Das ist fantastisch: German erotica adapts to new times 0 12

Any millennial who grew up in the CIS countries has noticed that Germans know a thing or two about pornography. It just so happened that adult films made in Germany became a kind of meme in Russia and neighboring countries. In the Federal Republic of Germany, the production of porn was given the "green light" relatively early, in the 1970s. Adult cinemas: over the years, Germans managed to shoot quite a variety of often eccentric content.

One can talk for a long time about how the porn industry developed in Germany. But in this material, we will focus on one aspect of this "culture," Pornokino, adult cinemas.

Adult Cinemas: The Early Years and the "Golden Age"

The emergence of such cinemas is a direct consequence of both the sexual revolution of the 60s and the liberalization of legislation related to erotic cinema. The ban on filming porn disappeared in 1974. This freed the hands of producers and directors. It also allowed for the opening of specialized halls across the country.

In fact, the largest and most well-known network of Pornokino became the PAM-Kinos franchise. They devised a clever scheme. The laws allowed for the screening of erotic films. But charging money specifically for showing porn as the main service was not allowed. Shrewd entrepreneurs registered the cinema as a café and charged for drinks. The film was a pleasant "bonus." This is somewhat similar to how today in Russia one can order alcohol and cigarettes at night as a "gift" with a lighter.

The main focus of PAM-Kinos was on American porn films. For the German audience of the mid-1970s, they seemed more explicit than domestic counterparts.

Pornokino halls often opened in train station areas, on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg, in red-light districts—where an entertainment industry for adults already existed. Unlike regular cinemas, films were shown non-stop, with one screening lasting several hours. In small halls (or individual booths), mostly men came. For some, going to a pornokino was simply a way to find shelter: tickets were quite inexpensive, and one could stay inside for a long time.

Fairly quickly, hundreds of sex cinemas appeared throughout West Germany. Often, many regular halls that were losing viewers began showing porn to survive. Even theaters did not shy away from screening "adult content." For example, there is such a page in the history of the Imperial Theater in Hamburg, where detective and crime plays are now staged.

Adult Cinemas: The Decline of Pornokino

VHS doomed Pornokino to extinction. As soon as the first tapes appeared and people could watch porn films at home, the fate of specialized cinemas was sealed. The last nail in the coffin was driven by the internet.

However, not all halls have died out. They can still be found. For example, a cinema in Cologne on Henninger Weg is still operating. Additionally, some sex shops in Germany still maintain booths where adult films can be watched. And there are still specialized establishments in red-light districts.