Hanseplatte, the ultimate record store in the Alte Rinderschlanchthalle
MARKTSTRASSE
Wilkommen in Karolinenviertel! , an area that hardly occupies a dozen sidewalks and a small park. But this is the crux of it all , the father of the hipstery that surrounds the northwest of the city. The Bible of Hamburg's indie behavior can be found on its most unique street, the Marktstrasse. Its heyday has been intimately linked with the opening of stores for young designers who create, recycle and bet on their ideas to the breath of other antique, record and design showcases that years ago only had a place here, far from the Starbucks and H&M circuit of the center. And then, of course, you can not miss the cheerful graffiti or the colorful terraces on its wide sidewalks to finish off the decoration.
masculine elegance
In its 500 meters long, the Marktstrasse is squeezed until it cannot be more creative. in a way invites you to walk around and enjoy yourself almost like a museum thanks to the windows and displays of show-shops like Holy Moly , YBDPT , Pussy Deluxe , Lilit Mode, Sium , or the mega burlesque Jungbluth . Another thing is to decide to buy since their prices usually go hand in hand with the high dose of originality and posture. Of course, all signatures proudly bear the seal of ‘handmade in Sankt Pauli’ like a pirate flag. Perhaps the biggest business and at the same time the paradigm of this indie-expensive thing is Herr von Eden, the temple of elegant men that has managed to consolidate itself and go out to other cities such as Berlin or Cologne.
Yeah Boy!
But the marktstrasse It also has intermediate points for all tastes and pockets like the Hot dogs , a pioneer in rescuing discontinued sneakers; florists like Saxifrage and cafes like the Gretschen Villa , the Sehr Schmeck or the friendly Yoko Mono bar . From its terrace you can see the small park where this street ends and where one last ace is kept up its sleeve: a cooperative vegetable garden in the middle of the garden cared for by all and made for all.
sweet all over
ALTE RINDERSCHLACHTHALLE
To the square of the old slaughterhouse is accessed without being able to ignore the fact that behind them rises the Flakturm IV , the great anti-aircraft bunker in the city. Since it was and is effective and, therefore, indestructible, now there is only the arduous task of giving it some use. It was a perfect camera obscura for developing photographs and even the meeting place for local fans to watch the 2010 World Cup, since a giant screen was placed on its roof. In the end, it was decided that the best use to which it could be put was as temple for endless electronic party. In other words, a house for him. Uebel und Gefaehrlich Club .
The temple of the endless electronic party
But returning to this square, what is striking is its stands and its great graffiti at the end, as well as the two naves that close it on the sides . How could it be otherwise, both spaces are full of key establishments for the regeneration of rogue Hamburg. Starting with him hanseplate , the most legendary record stores in town. Albums and vinyl from the best local and national groups are kept here. A kind of altar for remembrance where it is claimed that this city has always been the capital of rock music in Germany. Then there is the terrace Knust , a den of the good ones and also a stage where everything has a place and that has an itinerant and grateful audience.
The final highlight of the Alte Rinderschlachthalle is the Die Schlumper foundation, an art workshop and gallery where students with some mental disability they paint and express themselves on the canvas . It is worth taking a look and learning a little more about outsider art and its positive effect.
The temple of sound memory
SCHULTERBLATT
The most legendary street in the Schanzen neighborhood It is presided over by the building-icon of the scene in Hamburg. The Rotate Flora , the former Tivoli theatre, had been one of the few theaters to survive the wars. After having been a shopping center it ended up being abandoned and occupied by the most unruly inhabitants of the neighbourhood, who made it useful as market and political center where protest and left-wing ideas (very exotic in Hamburg) were the common trend. This symbol is a magnet for artists, multicultural restaurant terraces and original cafes that are scattered along this street.
spend the afternoon in the Piazza Schanze the Petisco or the Bedford Cafe it is waiting for something to happen on the sidewalk, for some street jazz concert to break out without warning or for some jugglers to reach glory without expecting it. Then the street returns to normal step by step, although the shop windows continue to be a tribute to the gastronomic globalization. The last stop on this safari is at the Zoe Sofabar , a cafe that has become famous for its large armchairs and his taciturn and chipped appearance.
Sofabar is and in sofabar you will relax
GROSSE FREIHEIT
The name of 'Great Freedom' comes from pearls to this street. Plagued with neon signs advertising sex shops and show girls, the icon of Sankt Pauli at night is also the center of its regeneration . And he does it by going back to the magic of the 60s, giving importance to the gambling dens where the Beatles played for the first time and leaving aside their redder side . Of course, nobody should be scared if the sordid lights of ** Susi's Show Bar are reflected in the statue of the four from Liverpool located at the beginning of the street.**
Davidwache Police Station and St. Pauli Theater
The night forces to make, at least, two stops. The first, at Indra , a random joint where they remember with cute stuffed animals that the Beatles played here for the first time. The second, at Grosse Freiheit 36 and its Kaiser Keller, more consolidated as the old nightclub with long queues and expectation at its door. A throbbing and extremely sprawling place where you can attend concerts by Don Omar or Crystal Fighters. However, the new Sankt Pauli at night really has to be found outside its oldest street, at the Mojo Club bar , the place of fashion and funnel where a generation that wants to change the neighborhood and solidify it as a place of both creative and economic prosperity converges. Long live Sankt Pauli and its inexhaustible source of discord.
*** You may also be interested in...**
- Hamburg: sin and Beatles music in Sankt Pauli
- The magic list of the Hansa I: Lübeck and Travemünde
- The Hansa II Magic List: Hamburg
- The magic list of the Hansa III: the island of Sylt
- Germany Guide
- All articles by Javier Zori del Amo
Jazz Cafe at the Mojo Club