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The Reeperbahn () is a street and entertainment district in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
's St. Pauli district, one of the two centres of Hamburg's
nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...
(the other being Sternschanze) and also the city's major
red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...
. In
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
, it is also nicknamed ''die sündigste Meile'' (the most sinful mile) and '' Kiez''. The Reeperbahn Festival is among the largest club festivals.


Name and history

The
name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A persona ...
''Reeperbahn'' means
ropewalk A ropewalk is a long straight narrow lane, or a covered pathway, where long strands of material are laid before being twisted into rope. Due to the length of some ropewalks, workers may use bicycles to get from one end to the other. Many rope ...
, which is a place where ropes are made ( nds, Reep = rope, the standard German word is ; = track). Until the 1620s Hamburg's ropewalks had been located in the Neustadt (New Town) quarter of the inner city close to the
Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...
, which then became a densely built up area. Therefore, the ropewalks "had to be relocated outside the city walls on the country road leading toward Altona – which later took on the street name 'Reperbahn'." The street was a ropewalk in the 17th and 18th centuries.


The street and its side streets

The street is lined with
restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...
s, night clubs,
discotheque A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gene ...
s and bars. There are also
strip club A strip club is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease or other erotic or exotic dances. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, and can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style ...
s,
sex shop A sex shop is a retailer that sells products related to adult sexual or erotic entertainment, such as sex toys, lingerie, pornography, and other related products. An early precursor of the modern sex shop was a chain of stores set up in t ...
s,
brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub p ...
s and similar businesses. Between 1997 and 2007 the Erotic Art Museum was open on Nobistor, a street running between the Reeperbahn and ''Louise-Schroeder-Straße''. The ', a
musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...
, is also located at the Reeperbahn. It played
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musical ...
's ''
Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members o ...
'' for many years, after that ''
Mamma Mia! Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent *Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlemen ...
'', an
ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...
-musical, followed by "", ("I have never been to New York"), a jukebox musical featuring hit songs by Austrian singer/songwriter Udo Jürgens, then ''
Sister Act ''Sister Act'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Emile Ardolino and written by Paul Rudnick (as Joseph Howard). It stars Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer forced to join a convent after being placed in a witness protection program. I ...
'' and finally ''
Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burges ...
'', based on the
Stallone Stallone is a given name and a surname of Italian origin, meaning either "stallion" or "cow stable". Joseph Guerin Fucilla, ''Our Italian Surnames'' (1949) p. 132/ref> Notable persons with that name include: Persons with the given name * Stallone ...
film. There are other theatres at the Reeperbahn ( St. Pauli Theater, Imperial Theater, Schmidt's Tivoli) and also several Cabarets/Varietés. A famous landmark is the Davidwache, a police station located on the South side of the Reeperbahn at the cross street '.
Street prostitution Street prostitution is a form of sex work in which a sex worker solicits customers from a public place, most commonly a street, while waiting at street corners or walking alongside a street, but also other public places such as parks, benches, ...
is legal during certain times of the day on '. The ''
Herbertstraße Herbertstraße (until 1922 ''Heinrichstraße'') is a street in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg, located near the ''Reeperbahn'', which is the main red-light district. It is the only street in the city where it is still possible to find prost ...
'', a short side street off the ''Davidstraße'', has sex workers displaying themselves behind windows, waiting for customers. Since 1933, large screens block the view into Herbertstraße from the adjacent streets. Since the 1970s, there have been signs saying that entrance to the street is prohibited for women and juveniles; however, it is a public road which anyone may enter. Many pubs, and street-based sex workers, can be found on the square of
Hans-Albers-Platz Hans-Albers-Platz (''Hans Albers square'') is a square in St. Pauli, Hamburg, Germany. It is one of the most popular places and tourist attractions within the red light district south of the famous street of Reeperbahn.
south of the Reeperbahn. The ' ("Great Freedom") is a cross street on the North Side with several bars, clubs and a Catholic church. In former years, several sex theatres here (''Salambo'', ''Regina'', ''Colibri'', ''Safari'') would show live sex acts on stage. , until its closure in 2013, the ''Safari'' was the only live sex theatre left in Germany.Death of the Reeperbahn: Hamburg's streets of shame
''The Independent'', 21 March 2008
The popular
table dance A table dance, or bartop dance, is a dance performed at (or on) a table or bar, as opposed to on a stage. It may be an erotic dance performed by a sex worker or it may be done as a leisure activity. Sex work In some jurisdictions, a table dance m ...
club ''Dollhouse'' now takes the place of the ''Salambo''. '' Hotel Luxor'', Hamburg's oldest brothel that had operated on this street for 60 years, was closed in 2008. The street's name comes from the fact that Catholics were allowed to practise their religion here at a time when this district did not yet belong to Hamburg; they were forbidden from doing so in Protestant Hamburg proper. In 1967, Europe's largest brothel at the time, the six-floor ''Eros Center'', was opened on the Reeperbahn. It was closed in the late 1980s amidst the
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...
scare. At a major trial during 2006 and 2007 ten members of the "Marek Gang", which controls brothels on and near the Reeperbahn, were charged with
pimp Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term pimp has still ...
ing. The judge rejected the charge of forming a criminal gang and handed out suspended sentences: the men had started relationships with young women in local discotheques in order to recruit them to work in their brothels, an illegal practice if the women are under 21 years of age; some men had also abused some of the women who worked for them. Because of the problems with the high
crime rate Crime statistics refer to systematic, quantitative results about crime, as opposed to crime news or anecdotes. Notably, crime statistics can be the result of two rather different processes: * scientific research, such as criminological studies, vi ...
, in 2007 the Senate of Hamburg enacted a ban on weapons in the Reeperbahn area. The only other such area with a weapons ban in Hamburg is the ', St. Georg. The ''St Pauli Preservation Society'' decries the ongoing
gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ...
of the area. Several older residents blamed the decline of the Reeperbahn's
sex industry The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related ...
on the rise of discotheques and cheap bars that attract teenage customers. In 2013, the Dancing Towers were built at the eastern end of Reeperbahn, symbolizing a couple dancing
tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...
. The increasing number of these and other modern buildings erected at the Reeperbahn attracted criticism by some St. Pauli inhabitants.Club in den Niederungen
Süddeutsche Zeitung, in German
The Reeperbahn was hit hard by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Almost everything had to close.


The Beatles

In the early 1960s,
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
(who had not yet become world-famous) played in several clubs around the Reeperbahn, including the '' Star-Club'', '' Kaiserkeller'', '' Top Ten'' (Reeperbahn 136) and ''Indra''. Stories about the band's residencies, onstage and offstage antics are legendary; some stories are true (
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
played a song set with a toilet seat around his neck), others inflated (the band urinating in an alley as
nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
s walked past was told rather differently later). A fellow musician, Ted "Kingsize" Taylor, made a crude
tape recording An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its presen ...
of their last
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
show, at the Star-Club in December 1962; a cleaned-up version of the tape was later released as an album, later characterized by Harrison as "awful". Famously John Lennon is quoted: "I might have been born in
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
– but I grew up in Hamburg". To mark the historical importance of their time in Hamburg, a '' Beatles-Platz'' was built at the cross of Reeperbahn and Große Freiheit.Spatensich für Beatles-Platz
bild.de Retrieved on June 19, 2008


Popular culture

The popular 1944 movie '' Große Freiheit Nr. 7'' tells the story of a singer (played by
Hans Albers Hans Philipp August Albers (22 September 1891 – 24 July 1960) was a German actor and singer. He was the biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1960 and one of the most popular German actors of the twentieth century. Early life ...
) who works in a Reeperbahn club and falls in love with a girl played by
Ilse Werner Ilse Werner (; born Ilse Charlotte Still, 11 July 1921 – 8 August 2005) was a Dutch- German actress, singer, and musical whistler. Life She was born in Batavia (present-day Jakarta, Indonesia) to a Dutch father, merchant and plantation owner ...
. Hans Albers and
Heinz Rühmann Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann (; 7 March 1902 – 3 October 1994) was a German film actor who appeared in over 100 films between 1926 and 1993. He is one of the most famous and popular German actors of the 20th century, and is considered a Ge ...
played in the 1954 movie ''Auf der Reeperbahn nachts um halb eins'' ('' On the Reeperbahn at Half Past Midnight'', after a song of the same name sung by Albers in the 1944 film). In 1958,
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
ian calypso artiste, Lord Invader recorded a track titled "My Experience On The Reeperbahn". It recalls a time when he was conned by a transvestite. "You cannot tell a man from a woman. I was a man dancing hand in hand with a man dressed as woman on the Reeperbahn". "Reeperbahn" is a 1978 song by
Udo Lindenberg Udo Lindenberg (born 17 May 1946) is a German singer, drummer, and composer. Career Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969, he founded his first band Free Orbit, and also appeared as a studio and guest musician (with Micha ...
, to the tune of Penny Lane, lamenting the decay of the entertainment there. In the 1965 film ''
Ship of Fools The ship of fools is an allegory, originating from Book VI of Plato's ''Republic'', about a ship with a dysfunctional crew. The allegory is intended to represent the problems of governance prevailing in a political system not based on expert kn ...
'',
Jose Ferrer Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya * Jose the Galilea ...
and Christiane Schmidtmer sang "Heute Abend Geh'n Wir Bummeln Auf Der Reeperbahn" ("Tonight We Will Go Strolling on The Reeperbahn").
The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Polic ...
song "Low Life" is about the Reeperbahn. Randy Pie's 1975 song "Kitsch" is about a curiosity shop on the Reeperbahn – the group hailed from Hamburg. Reeperbahn is the name of a 1980s Swedish band. Finnish artist
Irwin Goodman Antti Yrjö Hammarberg (14 September 1943 – 14 January 1991), professionally known as Irwin Goodman, was a popular Finnish rock and folk singer. In the late 1960s he was widely known as a protest singer. He recorded over 300 songs, most of which ...
has a song and an album called ''St.Pauli ja Reeperbahn''. The street is also mentioned in the
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...
song "Human Hands", in
Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...
's song "Heavy Connection", in Paul Kelly's song "Every Fucking City", in the
Midnight Oil Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 ...
song "Mountains of Burma", the
Sloppy Seconds Sloppy Seconds is an American, Ramones-influenced punk band sometimes referred to as a ''junk rock band'' from Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, that started in 1984. They gained notoriety in the underground punk scene with gritty and cont ...
song "Germany" from their album '' Destroyed'' and in the Runrig song "Song of the Earth". The heavy metal band
Blue Cheer Blue Cheer was an American rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, Blue Cheer played in a psychedelic blues rock or acid rock style, and ...
have a song called "Sweet Child of the Reeperbahn" on their 1991 album ''
Dining with the Sharks ''Dining With the Sharks'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band Blue Cheer. It features a cover of Jimi Hendrix's classic "Foxy Lady". Track listing #"Big Noise" (Bruce Stephens, John Rewind, Dickie Peterson) – 4:51 #"Outrider" (Pe ...
''. The punk band The Toy Dolls have a song titled "Caught up the Reeperbahn", first released on their 1993 album '' Absurd-Ditties''. "Reeperbahn" is the name of a track from the Christian rock group
Model Engine A model engine is a small internal combustion engine typically used to power a radio-controlled aircraft, radio-controlled car, radio-controlled boat, free flight, control line aircraft, or ground-running tether car model. Because of the sq ...
's CD ''The Lean Years Tradition''. The Reeperbahn is often mentioned in
Karen Duve Karen Duve (born 16 November 1961 in Hamburg) is a German author. After secondary school, she worked as a proof-reader Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or an electronic copy of a publication to find and correct reproduction error ...
's 1999 novel, '' Regenroman''. (The English translation is entitled ''Rain'').
Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
' 2002 release ''
Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
'' contains a track called "Reeperbahn". Dutch DJ and producer Nicky Romero had the music video for his song "
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...
" shot in Hamburg, Germany. Near the end, the actors enter the Reeperbahn's subway system. Australian pop-punk band the
Hard-Ons The Hard-Ons are an Australian punk rock band, which formed in 1982 in Punchbowl, New South Wales. Its founding members were Keish de Silva on lead vocals and drums, Peter "Blackie" Black on guitar and backing vocals, and Ray Ahn on bass gui ...
have a song called "Don't Fear The Reeperbahn" on their 2007 album ''Most People Are Nicer Than Us''. Its title is a play on the
Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla". The band h ...
song "
(Don't Fear) The Reaper "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is a song by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult from the band's 1976 album '' Agents of Fortune.'' The song, written and sung by lead guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, deals with eternal love and the inevitab ...
". German electro house duo Digitalism recorded the song "Reeperbahn" on their 2011 release ''
I Love You Dude ''I Love You Dude'' is the second studio album by German electronic music duo Digitalism (band), Digitalism, released on 15 June 2011 by V2 Records. The song "Forrest Gump" was co-written by Julian Casablancas of the Strokes. Track listing N ...
''. Udo Lindenberg recorded 2011 a song titled "Reeperbahn" live together with
Jan Delay Jan Phillip Eißfeldt (born 25 August 1976), known professionally as Jan Delay, is a German rapper and singer whose stylistic range includes mainly hip hop, reggae, dub and funk. An accomplished solo artist, he became known to the public as ...
. The commercial
house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...
producer
Eric Prydz Eric Sheridan Prydz (, ; born 19 July 1976), also known by his many aliases including Pryda () and Cirez D (), is a Swedish DJ and music producer. He rose to fame with his 2004 hit single " Call on Me", and saw continued chart success with " Pr ...
has a track titled "Reeperbahn" under his moniker
Pryda Eric Sheridan Prydz (, ; born 19 July 1976), also known by his many aliases including Pryda () and Cirez D (), is a Swedish DJ and music producer. He rose to fame with his 2004 hit single " Call on Me", and saw continued chart success with " Pr ...
. London based indie band
Spector Spector is a guitar manufacturing company. It has been based in Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders ...
have a bonus track titled "Reeperbahn" on the deluxe version of their 2015 album ''
Moth Boys ''Moth Boys'' is the second studio album by English indie rock band Spector (band), Spector, released on 21 August 2015. The album reached number 27 in the UK Albums Chart on the week of its release. Production The album was recorded in New Y ...
''. UK based folk rock band Skinny Lister wrote a song titled "Hamburg Drunk", which depicts a rough night "falling and sprawlling down the old Reeperbahn" on their 2016 album ''The Devil, The Heart and the Fight''.


See also

*
Prostitution in Germany Prostitution in Germany is legal, as are other aspects of the sex industry, including brothels, advertisement, and job offers through HR companies. Full-service sex work is widespread and regulated by the German government, which levies taxes ...


References


External links


Information about Reeperbahn and the St. Pauli district

- links and information about the reeperbahn



Picture from the Reeperbahn


{{Authority control Prostitution in Germany Red-light districts in Germany Streets in Hamburg Tourist attractions in Hamburg