Pinneberg - Guide for Gays, Lesbians and Queers

Pinneberg is a district town on the north-western edge of Hamburg. It has no queer scene of its own: there are no gay bars, cafés or saunas here, and the usual gay travel guides list no venues for the town. Queer life in Pinneberg shows up mainly through activism and counselling services, while bars and meeting places are found in neighbouring Hamburg.

The most visible local fixture is Pinneberg Pride, organised by LSVD⁺ – Verband Queere Vielfalt Schleswig-Holstein, the state association for queer equality. It takes place in June on Drosteiplatz, with a march through the town centre, a stage programme and information stalls run by local associations and initiatives. The association can also be reached outside Pride season, for example through the contact form on the Pride website.

For questions about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, the health department of the district of Pinneberg offers AIDS and STI counselling. The office is in the nearby town of Elmshorn.

The nearest large queer centre is the Magnus-Hirschfeld-Centrum in Hamburg. It offers counselling for gay men, for lesbian, bisexual and queer people and for trans people, along with youth and parent support, legal advice and services for queer refugees. Youth groups, self-help groups and social groups meet there, and its bar and bistro make it a place you can simply drop into.

Anyone looking for bars, cafés, clubs or saunas will find them in Hamburg, especially in St. Georg, the city's best-known gay neighbourhood. For people from Pinneberg, Hamburg is the obvious choice for going out, while the local Pride and the district's counselling services keep a queer presence in the town itself.