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News
from: Germany Tourism, New York
www.germany-tourism.de
(International)
www.cometogermany.com (U.S./Canada)
Source: Victoria Larson
Published: December, 2008
ABOVE: There's more to Berlin than museums and
monuments.
Life is gay in Germany--and on the new mini-portal at
www.cometogermany.com
NEW YORK -- Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich are coming out
with new information highlighting their gay-friendly accommodations, hotspots,
bars, meeting points and museums as well as special attractions and deals at a
new mini web portal at
www.cometogermany.com.
Gay life is deeply integrated into German culture, and gay communities are
noted catalysts of tolerant, multicultural cities. Christopher Street Day
parades are on many people's agendas for 2009, while others are already looking
forward to the celebration of the Gay Games VIII Cologne in 2010 when some
12,000 participants from more than 70 countries will converge on the city.
Berlin: With approximately 300,000 gay inhabitants, including its
openly gay mayor Klaus Wowereit, Berlin is the third largest gay metropolis in
Europe. The thriving, dynamic and diverse scene has greatly enriched Germany's
capital. Berlin's club scene is legendary. With 150 gay bars, dance studios,
language courses, magazines, pharmacies and even a gay French fries kiosk and a
gay museum, the offerings and events are endless.
On February 13th this year, Berlin hosts the 23rd Teddy Queer Film Awards as
part of the International Berlin Filmfestival Berlinale. In April, the by now
traditional, but definitely not boring, Ostertreffen (Easter Meeting) welcomes
the international leather scene to Berlin. In June the annual Gay Pride week
attracts hundred thousands of visitors before the Christopher Street Day Parade
on June 27th, 2009.
A great place to stay during these events is TOM's Hotel, one of Europe's
largest gay hotels in the district of Schoeneberg. In the same building you find
TOM's Bar, one of Berlin's oldest gay bars.
Cologne: Even though Berlin has the largest gay community in Germany,
Cologne is still the country's secret gay capital. The gay scene in Cologne, the
metropolis on the Rhine, is the oldest and most established in Germany. Every
tenth inhabitant claims to be attracted to members of their own sex. The locals
are down to earth, optimistic and tolerant and the city caters to gay travelers
like no other.
Cologne's Pink WelcomeCard offers more than 100 benefits for art and culture,
leisure, shopping, wellness and gastronomy, as well as unlimited travel on
public transportation. The pink corner facilitates exclusively 'gay-friendly'
deals in the gay scene. The Christopher Street Day Parade in Cologne is one of
the most important in Europe with over 500,000 participants. In November the
"Bear Pride" is one of the most important events in the leather scene worldwide.
Frankfurt: Germany's capital of finance and big business is a
metropolis at the heart of Europe characterized by multicultural, tolerant
inhabitants. Nearly 50,000 gays and lesbians live in the city and many more in
the rural Rhine-Main area. Frankfurt's small and cozy scene caters well to its
local, but very international clientele.
Frankfurt is an exciting mix of fine dining, cool galleries and some of the
best shopping in the country. The pink scene is located in the "Bermuda
Triangle" district north of 'Konstablerwache' train station. Here you can find
some of Frankfurt's most popular bars, coffee places and clubs. Frankfurt's
Christopher Street Day Parade is the oldest in Germany and is held annually
since 1979 (17th - 19th July 2009).
Hamburg: Germany's gay-friendly metropolis in the north is called the "Gate
to the World." The eight-hundred-year-old harbor and the mix of old and new,
tradition and modernity make Hamburg a unique place in Germany. There are
vibrant gay scenes in St. Georg, right in the city center, and along the
infamous Reeperbahn.
Visitors can experience St. Georg's lively culture at one of its many street
festivals. A climate of openness and neighborliness pervades the quarter - with
a non-German population of around 40 per cent, it's also one of Hamburg's most
international too. St. Georg is a district in flux and always worth a look. Here
also the annual Christopher Street Day Parade concludes Hamburg's 3-day Gay
Pride event in August (7th - 9th August 2009).
Munich: There are many reasons why the 100,000 gay and lesbian
population love calling Munich home. An international metropolis of art and
culture, Munich located very close to the Alps in the south of Germany and the
center of Europe. And Munich is special among Germany's gay-friendly cities: The
International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) selected Munich for its
first European annual convention in 2001. Bavaria's capital also has the
distinction of Germany's first city councilor to represent a gay party, the Rosa
Liste, called the "pink party."
On Rose Monday, nearly 1,000 Gays and Lesbians celebrate a big ball with
fancy costumes at the Oberangertheater; and the day after, crowds gather on
Viktualienmarkt, and in and around the Deutsche Eiche Hotel, one of the oldest
meeting points of Munich's gay scene with its Germany's largest gay sauna and
spa. Famous German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Queen's frontman
Freddie Mercury already stayed here. A special twist on an old German tradition
is the Pink Christmas Market, which takes place each December at Stephansplatz
Square.
For detailed information, events, bar and club guides as well as
accommodations take a look at the special gay travel section on the GNTO's
website: www.cometogermany.com
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