Mayor Christiane Hinninger says: “By moving into the Walkmühle, we are sending a strong message and improving the Queer Center’s capacity to operate and its commitment to diversity, openness, and social cohesion in Wiesbaden. It’s an important step toward making queer life more visible and giving it a permanent place in our city—and doing so in a location that itself stands for change, creativity, and community engagement.”

Thorsten Karl, chair of the Wiesbaden Queer Center, says: “The new spaces will enable us to expand our programs and collaborate even more closely with other initiatives. The open and creative atmosphere of the Walkmühle is a perfect fit for us.”

Wi-Bau Managing Director Christoph Golla adds: “Despite the structural challenges, we have succeeded in implementing a long-term and sustainable solution that meets both the requirements of historic preservation and the needs of the Queer Center.”

The Queer Center Wiesbaden has been in existence since 2022. Under the city’s funding guidelines, the state capital subsidizes the sponsoring association, Queeres Zentrum Wiesbaden e. V., for rent, equipment, and the operation of the center. 

The QZWi serves as a drop-in center, counseling service, and networking hub for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, intersex, and queer people (LSBT*IQ). The center offers low-threshold counseling services for various life situations. These include coming-out, trans, and psychosocial counseling, as well as support for family members and people affected by anti-LGBT*IQ discrimination, violence, or hate crimes. Through open meeting spaces and group activities, the center creates suitable environments for connection, exchange, and mutual support. Specific programs are tailored to adolescents and young adults, older adults, refugees, and family members.

Until now, the QZWi has been housed in Haus Esch, which is also located on the Walkmühl grounds. At its new location, the QZWi will have approximately 260 square meters of space, providing significantly improved facilities for its work. The move to Haus Metzler is scheduled for October 9. WiBau is providing organizational support for this move and, as part of the “Wiesbaden Engagiert” initiative, is also offering concrete assistance. This will help actively shape and facilitate the launch at the new location.