Hamburg Gay Travel Guide 2025
Upcoming Events in Hamburg
@ Kampnagel (Jarrestraße 20)
From 22:30 @ Nachtasyl (Thalia Theater, Alstertor 1)
About Hamburg and its gay life
The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg – Germany's ›Gateway to the World‹ – is the second largest city in Germany after Berlin, and also an independent state. It is located about 100 km southeast of the North Sea along the river Elbe and has the largest seaport in Germany. Because of the port, the pent-up river Alster and the numerous canals and smaller rivers Hamburg is one of the cities in Europe with the most bridges.
The settlement history of Hamburg began with the Saxons in the 4th century BC. In the 9th century a castle named Hammaburg was built in this place, from which the name Hamburg derived. In the 12th century the settlement was given the port law (Hafenrecht) and special trade privileges which allowed Hamburg to develop into a flourishing commercial center during the Middle Ages. As a member of the Hanseatic League it evolved into a world trading center in the 16th century. In 1558 the first German stock exchange opened in Hamburg, in 1678 the first German opera house followed. Even the decline of the Hanseatic League could do the city no harm, it is still the largest economic center of northern Germany.
Hamburg was hit by numerous disasters that changed the town strongly: the great fire of 1842, the cholera epidemic in 1892, the bomb raids in 1943 during the Second World War and the flood of 1962. Many historic buildings were destroyed or subsequently demolished and new ones were built. Hamburg is in constant upheaval.
After the turn of the millennium, a complete new district was built: the ›HafenCity‹. The most famous building in this complex is the Elbphilharmonie concert hall. Another landmark of the HafenCity district is the ›Speicherstadt‹, a historic warehouse district built in the 1880s. It is the world's largest warehouse complex built on oak piles, and with its neo-Gothic brick architecture it is definitely worth a visit.
And indeed the whole port area with its many attractions
– such as the Hamburg fish market every Sunday, the harbor birthday celebration in May
or the flying visits of many large cruise ships – is a magnet for visitors.
Just around the corner, in the
Hamburg's gay life is concentrated in the
Annual highlights and queer events in Hamburg are the Hamburg Gay Pride (CSD) in early August, the Leatherparty in summer and the queer film festival in October.