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 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

Behind big red walls is the most sinful street of Hamburg. Around 250 women work there, sitting in shop windows, waiting for any male walking the only 60 m street. It’s probably the most polarizing street ever.

Here the history in short: In horrible times of National Socialism there was a prohibition on stripteases and prostitution. But in St. Pauli they couldn’t eliminate the typical business. So it was only allowed in one narrow street – Herbertstraße. To let nobody see what is officially forbidden, the head of Nazi district built barriers on both ends in 1933. Since 70′s there have been big signs forbidding women and teenagers under 18 years to enter.

So that’s why I collected all quotes from male friends, after waiting for them on the other side: „Women in shop-windows flirt with me.”, „In my imagination this street was bigger.”, „Why do women do that?”, „I saw a nurse had hardly got a stitch on.”, „Clear offers everywhere.”, „This way is much shorter, than the long way around!”, „How long did you wait for me?”

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Herbertstraße | Art & culture, Relaxing
Herbertstrasse | Sankt Pauli
24 hours 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

We love you, we love you, we love you, and where you play we follow, we follow, we follow, ’cause we support Sankt Pauli – Sankt Pauli, Sankt Pauli, and that’s the way we like it – we like it, we like it, Ooooohhhhhh – Oooohhhhhh”

There is no big wow-effect if you come in the stadium and you won’t think: jeeesus, this is huuuuge! No, the Millerntor is simple and cult. Here I lived through cheers to black despair, from being stunned till my eyes were filled with tears. The fans are unique! The football players step in the arena supported by AC/DC‘s “Hells Bells”, the people sing and dance everywhere and show the brown and white colors of their flags.

That moment gives me goosebumps. Old-punks and alternatives, students and businessmen come together singing the same songs. Not only is the game important but also the atmosphere. Whether you come just for a beer (of course Astra €3,50) or jumping and singing with the Ultra Sankt Pauli Fans in the south stand.

If FC Sankt Pauli scores, Blur’s “Song 2″ is the song of the moment. If they lose the game, there is only one sentence in the air: “As a fan of St. Pauli you need to be suffering!” and singing goes on: Oooooooooooooolé, forza Sankt Pauli!

BTW: in summer (mid Jun-mid Aug): Movienights at Millerntor. opens:20:30, starts: 21:30 -after sunset. Prices are affordable: movie €6, Astra €3,50 & popcorn €1,50.

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Millerntor-Stadion | Art & culture, Relaxing | Entrance for the South Stand € 11.00
Auf dem Heiligengeistfeld | Sankt Pauli | +494031787451
See program

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Oberstübchen

The guys from the Krug (check the Krug Weinstubezi article) opened up a new space this summer: Oberstübchen. The Oberstübchen is located directly over the club Pudel Club (check the Golden Pudel Club article) in the Park Fiction (check the Parc Fiction article). 

In the summer you sit on their awesome terrace. Now in winter you hang out in a very cosy room, with lots of wooden interior and with a fantastic view over the harbor. You can enjoy different dishes, from soups and salads, to pasta or coq au vin. They have some cultural events in the evening as well, so you might check their facebookpage for that. Throughout the winter months they are only open in the evening during the week, on the weekends they are open from 11:00 for breakfast!

Not much to say, it is a nice place, with good food and good wine. You should go there. 

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Oberstübchen | Art & culture, Bars, Restaurants (Intern.) | Main dish € 14.90
St. Pauli Fischmarkt 27 | Sankt Pauli | +4915112200488
Tue – Fri 18:00 – 00:00, Sat: 11:00 – 01:00, Sun 11:00 – 19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Louise Kunth

The Brachmanns is a combination of a restaurant with a small gallery in the basement and a nice bar. Some of our friends used to celebrate their birthdays there, as there is a room you can rent for a party after the dinner. The Brachmanns is located in central St. Pauli so it is a good starting point for a night out anyway.

Brachmanns Galeron’s kitchen is high quality plain fare with a Southern German touch. They have only a few dishes which are scheduled on the handwritten menu. You should definitely try the typical south german “Maultaschen” (pasta squares filled with meat and spinach) – tasty!

What I especially like is that they get their meat only from a traditional family-run Hamburg butcher. But you will get some very good vegetarian dishes their as well. I feel fine there because I like the atmosphere, the service, the clientèle and the warm interior.

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Brachmanns Galeron | Art & culture, Restaurants (German) | Main dish € 12.00
Hein-Hoyer-Straße 60 | Sankt Pauli | +494067305123
Wed – Mon 18:30 – 23:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Ute Kreitz

The air is filled with the shouting and yelling of vendors, clusters of people are crowding around stands and trucks, empty cardboard boxes are flying, bags are stuffed with fish, baskets are filled to the rim with produce and sold for as little as € 20.

Hamburg’s fish market is legendary and simply a must for every visitor. Since 1703 merchants have been trading everything you can imagine. Today the choice of products ranges from a wide selection of seafood and meat, exotic fruits and veggies, pastries, household items, Hamburg souvenirs to live animals including guinea pigs, bunnies, geese and chicken.

A unique feature of this market is that many items are sold and traded in bulk, often directly from the truck. Things get very hectic and exciting for both merchants and customers when closing time is announced over the loud speaker – gotta make that last deal!

In addition to the early birds, many night owls come here to conclude a long night on Reeperbahn with a fish sandwich and some coffee. The brunch at the historic “Fischauktionshalle” (fish auction hall) with live music (Jazz, Country, Western, German classics) is special highlight!

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Fischmarkt | Art & culture, Shopping
Fischmarkt 2 | Sankt Pauli
Oct – Mar: Sun 07:00 – 09:30 | Apr – Sep: Sun 05:00 – 09:30

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Ute Kreitz

Let’s descend to the bottom of the Elbe river! The old Elbe tunnel, opened in 1911, is one of the oldest still operating tunnels in Europe. Open to traffic and pedestrians, it connects the inner city of Hamburg at Landungsbrücken (north entrance) with the shipyards at Steinwerder (south entrance). The south side of the Elbe river offers a spectacular view of Hamburg’s cityscape that is most impressive when it’s lit at night.

If you feel daring, walk down the staircase, which takes you 24 m below the surface. If you’d rather save your energy, hop onto one of the elevators instead. The best time to explore during the week is after 20:00, or on weekends when the tunnel is closed to traffic. Take in the full scope of the decorative elements, and admire the glazed ceramic reliefs depicting maritime motifs on the walls of the 426 m long tiled tubes.

Recently, this historic landmark has inspired various annual projects: For the past 8 years, 100 Marathon Club Deutschland e.V. has been organizing the Elbtunnel marathon every last Sunday in January. Since 2007, ElbArt has been inviting local artists to exhibit their work in the tunnel in the summertime.

Currently, the tunnel is under construction (until 2012) with only one accessible tube. You’ll find the entrance of the tunnel (with elevators and stairs) to the right of the Landungsbrücken gates. When you get to the south side, turn right (make a u-turn) and walk around the back of the building to the Elbe platform.

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The old Elbe tunnel | Art & culture, Music, Relaxing, Festivals & events | Free
Landungsbrücken 7 | Sankt Pauli | +4940428474742
24 hours daily for pedestrians & cyclists

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Ute Kreitz

For the more athletic adventurer, Hamburg has something fun in store: discover the city on inline skates! Come out on a Sunday afternoon to join a weekly group skate for a 2-hour tour of some beautiful spots in Hamburg. Regardless of whether you’re just visiting or new in town, this group of fun loving locals is always happy to welcome newbies. The only requirement for participation is that you have some experience and know how to brake!

Meeting point for this year-round activity is the ice rink at Planten un Blomen, and from there you’re off to Fleethof, Jungfernstieg, Mönckebergstrasse, Speicherstadt, Hafencity, Landungsbrücken, and Reeperbahn. The tour usually concludes with a nice dinner at a restaurant in Schanze. A decent, comfortable pace and frequent stops will allow you to keep up with the group, and give you the opportunity to get acquainted with your fellow skaters. I bet you will learn a lot of interesting facts about the various spots.

The annual highlight of this recreational skate is the celebration of both the beginning and the end of the skating season (spring and fall). This tradition involves skating around town in costumes, which always attracts quite a lot of attention. So what are you waiting for?!

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Stadttour Hamburg | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Holstenwall 26 | Sankt Pauli
Sun 16:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg