Große Freiheit
Encyclopedia
The Große Freiheit is a cross street on the North Side to Hamburg
's Reeperbahn
road in the St. Pauli
quarter. It is part of the so called red light district
or Kiez
.
, did not yet belong to Hamburg; they were forbidden from doing so in Protestant Hamburg proper. The street has still a Catholic church (St. Joseph), situated among rather unholy businesses.
In 1938, when the Nazis changed borders with the Greater Hamburg Act, the street became part of Hamburg. In 1944, the German movie Große Freiheit Nr. 7
with Hans Albers
was named after the road.
In the 1960s, The Beatles
played here, eg. in Große Freiheit 64 (today Indra-Musikclub), and in the Star-Club
(1962–1969 in Große Freiheit 39). The street still hosts music clubs like Große Freiheit 36, Kaiserkeller
and Grünspan
.
In the 1970s, several sex theatres (Salambo, Regina, Colibri, Safari) showed live sex acts on stage. , the Safari is the only live sex theatre left in Germany. The popular table dance
club Dollhouse now takes the place of the Salambo.
In 1975, the German rock band Randy Pie used two views of Große Freiheit for their album "Kitsch": the front cover is a picture of the street at night, while the back cover is the same view but at day time.
In 2008, the Beatles-Platz
square was built.
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
's Reeperbahn
Reeperbahn
The Reeperbahn is a street in Hamburg's St. Pauli district, one of the two centres of Hamburg's nightlife and also the city's red-light district...
road in the St. Pauli
St. Pauli
St. Pauli , located in the Hamburg-Mitte borough, is one of the 105 quarters of the city of Hamburg, Germany. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the Landungsbrücken are a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. Pauli contains a world famous red light district around the street Reeperbahn...
quarter. It is part of the so called red light district
Red Light District
Red Light District may refer to:* Red-light district - a neighborhood where prostitution is common* The Red Light District - the title of the 2004 album by rapper Ludacris* Red Light District Video - a pornography studio based in Los Angeles, California...
or Kiez
Kiez
Kiez is a German word that refers to a city neighbourhood, a relatively small community within a larger town. The word is mainly used in Berlin and northern Germany.-Original Meaning and Etymology:...
.
History
The street was named in 1610 after the fact that Catholics were allowed to practice their religion here at a time when this district, as part of AltonaAltona, Hamburg
Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...
, did not yet belong to Hamburg; they were forbidden from doing so in Protestant Hamburg proper. The street has still a Catholic church (St. Joseph), situated among rather unholy businesses.
In 1938, when the Nazis changed borders with the Greater Hamburg Act, the street became part of Hamburg. In 1944, the German movie Große Freiheit Nr. 7
Große Freiheit Nr. 7
Große Freiheit Nr. 7 is a 1944 German musical drama film directed by Helmut Käutner. It was named after Große Freiheit , a street next to Hamburg's Reeperbahn road in the St...
with Hans Albers
Hans Albers
Hans Philipp August Albers was a German actor and singer. He was the single biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1945 and one of the most popular German actors of the twentieth century.- Life and work :...
was named after the road.
In the 1960s, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
played here, eg. in Große Freiheit 64 (today Indra-Musikclub), and in the Star-Club
Star-Club
The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany that opened Friday 13 April 1962 and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the sixties, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on 31 December 1969 and the building it occupied was...
(1962–1969 in Große Freiheit 39). The street still hosts music clubs like Große Freiheit 36, Kaiserkeller
Kaiserkeller
Kaiserkeller is a night club in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg, Germany, near the Reeperbahn. It was opened by Bruno Koschmider on October 14, 1959. The Beatles had a contract with Kaiserkeller to play there in 1960.-Biography:...
and Grünspan
Grünspan Club
The Grünspan Club is a discotheque located in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded in 1968 as a music club and event centre, in a former movie theatre situated in Grosse Freiheit Road, next to the Reeperbahn. The discotheque became known for concerts and progressive rock.The building, situated at a...
.
In the 1970s, several sex theatres (Salambo, Regina, Colibri, Safari) showed live sex acts on stage. , the Safari is the only live sex theatre left in Germany. The popular table dance
Table dance
Table dance, or bartop dancing, is typically an erotic dance performed at a patron's table, as opposed to on a stage. In some jurisdictions, a table dance may be an alternative to a lap dance, due to laws preventing exotic dancers from making contact with customers...
club Dollhouse now takes the place of the Salambo.
In 1975, the German rock band Randy Pie used two views of Große Freiheit for their album "Kitsch": the front cover is a picture of the street at night, while the back cover is the same view but at day time.
In 2008, the Beatles-Platz
Beatles-Platz
The Beatles-Platz is a plaza in the St. Pauli quarter in Hamburg, Germany, at the crossroads of Reeperbahn and Große Freiheit. It is circular, with a diameter of and paved black to make it look like a vinyl record...
square was built.
Literature
- Uwe Heimowski: Brunos Dankeschön - Geschichten von der Reeperbahn, Neufeld Verlag, Schwarzenfeld 2005, ISBN 3-937896-12-0