Image by Kyra Garske

The early bird catches the worm: For everybody who likes to take a long walk or to jog along the Elbe river in the early morning, take a Nordic breeze here:

The big stone, erratic boulder, is the oldest and probably first immigrant of Hamburg. During the Kansan glaciation (around 400.000 years ago) or the Wolstonian Stage (around 135.000 – 200.000 years ago) it came from East-Småland in Sweden to Germany and “slept” on the ground of the Elbe river in the valley till September 17th, 1999.

When they tried to deepen the Elbe river to increase the turning circle of big container ships, the stone became a dangerous obstacle. Divers prepared the Alter Schwede with steel-nets to lift it out of the water. A massive crane singled it out of the water, shortly after it came out it suddenly fell back into the river. Only 5 days later they tried it again, with hundreds of curious onlookers – it worked!

The 217 tons Småland-granite was baptized June 6th, 2000 with Elbe water and given its name: Alter Schweder (old Swedish). Between “birth” & “baptism” are 1,7 or 1,8 million years. The measure is 19,7 meter and 4,5 meter high. For geologists it’s very interesting to see the striation of the glaciers.

In the summertime it’s a nice spot for couples to watch a bit separately the sunset or making a fire with friends.

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Der alte Schwede | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Hans-Leip-Ufer | Harbour
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Gängeviertel Hamburg (by: http://das-gaengeviertel.info/)

In the middle of Hamburg, in one of the countless office districts made out of glass and steel there is the Gängeviertel. Between Valentinskamp, Caffamacherreihe and Speckstraße are 12 houses with historically worthwhile, extensively original old building substances.

Many artists squatted the district and live and work there. Almost every night there are events like concerts, readings, exhibitions, installation and performances – all for FREE! You can visit the buildings from inside daily from 13:00 (except Mondays). The people there are very friendly and open-minded, can give you loads of information and tea.

Discover the different houses and rooms: Puppenstube (dollhouse), Butze (cubby), Tischlerei (carpentry), Fabrik (factory), Druckerei (printing house), Kutscherhaus (coachmen house), Kupferdiebe and Speckstraße.

The Gängeviertel is not only AGAINST everything, they have a new concept, a new use zoning plan. You can find very in detail on www.gaengeviertel.info (click on Nutzungskonzept).

I stop here to explain more about that beautiful, creative place – KOMM IN DIE GÄNGE – get on with it – get your own picture of it – your own view – ask and talk about what you think.

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Gängeviertel | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Music, Relaxing, Theaters | Free
Caffamacherreihe 43 | City center | +4915789119142
Tue – Sun from 13:00 (special events check on website)

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

Well, how to describe a hall which looks like an old, over-years-unused barn or abandoned freight depot which is fairly new built during shooting a film “Soulkitchen” by Fatih Akın? In 2009 the movie “Soulkitchen” was the best German movie of the year. As a kind of lovestory to my beloved city Hamburg, it is about people around a restaurant which is threatened to close.

Now the filmcrew is gone and the Soulkitchen hall is still there. A non-commercial place for art, culture and come together. It is open during events like swing-dance-workshops, concerts, board game parties and many more. Volunteers from Hamburgs district Wilhelmsburg are working there for free.

A small bar with beer, wine, coke and juice you’ll find there beside a cozy couch area for chilling. If it’s not crowded you can rummage in the vinyl collection to be a DJ for a time.

It’s a very nice and very alternative place with loads of good and active people – the opposite of the posh in-crowd.

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Soulkitchen Halle | Art & culture, Bars, Music
Industriestr. 101 | Harbour
Check website for events

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

As Hamburg is full of construction sites, street barriers and excavators, you’ll sometimes find a small oasis of art and neighbor initiative. Like the Fiese Hecke (in English: meany hedge) with is basically just a construction fence around the old Astra-beer-Tower (attention, sometimes cullets fall from above, that’s why the fence is there).

Usually neighbors would say: GET RID OF THE FENCE, but here they say LET THE FENCE STAY. Why not us the fence as a platform for fun, art exhibiton or a regularly “for free”-shop?

Have fun and stay tuned to what more will come (check website otherwise you’ll only see a fence)!

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Fiese Hecke | Art & culture | Free
Gebrüder wolf platz | Sankt Pauli
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Photoautomat Hamburg (by: Kyra Garske)

Do you remember the times when we sat together on laps in that old photo booths and made memories while we made faces?? Well, get back to past in the present and take it for future.

Let’s say: you’re at the flea market on Saturday morning or just for a walk through the Schanze or on your way home after dancing the night away – you definitely need to stop at Photoautomat (photo booth) just right beside the place Alter Schlachthof. You need 2 Euro to get 4 monochrome photos of you (and your friends) – depends on how many there are of you and how many fit in the box. Nothing more to say! Try it!

Please send me your pictures so we could collect them online for a small “We love Hamburg” exhibition.

BTW: There’s another one right beside Haus III&70 [Schulterblatt 73, 20357 Hamburg] and beside the CentralPark beach club [Max-Brauer-Allee 277, 22769 Hamburg].

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Photoautomat | Art & culture, Relaxing | 4 monochrome photos € 2.00
Neuer Kamp 32 | Schanze
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

Less tourists, more St. Pauli’er!

Park Fiction is a collective project by active residents from St. Pauli. It’s a green oasis in the middle of Hamburg with a nice view of the harbour with Blohm & Voss‘ dockyard 10 and 11 . This small (only 1500 m2) artificial park is an absolute insider tip.

The lawn was created in waves and equipped with artificial palm-trees. Lots of bike performers and skaters are around. For children, there is a tartan playground with big tulips on the ground and also (very hard to find in Germany) a dog park.

I really love this small recreational park for reading a book and drinking a sparkling rhubarb juice from the Amphore Café (see the Amphore article) beside.

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Park Fiction | Art & culture, Relaxing
Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse | Sankt Pauli
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

Several times a year I go to Willkomm Höft in Wedel at the Elbe River. Starting in 1952 Hamburg’s welcoming and goodbye-ing all ships which come to the harbour.

This welcome point (footbridge) is dipping the flags and an oldschool voice saying “Willkommen in Hamburg, wir freuen uns, Sie in unserem Hafen begrüßen zu können” (“Welcome to Hamburg, we’re happy to welcome you in our harbour.”). Followed by the national hymn of the ship and many interesting technical facts like how long, how big, how many cargo tons the freighter has loaded, told by one of the six Welcome-Captains from a cabin at the Schulauer-Fährhaus. Now it’s mainly computer-controlled (but still not every Captain uses it), but there are still many cassettes with the 150 national hymns and speeches in 45 languages.

The Schulauer-Fährhaus is a restaurant which I only recommend for a coffee in between many white hairy people, the main dishes are quite expensive and not so good. On the way to toilet you’ll find a permanent and free photo exhibition about the fatal storm floods in 1962 and 1976.

Outside Willkomm Höft there is one of the best fish bistros I know (Strandweg 3, 22880 Wedel). Cheaper than Landungsbrücken and pretty damn tasty. I’d recommend the Schollenfilet in Brötchen (baked plaice filet in bread with salad and remoulade) for around 3,80 Euro or fish cake with potato salad. Go for it!

If you like to check the Willkomm Höft from home, here is a webcam and ships arrival and departure info.

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Willkomm Höft | Art & culture, Relaxing, Snacks | Free
Parnaßstraße 29 | Harbour
Daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

This place in the middle of Schulterblatt is in in absolute contrast to the scenic hip shops and sushi-bars on the Schanze .This former theater has become a successful culture house. In 1989, in response to plans to turn it into a musical theater it was overtaken by squatters and became the alternative culture house it is today.

The facade of the Rote Flora changes every few weeks, from my perspective it is always creatively done. As a political and cultural center, it is the center of a lot of art events, block parties, flea markets, and alternative political neighborhood work.

The parties in the Rote Flora are great, which is a great contrast with the pabulum of the scenic Schanze. The music varies from punk, reggae, dub to drum’n'bass or house. The people are very mixed from alternative rasta-piercing-guys to political activists to (unfortunately too many) just-have-fun party people.

By the way, beside the parties you’ll find a self-help service station for bikes and the Volxküche (with lunch).

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Rote Flora | Art & culture, Bars, Music
Schulterblatt 71 | Schanze | +49404395413
See the program

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Pony Bar Hamburg (by: Kyra Garske)

The service is always amiable, sometimes with their heads up in the clouds, sometimes serving at the table, sometimes self-service, in this seventies furnished Pony Bar. As it’s situated beside the campus of the University of Hamburg, you will meet lots of students shortly before seminars or relaxed after class.

I really adore the red wine there; not really cheap (€ 3.00 to € 4.50), but affordable. Merlot costs € 3.00. All the other beverages are cheap. They offer milk-coffee (€ 1.90) with soy-milk with no surcharge. Try out the fresh mint tea (€ 2.10 ).

The red back room is the music-area. On Mondays songwriters give their best, on Tuesdays there are very good! Open-Mic-Sessions (HipHop), contemporary Life-Jazz on Wednesday, and … and … and …

Beside that I love to watch “Tatort” (famous German criminal series) on Sunday, readings, listen to DJ’s, or watch an exhibition.

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Pony Bar | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Music | Milk coffee € 1.90
Allende Platz 1 | Grindelviertel | +4940428387895
Mon – Sat from 09:00, Sun from 10:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

HVV – Hamburger Verkehrsverbund -public transport company of Hamburg. Beside metro and subway trains as well as busses here we have the public ferries. Every 15 minutes the ferry number 62 travels from Landungsbrücken to Finkenwerder and back (just stay on the ferry). If you have a common HVV-ticket for the day or single ticket for €2.80, don’t miss it.

Fortunately there are no annoying voices from bad speakers trying to explain the harbour with unfunny jokes. Step up on the roof, enjoy the wind and the great view. Start at Landungsbrücken Bridge 3, ferry 62, short stops at Altona/Fischmarkt (see the Fishmarkt article), Dockland/Fischereihafen (see the Dockland article), Neumühlen/Övelgönne (Elbstrand), Bubendey-Ufer and Finkenwerder and back.

If it is too cold, walk down inside the ferry, with great view, too. They even serve hot and cold beverages!

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HVV Fähre | Art & culture, Relaxing | Single Ticket HVV € 2.80
Landungsbrücken Bridge 3 | Harbour | +494019449
See the timetable

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg