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)

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

Image by Kyra Garske

Blauer Peter (blue peter) is a phrase from seaman’s language. It comes from the blue-white signal flag, which means the ship sets sail in the next 24 hours and let the seaman on their shore leave know, they have to come back to the ship and let the local pubs know they needed to make out their invoices. The Blauer Peter (meanwhile number IV) has a long pub tradition in the Kiez (Reeperbahn-area).

It’s a good start for a Kiez-tour. Prices are cheap (Astra beer for 1,50 Euro), they have rock and punk music, sometimes a DJ, but this is not a place to listen to high-quality music. The staff is monosyllabic, but quaint. The pub is raunchy and uncomfortable, but a nice place to go after a FC Sankt Pauli soccer game. Oh, and by the way, officially over 18 years only! It was the first pub in Hamburg I’ve seen.

PS: Forget the toilets – naaaaasty!

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Blauer Peter | Bars, Music | Astra Beer € 1.50
Hamburger Berg 19 | Sankt Pauli | +49403194685
Tue – Sat from 20:00

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

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