Munich - cosmopolitan city with a heart for gays
Munich, the world-famous capital of Bavaria, still has a reputation for being too conservative, too clean and too boring. But just in the last ten years, Germany's third largest city, which is also one of the leading international business centers, has developed into a diverse and tolerant metropolis. As far as the gay scene is concerned, the city has a long tradition. As early as 1967, the Ochsengarten, the first leather fetish bar for men in Germany, opened here, one of the first Christopher Street Days took place, and with the Munich party Rosa Liste, the first gay and lesbian electoral group in Europe entered a local parliament in the 1990s. The AIDS Memorial at Sendlinger-Tor-Platz, designed by Wolfgang Tillman, is one of the few monuments of its kind in Germany.
The gay nightlife in Glockenbachviertel
Today, as in the past, the Glockenbachviertel around Gärtnerplatz is the most popular meeting place for the gay scene, but much has changed in recent decades. Much of the nightlife no longer takes place in explicitly gay bars and clubs, but in mixed venues. This is partly because the search for contacts has shifted heavily to the Internet and dating apps. Still, of the city's 23 gay bars, more than 10 are located in the Glockenbachviertel, including the legendary Ochsengarten, the famous club Jenny was a friend of mine and the Prosecco Gay Bar. The Sub Schwulen Zentrum München organizes a big street party in the Glockenbachviertel every year and when the weather is nice, people like to party at Gärtnerplatz or in front of the neighborhood's trendy bars. Wednesday is considered gay day in the Glockenbachviertel.
Popular gay meeting places
Munich owes much of its charm to its fantastically beautiful location in the foothills of the Alps. The city on the Isar has an exceptionally high recreational factor. In the surrounding area there are numerous lakes and in the middle of the city you will find the famous
English Gardenall ideal places for extensive gay cruising. The total of 29 cruising areas are easily accessible by car or public transport. There are parking lots, flaps and subway stations, whereby gay cruising is most beautiful directly in Munich at the Isar gravel bank, the Flaucherinsel around in the English Garden. A little bit outside you can find wonderful places at the Bavarian lakes like the Feldmochinger See, Tegernsee or Ammersee. If the weather is bad, you can go to one of the 10 gay cinemas in the city to socialize.
Gay highlights and queer events
For gay visitors and locals there is a lot going on in Munich all year round. In addition to major events such as the CSD in July, Gay Sunday at the Oktoberfest in the fall, the Starkbier festival in the spring and numerous gay street festivals in the Glockenbachviertel in the summer, most gay bars and clubs hold regular events. Although the number of gay venues has decreased since the 1970s and 80s, a visit to a gay sauna is still one of the highlights of a city tour. The three gay saunas in the city area offer you an excellent opportunity to get in touch with locals. The
Gay sauna German oak in Glockenbachviertel has been one of the most popular meeting places for gay men of all ages and types since 1995. It can accommodate 300 people and has four floors with very clean and well-maintained facilities such as a Finnish sauna, salt sauna, whirlpool, steam room, dark room and bar.
Whether you want to spend just a weekend or a whole vacation in Bavaria, Munich is definitely the ideal place for gay visitors. If you want to be even closer to the Alps, you can also explore the gay scene in Rosenheim.
