Hamburg's 400-Year Reeperbahn Celebration Faces Local Backlash

Hamburg's city marketing is promoting the 400th anniversary of the Reeperbahn as a major event, but local bars and venues on St. Pauli are refusing to participate. The campaign reduces Hamburg to three clichés: 'Hafen, Musicals, Reeperbahn' (harbor, musicals, Reeperbahn), which critics call ignorant. The article criticizes the marketing strategy as a 'Marketing-Gehühner' (marketing chicken coop), highlighting that even the neighborhood's own establishments are not on board. The piece also references Senator Andy Grote's superlative-laden promotion of Hamburg as the 'best city' for the 'best stadium' during the city's Olympic bid, mocking the tendency of local radio hosts to declare Hamburg the most beautiful city on earth despite there being 12,400 UN-recognized cities. The article underscores Hamburg's fear of losing significance and its reliance on the Reeperbahn's 400-year history as a branding tool.