On the go in the north of Hamburg with Anna and Omar Tarin
Welcome to the north of Hamburg! Or more precisely in Barmbek, Alsterdorf, Ohlsdorf and Duvenstedt. The north of Hamburg is a wonderful place to live. Thanks to good transport connections, you can quickly get to the city centre and have plenty of green space on your doorstep. Everything here is a bit more relaxed, but still varied. Moin, we are Anna and Omar Tarin. We run Café Pantarin in Barmbek-Nord – right on the Fuhle, as the Fuhlsbüttler Street is fondly known.
Anna und Omar run the Café Pantarin.
Between city life and village idyll
It’s wonderful to live here. The city centre can be reached in no time, and there is plenty of nature nearby. Those who come from the busy city centre quickly get the feeling they are immersed in a village. Everything works at a somewhat slower pace. Yet, there is a variety of things to see and do. The north of Hamburg offers some special sights, and the architecture is an example of that: Villas in Alsterdorf, typical brick buildings in Barmbek, the modern office complex in City Nord and the thatched cottages in Duvenstedt. Today we are going to take you to the most important sightseeing spots on a tour through the north of Hamburg.
Did you know?
At the Ohlsdorf cemetery, which is the largest park cemetery in the world with over 400 hectares, the resting places of some famous personalities can be visited. Among them, for example, the Hamburg politician Helmut Schmidt and his wife Loki Schmidt.
Taking a deep breath
Today we are going to visit our friends at the in the old train station building in Rübenkamp. The historic building east of City Nord in Barmbek-Nord is worth a visit, and the croissants here have the perfect crunch. Full and satisfied, we take the S-Bahn and get off at the next station, Ohlsdorf, where we are going to spend the rest of the morning in the largest garden cemetery in the world, the Ohlsdorf cementery. However, it would take several days to visit its every corner. The cemetery’s app will help you to orient yourself while also offering interesting background information.
Along the Alster
From there, we will only need a few minutes to the market in Alsterdorf, which invites everyone to a laid-back stroll. We are, then, going to get an ice-cream at Il Gelato (Alsterdorfer Markt 18), followed by a nice walk along the Alster, where your eyes will marvel at the sight of the impressive villas. Those who have a little more time can take the city bike for a ride on the Alster cycle lane. If you are heading in the direction of Poppenbüttel, you will pass by the AEZ, the Alstertal-Einkaufszentrum on your way, which is one of the biggest shopping malls in northern Germany. Another option is to visit the castle of Henneberg (Marienhof 8). This is the only castle in Hamburg and most probably the smallest in the world. Its inside can also be visited.
The chess café is located in the old station building at Rübenkamp.
A stopover at Il Gelato before continuing.
The Alstertal shopping centre shines especially in Christmas lights, but is worth a visit at any time of year.
Music and machines
The Ky Lan Deli (Fuhlsbüttler Straße 397) is going to make us feel as if we were in Vietnam. The Thai-Curry here is so good that we never order anything else: Sometimes with Beef, sometimes Chicken, spicy or mild, but every time incredibly delicious. Right after our culinary excursion to Asia, in the early afternoon, we are going to go travel back in time to the period of industrialization. The Barmbek Museum of Work (Wiesendamm 3) documents the history of the working class of the past 150 years in various permanent and temporary exhibitions. The visitor will be welcomed on the museum site, which initially belonged to a rubber factory, by T.R.U.D.E. The cutting wheel with a 14-metre diameter that was used to extend the Elbe tunnel in 1997 can be found here.
Cake and culture
Another interesting object on the museum site is the tin smeltery (Maurienstraße 19), which is the cultural centre of Barmbek. The after-work singing is the monthly highlight here. This means that many people stand in the middle of the square to sing whatever they like for one hour. Afterwards, we go to Café LüttLiv at the Zinnschmelze (tin smeltery) to try some homemade cake. Later, we will slowly continue to walk along the Fuhle and check out the small stores. (Fuhlsbüttler Straße 414) sells great clothes for children as well as interior design objects in Scandinavian style.
Slowdown and Oriental food specialities
The Bartholomäus Spa (Bartholomäusstraße 95) in Barmbek-Süd is a great opportunity to unwind after a long day. Afterwards, Erkan from (Pestalozzistraße 19) creates the best Oriental dishes. As a starter, we recommend Mezze, a buffet where everyone can fill small bowls with different delicious starters from a counter.
At Morgenland you can expect Oriental delicacies.
Treat yourself!
Curtain pubs and regulars' tables
Our perfect day in the north of Hamburg ends with a pub crawl, because this is the place where you can still find those old “curtain bars” (free translation from German). Each one is cosier than the one before. The cigarette smoke still lingers in the air and the tv shows soccer in a continuous loop. The regulars at the bar are always up for a chat and surely have one or two interesting stories to tell. And what’s best? One typical Astra beer costs only 2 Euro.
