Hamburg's Largest Open-Air Gallery

 

 

The city brings art to life in the middle of its streets, squares, and façades. With historical sculptures, provocative installations, and enormous murals, the Hanseatic city transforms everyday life into an open-air museum. Keep your eyes open to discover inspiring, irritating, and thought-provoking works of art at any time and free of charge.

 

 

SCULPTURES: CLASSICS THAT STAY

"Three Men in a Boat" by Edwin Scharff

Right on the Alster, the "Three Men in a Boat" by renowned sculptor Edwin Scharff glide seemingly weightlessly across the water. They have long been an iconic image in Hamburg. A typical Balkenhol piece: straightforward, human, and full of quiet poetry.

"The Mourner" by Fidel Binz

At the Ohlsdorf Cemetery, "The Mourner" evokes both loss and hope. This touching piece is one of the quiet masterpieces in public spaces, showing how powerful sculptures can be without causing a stir.

"Gesellschaftsspiegel" by Olafur Eliasson

On the Alter Wall, Olafur Eliasson's "Gesellschaftsspiegel" invites you to see the sky in a new way. These monumental kaleidoscopes reflect light and clouds in multifaceted ways, showing how art can transform one's view of the city.

Beatles-Platz Square, St. Pauli

Where their star once rose, a special sculpture now commemorates the early years of the Beatles. Life-size silhouettes of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, as well as founding members Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best, form a silent memorial on the Reeperbahn's Beatles Square. The installation, designed like an oversized record, builds a bridge between music history and urban art. Here, in the heart of St. Pauli, the past comes alive, and the streets of Hamburg echo with rock 'n' roll.

 

 

INSTALLATIONS: TEMPORARY AND ALWAYS SURPRISING

Art in Progress: Temporary Art
Whether at the Rathausmarkt, the Deichtorhallen, or in HafenCity, Hamburg regularly creates temporary art installations that shape the cityscape and the debate. Many of these works invite interaction or address current social issues, making them not only beautiful, but also relevant.

"Blue Port" by Michael Batz
Every few years, light artist Michael Batz transforms the Port of Hamburg into a blue work of art. Buildings, cranes, and ships glow an intense blue, immersing the city in an almost surreal atmosphere. It's a spectacle that shows just how much art can change a space.

 

 

MURALS: WALL ART IN XXL

 

Street Art Between Wilhelmsburg and Harburg
South of the Elbe, Hamburg becomes an open-air gallery. In Wilhelmsburg and Harburg, colorful murals depict the city, politics, and poetry. Projects such as "Walls Can Dance" bring entire facades to life. Tip: The best way to experience the art is by bike, going from wall to wall.

Gängeviertel and Schanzenviertel

Murals, graffiti, and paste-ups showing Hamburg's creative soul can be found everywhere, from old alleyways to hip streets. The alternative art scene here is raw, direct, and full of energy. As you stroll through these neighborhoods, you'll constantly come across new art, sometimes officially commissioned and sometimes simply created.

 

Hamburg's public art is as diverse as the city itself, ranging from monumental to ephemeral, political to poetic, and planned to spontaneous. The city's largest gallery doesn't require an admission ticket — just open eyes and a willingness to be surprised.