Life is Gay in Germany

A New Mini Portal at www.cometogermany.com

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.  www.cometogermany.com

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.  www.cometogermany.com

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).  www.cometogermany.com

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).  www.cometogermany.com

Munich: There are many reasons why the 100,000 gay and lesbian population love calling Munich home. An international metropolis of art and culture, it's 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.  www.cometogermany.com

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