Gay Guide to Hannover
Germany repealed the last of Paragraph 175 in 1994 and opened marriage to same-sex couples in 2017. Hannover's scene has deep roots: the Vulkan Sauna, which began as a restaurant and has run as a gay sauna since 1969, is the oldest gay sauna in Germany, spread over five floors on Otto-Brenner-Straße.
Schwule Sau, an LGBTIQ+ bar and event space in the Nordstadt since 1991, hosts parties, drag and concerts and stays open late at weekends, and Bar Romantis on Lavesstraße is a gay bar that keeps going into the early hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
In the Harz mountains south of the city, near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Haus Waldfrieden is a gay guesthouse and countryside retreat with its own club sauna.
CSD Hannover traditionally opens northern Germany's Pride season on the Whitsun weekend, with a rally on the Opernplatz, a demonstration through the centre and a street festival back on the square.