Ottensen: Hamburg’s Most Livable Neighborhood Has a Price

Ottensen is one of Hamburg’s most walkable, sociable and desirable neighborhoods — full of cafés, cinemas, small shops, old factory buildings, courtyards, bikes, dogs, and people with very strong opinions about organic bread. But Ottensen was not always this polished. In this walking tour, I explore how a former working-class, industrial and immigrant district became one of Hamburg’s most attractive places to live. We start at the Zeisehallen, once factory halls for ship propellers and now home to cinema, media, restaurants and culture. From there, we walk through the streets of Ottensen, look at traces of its industrial past, visit the Fabrik, talk about rising rents, public housing, car-reduced streets, and the question behind every beautiful neighborhood: Who still gets to stay once everyone wants to live there? This is not a rant against Ottensen. Quite the opposite. Ottensen is gorgeous, lively and genuinely one of Hamburg’s most livable neighborhoods. But after enjoying the postcard, it's worth to turn it over. Places featured: Zeisehallen Borselstraße Fabrik Hamburg Aurel / former Aurel site Streets and corners of Ottensen If you enjoyed this walk, please like the video, subscribe to the channel, and come along for the next one. #Hamburg #Ottensen #WalkingTour #ChrisWithoutBorders #GermanyTravel