Institut für Sexualwissenschaft [Institute for Sexual Research] – one of the most striking manifestations of Berlin’s newfound modernity. Set up in 1919 by Dr Magnus Hirschfeld, this was no hole-in-the-wall operation but a serious attempt to address scientifically a vast range of sexual behaviour. A major part of Hirschfeld’s mission was to persuade the world that homosexuality was neither a disease nor a crime but a perfectly normal part of the human condition.
