies, wrote books, or won court cases against abusive clients.

This isn’t a hidden underworld. It’s a community. And Berlin’s history shows that when you treat people with dignity, even the most stigmatized can thrive.

Why This History Matters Today

Berlin’s journey-from repression to regulation-is a lesson for every city. Criminalizing sex work doesn’t stop it. It makes it dangerous. Legalizing it doesn’t mean encouraging it. It means protecting those who do it.

The city didn’t become a model because it was progressive. It became one because it listened. Workers spoke up. Researchers studied. Politicians changed laws. And now, Berlin offers something rare: safety without stigma.

If you visit Berlin today and see a woman walking alone near the Spree, don’t assume. Don’t judge. She might be an escort. Or a student. Or a tourist. Or a doctor. You won’t know. And that’s the point. In Berlin, people are allowed to be complex. And so is the city’s history.

If you’re curious about Berlin’s escort history, don’t look for glitz. Look for the quiet resilience of people who survived war, dictatorship, and stigma-and still chose to live on their own terms. That’s the real story.