‘Green Hamburg Bunker’ opens: Spectacular addition to a high-rise bunker with roof garden, culture, hotel and catering
Hamburg, 04 July 2024 - It is the most spectacular construction project in Hamburg since the opening of the Elbphilharmonie: the extension and greening of a gigantic high-rise bunker from the Second World War opens its doors to the public on 5 June after several years of construction in the heart of the St. Pauli district. In addition to the already opened REVERBB by Hard Rock Hotel, exciting gastronomy, a memorial for victims and forced labourers of the last world war and plenty of space for district culture, the Hamburg Bunker offers plenty of greenery in the middle of the city with a public roof garden at a height of 58 metres and a ‘mountain path’. Over the past five years, the ‘Green Bunker’ has become a new creative, urban experience for Hamburg residents and tourists from all over the world. It is Hamburg's new architectural, urban development and tourism highlight in the middle of the lively St. Pauli district, with a unique panoramic view over the city and improves the (urban) climate with its greenery.
Hard to miss in Hamburg since the Second World War: A grey concrete colossus towers out of the Heiligengeistfeld, right in the heart of St. Pauli. For decades, it has housed media companies, an award-winning music club and the premises of the classical orchestra ‘Ensemble Resonanz’. Now it has been extended and turned into a pioneering landscape architecture project that is probably unique in the world. Five new floors tower over the grey concrete block built as an anti-aircraft bunker in 1942, plus an elaborate planting scheme. Since 2019, the building has grown by 20 metres to a total of 58 metres, with a crane lifting over 20,000 trees, shrubs, bushes and plants to the top. Almost 10,000 square metres have been planted. The private investor invested around 90 million euros in the extension and greenery. The result is public spaces for culture, leisure and catering.
360 degrees Hamburg: the roof garden on the Hamburg Bunker
City garden, vantage point with panoramic views, natural oasis: the roof garden on the Hamburg Bunker, which is open to the public, offers a spectacular 360-degree view of Hamburg from a height of 58 metres and is sure to become a new hotspot in the city. It can be reached either via 335 steps or via the 560 metre long ‘mountain path’ lined with railings, which starts at ground level on the north side of the bunker and offers impressive panoramic views in all directions as you ascend. A total of 4,700 trees and 16,000 shrubs were planted on the bunker. In this way, around 10,000 m2 of green and communal areas were created under the supervision of scientists. This makes the Hamburg Bunker an international flagship project for climate adaptation in large cities. Visiting the bunker via the mountain path is of course free of charge. The public areas are open in summer between 7am and 11pm. The roof garden offers space for a maximum of 900 people, whose access is controlled by AI-supported camera surveillance.
A unique concept: the hotel as a cultural melting pot
The opening of the REVERB by Hard Rock Hotel Hamburg, which takes up a large part of the extension, is also a première. It is the first hotel of the new Hard Rock brand in Europe and, with its 134 rooms and suites, is based on a unique concept: it is intended as an energetic, cultural centre to connect and inspire artists, music fans, locals and travellers; events such as concerts and performances by up-and-coming artists are also planned.
Guest flats for artists and creative catering concepts
The REVERB Hotel has a special feature in addition to its traditional hotel operations: Three 40m2 furnished guest flats for artists or scholarship holders can be booked by Hamburg's cultural institutions in future; they must register in advance with the Ministry of Culture and Media. ‘We are delighted to be able to offer creative minds an inspiring place where artists can experience their time in a very special atmosphere,’ says Till Westheuser, Hotel Director of REVERB Hamburg, ’Supporting the cultural and media sectors is essential for us, especially as part of the neighbourhood.’
In addition to the hotel operations, there are five catering outlets on the bunker, which are accessible to hotel guests and all other visitors: the ‘Constant Grind’ as a coffee shop with a panoramic view, the ‘Karo & Paul by Frank Rosin’ as a three-storey bar with live music, the main restaurant ‘La Sala’ and the Green Beanie on the roof garden with a changing gastronomic offer.
A bunker for the neighbourhood of the St. Pauli district
Residents' initiatives from the neighbouring Karo and Schanzenviertel districts were involved in the planning of the project. In addition to the more commercial offerings, the Georg-Elser-Halle is a new three-field hall for 2,200 people, which is used for concerts and cultural events as well as school sports and spaces for neighbourhood culture. There will also be a memorial and information centre on level 0 for the victims of the Nazi regime and the Second World War - in particular the more than 1,000 forced labourers who erected the building within 300 days in 1942.
A threatening concrete block associated with terrible experiences is thus also being transformed into a positive, green place with a high quality of stay for the neighbourhood, which enriches the densely populated district.
More information on the Hamburg Bunker can be found at hamburgbunker.com (hotel, catering, roof garden) and www.bunker-stpauli.de (construction project).