Hafenstraße is a street in St. Pauli, a quarter of Hamburg, Germany, known for its legalized squats. The squats were occupied in 1981 and became a figurehead for autonomist and anti-imperialist politics. After a prolonged battle with the city council which involved demonstrations of over 10,000 people, the buildings were legalized in the 1990s. Today they are owned by a self-organised cooperative.

Occupation

thumb|right|View of two squatted houses in the Hafenstraße in 1989.|alt=Houses in 1989

thumb|right|1986 demonstration in support of Hafenstraße|alt= Demonstration, people with banners

Hafenstraße (German Hafen – harbour; Straße – street) is a common German abbreviation of St. Pauli-Hafenstraße, a street in St. Pauli, a quarter of Hamburg, Germany.

The Hafenstraße occupation began in 1981, when twelve buildings were squatted. They were to become extremely important symbols for the German squatters movement and for urban activists more generally. Students who were already living there joined with autonomists to save the buildings on Hafenstraße and Bernhard-Nocht-Straße from being demolished. The apartment blocks had been constructed in 1900 and were in serious need of renovation. It was not noticed that the buildings had been squatted until 1982, when the owner SAGA immediately reported the trespass and the police evicted the squatters. The buildings were quickly reoccupied.

History

As well as building a permanent fortress to resist evictions, the squatters organized a pirate radio station and a Volxküche (cafe) which was founded in 1982 and still exists. In June 1984, Hafenstraße was widely condemned after a woman was raped and tortured by three squatters; the three perpetrators were beaten up, had their heads shaved and were ejected from the houses. One apartment in the buildings became a women-only space.

In the 1980s, Hafenstraße became a centre for autonomist and anti-imperialist politics. If the factions disagreed on an issue, they were united in the defence of the houses. Other struggles included publicising the hunger strike of imprisoned RAF members in 1984 and protesting the death of antifascist Günter Sare in 1985. At New Year in 1986, the Hafentage (Harbour Days) were organised by the Autonomen and Danish squatters from the BZ-movement attended. When several apartments were evicted, the squatters fought back by setting fires in 13 department stores. As well as housing activists, the building housed homeless people, youths, and refugees. Resistance to eviction culminated in street battles before the end of the contract in 1986, when 12,000 people marched to defend the squats.

The Hamburg Higher Regional Court announced the contract was void in 1993, leading to more discussions. New mayor Henning Voscherau offered to fix the contract dispute if Hafenstrasse inhabitants agreed with nearby developments and social housing was built.

Murals

thumb|upright=3.0|center|Wide shot of Hafenstraße street taken in 2015

Hafenstraße has long been known for its murals, which are painted on the fronts or on the side of buildings next to empty lots. In 1987, the squatters painted the slogan "Boycott 'Israel'! Goods, kibbutzim, and beaches". Israel was written in apostrophes to emphasise its illegitimacy. The mural formed part of a broader campaign against the sale of Israeli goods in Hamburg which was endorsed by civil rights activists such as Uri Davis who saw Israel's treatment of Palestinians in the same light as how South Africa treated its black population under apartheid. In 2018, a new mural in support of the Kurdish Women's Protection Units (YPJ) was unveiled on one building.

Legacy

In 1998, The Independent newspaper referred to Hafenstraße as "the most famous squat in the world". Bands such as Die Goldenen Zitronen emerged from the scene around the Hafenstraße. Rasmus Gerlach made two documentary films about the Hafenstraße: Die Hafentreppe (1991) and Hafenstraße im Fluss (2010). In 2010, he commented that "it is the only attempt at utopia by the German left that has survived to this day" ("sie ist der einzige Utopie-Versuch der Bundesrepublikanischen Linken, der bis heute überlebt hat").

See also

  • Rote Flora
  • Squatting in Hamburg

Notes

Further reading

  • Brief history of Hafenstraße (in German and English)
  • Pictures of Hafenstraße