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

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

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

Le Fonque is a small but absolutely cool spot. Located in the scenic Schanze it is a bit hidden in the side street Juliusstrasse, which also means less tourists and more locals.It has been around for 10 years making it one of the old bars (first?) in this district. Le Fonque has soft couches and dark red light that flatters every skin type. The first time I stepped in I thought: oh my god – a small, red, dark, grubby brothel?! Indeed it looks a bit like the backstage room of Moulin Rouge and with a cosy atmosphere.

People are young-at-heart, interested in good music, and of all nationalities. Time seems to stand still accompanied with a professional range of music. Every night there is a live DJ right beside the bar covered with a fresh bouquet of flowers. And for sure: they know their business! The music ranges from funk (of course!) to soul, old school, new school, 70s, sometimes mixed with groovy sounds or elements of house music. All DJs have to pass a hard test of live performance – no demo-tapes!

Astra beer costs € 2,00, other beer € 3,00. Sometimes it’s a bit too smoky and crowded, then it’s better to change to Daniela Bar or BP1 (both at Schulterblatt) and come back later. It’s always a good place for the last nightcap or to stay longer.

Funk – Funky – Le Fonque!

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Le Fonque | Bars, Music | Astra beer € 2.00
Juliusstraße 33 | Schanze | +49404307515
From 22:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

Indie, Rock and 80s music fans can feel at home here. People who like to dance between the twenty-something people are very at home here. This old inconspicuous forester’s house (that’s why it called “green hunter”) is the place for alternative concerts of unknown bands from all over the world.

The entrance fee is around € 2.00 to € 6.00 (you can’t negotiate the price). Every Wednesday there is “Band of the Week” (concerts starts 20:00) for free, give them a try!

The beer is cheap (€2.20). The wine is bad. You can sit in summer outside at tables, or inside on sofas.

During the weekends it is a well filled dance area. Or you can go upstairs to play table fusball or just relax in a relaxed ambiance on old sofas for smoking and talking about all the world.

Once in a while there are theme-nights like watching “Tatort” (famous German criminal series) on Sunday, other cult movies or radio play night.

At the moment they often have free entrance for concerts. Just check out the programme!

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Grüner Jäger | Art & culture, Bars, Music | Beer € 2.20
Neuer Pferdemarkt 36 | Schanze | +494031814617
From 20:00 – open end daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

For only € 2.00 or € 3.00 (common) you will get a girl next-door behind the bar and a good electronic DJ. Here we are! Whenever you come to the Pudel (nobody says Golden Pudel Club – it’s too long).

It is special and different. Whether in the afternoons with cake and coffee, or evenings with quiche and beer or late sitting on the steps watching the habour (it is very close to Park Fiction – check the Park Fiction article) or in morning at 07:00 for the last beer after partying while watching the sunrise before breakfast at the fish-market on Sunday!

With great electronic beats there is sometimes not enough space for everybody shaking their bodies and dancing. Inform yourself about which DJ will play! Go there, dance there, don’t think about the day after!

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Golden Pudel Club | Bars, Music | Entrance € 2.00
Am St. Pauli Fischmarkt 27 | Harbour | +494031979930
From 22:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Frau Hedi Hamburg (by: Kyra Garske)

You want it all crazy and freaking out? Here we go:

This tiny barge has the funniest program I’ve ever seen from “Le Superdisco Française” to “Scandinavian Pop Party” to “Australian Spring Celebration” to “Russian Datscha Party”. Left of all footbridges at Landungsbrücken 10, there you’ll find Frau Hedi every hour (check out the events before).

Have an awesome (and every hour different) way around the harbour with crazy music and dancing. Around 01:00 the party relocates from the barge to the “Frau Hedis Landgang”, a pub in the Schanze (see the Frau Hedis Landgang article).

It’s always great fun for me! One of my best insider’s tips!

PS: During the winter sometimes the barges are frozen in, and there are no events. Check website and weather!

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Frau Hedi | Art & culture, Music | Entrance from € 6.00
Sankt-Pauli-Landungsbrücken 10 | Sankt Pauli | +4917683061071
Fri – Sun from 17:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

This is the place you get to after the boat-trip with ‘Frau Hedi’ (see the Frau Hedi article). Also if you didn’t get a boat ticket, come home to ‘Frau Hedis Landgang’.

This tiny pub has the craziest calendar of events in Hamburg: i.e. “Autumn Sucks Party”, “Club Madame – A Night with Paris (Hilton)”, “Oklahoma Ranch Radio Show”, “Disaster Disco for your Eyes and Ears”, the funny NIGHT TRASH, or the “Live Auction Show” (where you can sell all your old and nasty stuff in an auction show), or the “Konsumboykott Party”. Every time there is a different theme and different people.

It’s hard to explain this spot, go there and have fun! I am serious!

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Frau Hedis Landgang | Bars, Music
Neuer Pferdemarkt 3 | Schanze | +494042102823
Thu – Sat from 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg