It currently resides at the location Lützowstraße 73, 10785 in the heart of what was at the time, West Berlin. It has since doubled its size in an expansion project in 2013 that incorporated a former printing factory[2]. The Schwules Museum was constructed in 1985, shortly before when the Berlin Wall came down, and so the Schwules Museum was one of the first cultural centers in Berlin that did not necessarily have a connection to the deep division between West and East Berlin. The museum was established to focus on the history of homosexual men in particular, and so had catalogues that dated back to the 1800s, and a few exhibits even went as far back as the late 1700s, involving photographs and books and recordings and everything else that can be catalogued that detailed the lives of homosexual men. Several exhibits range from the detailing of general life for homosexuals in the past hundred years, to the particularly German context that was the oppression of homosexuals in the Nazi period, as well as exhibits on collaboration between homosexuals over the centuries in their bid for self-determination. Homages are also paid to famous gay people in history, detailing their lives and honouring their achievements. In 2009, the Schwules Museum was granted money from the German government to expand their focus to other sexual minorities rather than purely homosexual German men[3], which makes it currently the most expansive and detailed establishment for the studying of LGBT history. This makes the Schwules Museum potentially the most important POI for the tour, as it is the one that actually details all the history of LGBT people since before the 20^th Century. It is crucial for the understanding of the existence of LGBT people in Berlin, and provides over 20,000 pieces of historical record in their catalogue to study.

[1] Richards, Sara. "Berlin's Schwules Museum, Exploring The Past And Present." NPR. February 17, 2010. Accessed March 22, 2019. https://www.npr.org/sections/nprberlinblog/2010/02....

[2] Wiensowski, Ingeborg, and Ingeborg Wiensowski. "Schwules Museum Berlin: Zarte Fußballer Und Frauen Mit Bart - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Kultur." SPIEGEL ONLINE. July 16, 2013. Accessed March 22, 2019. http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/neueroef....

[3] Konny. "Berlin: Das Schwule Museum Wird Immer Lesbischer." Wayback Machine. Accessed March 22, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20100620185458/http://lesben.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6064:berlin-das-schwule-museum-wird-immer-lesbischer&catid=130:historisches&Itemid=132.

[4] Haeberle, Erwin J. "Swastika, Pink Triangle and Yellow Star—the Destruction of Sexology and the Persecution of Homosexuals in Nazi Germany." The Journal of Sex Research 17, no. 3 (1981): 270-87. doi:10.1080/00224498109551120.

[5] Mclellan, J. "Glad to Be Gay Behind the Wall: Gay and Lesbian Activism in 1970s East Germany." History Workshop Journal 74, no. 1 (2012): 105-30. doi:10.1093/hwj/dbs017.

[6] Whisnant, Clayton John. "Introduction: Gay German History: Future Directions?" Journal of the History of Sexuality 17, no. 1 (2007): 1-10. doi:10.1353/sex.2008.0004.

The Schwules Museum is most likely the most important POI on the tour when it comes to the main theme of it. The museum shows us that the cynicism of LGBT people under the oppression of the Nazis in Berlin had radically changed forty years later; in all the places of the world, most much more tolerant than Nazi Germany towards LGBT people, it was Berlin that made the first steps towards accepting them completely and detailing their history. This is radically unexpected, but it shows that the German people were truly remorseful for those they oppressed and were willing to give concessions and fairer treatments to them. The Schwules Museum gave homosexuals in Berlin a chance to be integrated fully by being granted a place where their history is told rather than shunned and hidden away. This relates to the major theme in this walking tour; to see how the LGBT people went from those who were extremely oppressed under the Imperial government, and then even more so under the Nazis[1], to those who were accepted by the population more or less and found a place where beyond anywhere else in the world, they could find sanctuary and communities to work together and find solace in each other. The Schwules Museum represents this as it is the first in the world to catalog LGBT history; they were ahead of the rest of the world, not long after they were so behind the rest of the world. While perhaps they were not completely aware of all aspects of LGBT life- after all, it was exclusively for homosexual men up until 2009- it was an important first step, and the fact that it was Germany, and Berlin in particular, that made this first step is a crucial point to realize. It is also important, as it was the one who linked the West and East Berlin LGBT community, as it was only very recently constructed when the wall went down[2]. Finally, it shows the interest of the public towards LGBT history, and the possibilities for future academic interest toward the subject, something those whose history is being studied would be thankful about.[3]

[1] Haeberle, Erwin J. "Swastika, Pink Triangle and Yellow Star—the Destruction of Sexology and the Persecution of Homosexuals in Nazi Germany." The Journal of Sex Research 17, no. 3 (1981): 270-87. doi:10.1080/00224498109551120.

[2] Mclellan, J. "Glad to Be Gay Behind the Wall: Gay and Lesbian Activism in 1970s East Germany." History Workshop Journal 74, no. 1 (2012): 105-30. doi:10.1093/hwj/dbs017.

[3] Whisnant, Clayton John. "Introduction: Gay German History: Future Directions?" Journal of the History of Sexuality 17, no. 1 (2007): 1-10. doi:10.1353/sex.2008.0004.