The pubs, clubs and bars west of Nollendorfplatz in Berlin's Schöneberg district are known far beyond the borders of the capital.

The nightlife district is called the Regenbogenkiez;

even the subway station at Nollendorfplatz shines in rainbow colors at night.

There are around 100 addresses here that have to do with the gay, lesbian and trans scene.

The district, which has been a tradition since the 1920s, is a tourist magnet for the district.

"We advertise worldwide with the largest rainbow neighborhood in Europe," says Angelika Schöttler, the district mayor of Tempelhof-Schöneberg.

In the corona pandemic, it has become quiet in the streets.

But soon tourists from all over the world will be back to celebrate here.

Markus Wehner

Political correspondent in Berlin.

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    But that is only one side of the colorful area. It is also a lucrative place to live, and many residents are disturbed by the nocturnal noise. The area is also attractive for criminals, and in some places there are deals. In addition, there are repeated attacks against gays and transsexuals. Many of them are reluctant to call the police and do not want to file a complaint. Schöttler considered how she could improve the situation in the neighborhood and visited Amsterdam. There was a large square there, says the Social Democrat, where the police couldn't deal with similar problems. The situation became significantly better through the use of social teams. The district mayor, who is out in the neighborhood on Friday with her party friend, the Berlin Senator for the Interior, Andreas Geisel, is trying toto adapt the Amsterdam concept to a small-scale street district. Prevention aims to defuse conflicts at an early stage and prevent violence.

    The night mayor should mediate

    A small wooden house on wheels on the corner of Fuggerstrasse and Eisenacher Strasse represents the new concept. It says “Info Point Regenbogenkiez”. It is the meeting point for two projects. They call themselves night mayors and night lights. The night mayor, a team of two to three people, is supposed to mediate between the operators of the pubs, bars and clubs, the tourists and the residents. He can be approached four hours a day, says Sebastian Finke, one of the night mayors and at the same time head of a gay anti-violence project called Maneo in Berlin. He sees it as his job to mediate between the interests of the various groups in the neighborhood. He also wants to advertise the rainbow neighborhood,wrote a book about the “historical places and dazzling characters” of the district in the twenties and thirties. However, everyday life is often more mundane: for example, people who use drugs in public or get drunk, speak to them and ask them to go somewhere else.

    The night lights are also on the nights on Saturday and Sunday as well as before public holidays and long weekends. There are two to four, sometimes six people. They wear white jackets, with which they are easily recognizable even when they are on duty for six hours from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. They have no police powers. But they should show their presence, de-escalate in the event of a conflict or even call the police.