The southern German city of Nuremberg is planning to open what is expected to be the nation's first shelter for gay asylum seekers.

Up to 10 gay and lesbian refugees are to be housed in an empty two-storey dwelling in the city centre, the operators of the accommodation, the city's gay community group Fliederlich said on Monday.

Gay refugees were often discriminated and even physically attacked in asylum accommodation, Fliederlich said.

It estimates that of the 8,000 refugees at present housed in Nuremberg, up to 600 are gay.

Nuremberg city authorities are to meet the cost of the shelter, with the first refugees expected to move in the coming weeks.

Similar accommodation for gay refugees is also planned for Berlin.

Local authorities across Germany have been struggling to accommodate the influx of migrants into the country with the total number of newcomers entering the nation topping one million last year.