The 24-hectare Jenischpark was created in the 1830s from the former estate of the Hamburg merchant Baron Caspar Voght.

Voght had the park designed as an "Ornamental Farm" – a concept from English horticulture that harmoniously combines production and decoration, agriculturally used areas and decorative gardens.

The nature reserve Flottbektal is integrated into Jenischpark – the only tidal floodplain in Hamburg. This rare biotope type is home to many plant and animal species on the Red List of species protection, and the wet meadows provide ideal feeding grounds for insectivores such as bats and increasingly rare birds.

The park was purchased and redesigned by Senator Martin Johann Jenisch in 1828, leased by the city of Altona 100 years later, and acquired by the city of Hamburg in 1939, transforming it into a public park. Through social reform ideas, a consciousness for the necessity of public green spaces and publicly accessible people's parks without costs emerged in politics and urban planning to provide the population with recreation during their leisure time.

At the beginning of the wide sandy beach that lines the Elbe, several oaks stand. Shortly thereafter, the beach widens, and there lies a giant from another time.

The "Old Swede," as the boulder is called, is a 217-ton granite block that was recovered in 1999 during dredging operations for deepening the Elbe's navigation channel from a depth of 15 meters. The massive chunk was transported to the area of today's city of Hamburg by the glaciers of the Elster Ice Age over 320,000 years ago, and the traces of the long journey are clearly visible on its surface: all projections are worn down, some areas are highly polished, and glacial scratches from collisions with other rock fragments are engraved into the surface. The age of the stone itself is significantly higher, approximately 300 million years, as granite forms deep in the lower crust of the Earth through the cooling of molten rock and magma.

In close proximity to the Elbe, whose tides are influenced by the moon, a reflection on geological time periods, human lifespan, and cosmic cycles unfolds.

On the geest slope, green areas with wide views of the Elbe dominate the scene. Here, the landscape axis predominantly crosses protected park areas, and where the Elbchaussee meets the Hohenzollernring, an oak stands freely at the upper slope area of the park.

Directly below begins one of the short but very steep toboggan runs that lead from the Elbchaussee down to the Elbe, of which there are quite a number between Blankenese and Ottensen. In the bushes next to the oak, the sandstone sculpture "The Shepherd" by the Hamburg sculptor Karl Spethmann can be found, one of many hidden artworks in the public.

The Bugenhagen School is located in the listed Osterkirche, an expressionist brick building from 1921. The school's namesake is Johannes Bugenhagen, a significant reformer and companion of Martin Luther. Since the Evangelische Stiftung Alsterdorf took over the sponsorship, this all-day primary school has combined historical heritage with modern educational concepts.

The Osterkirche carries a special historical legacy: Here, the Altona Confession was signed, an important document of church resistance against political radicalization. It was drafted on January 11, 1933, in response to the so-called "Altona Blood Sunday" on July 17, 1932, during which a demonstration of 7,000 SA members through the socially influenced old town of Altona led to violent confrontations with several fatalities.

Thanks to the resistance fighter Léon Schirmann, who evaluated the records of the Altona Blood Sunday in 1992, it is now known that the deaths of 16 people and two other SA members were caused by gunfire from police carbines. There was no evidence to support the claim that protesting residents had fired shots, and based on the material compiled by Schirmann, the death sentences of the Altona Special Court were overturned in 1992.

Today, children from the Bugenhagenschule Ottensen learn in open teaching formats at the Osterkirche, accompanied by inclusion and all-day programs as well as holiday care. The school is firmly rooted in the neighborhood, participates in the Altonale and the Christmas market, and supports social projects such as Children for Tomorrow for traumatized refugee children through fundraising campaigns.

At Kaltenkircher Platz in Altona, the Federal Post Office made an architectural statement for an innovative square design: The multiple award-winning competition design "Protective Wellenburg" by the Hamburg office WES & Partner – Landscape Architecture was realized between 1972 and 1974 and resulted in one of the most unusual public spaces in Hamburg.

With its wave-shaped elevations, amphitheater-like seating areas, and artificial hills, the "Protective Wellenburg" forms an abstract organic landscape in front of the functional architecture of the former post high-rise.

An old poplar solitaire marks the entrance to the square, paved with red bricks, which rises in waves from the buildings to two hills. The curved hills, also made of brick, have steeply sloping sides towards the street. At the lowest point of the square, next to a water basin, there are gigantic leaves and fruits made of bronze beneath the large plane trees, which have been part of the ensemble since the square's creation. This urban space, with its experimental and communicative design, breathes the spirit of the 1970s: The buildings serve as places of concentration and work, while the square is for relaxation and leisure, providing opportunities for encounters and exchange.

The Small Altona Balcony is a place of transitions: between architecture and nature, between urban everyday life and wide views into the distance.

Walking from Altona train station towards the Elbe, one arrives at the Altona Balcony via the intersection of Palmaille and Klopstockstraße. If you turn right instead of left at the traffic light, with the Altona City Hall behind you, you pass under an elegant, almost floating solitaire from the 1970s. The Alnwick Harmstorf House, built in 1976 as the headquarters for a smaller shipping company, completes the historicist building row with its dark, shiny facade and opens a passage to Kaistraße. Here, one reaches a quiet, almost hidden viewpoint.

Separated from the street by shrubs and trees, the path continues to the right towards the park at the High Elbe bank, leading to a very large old copper beech, under which a bench sits. Just like the nearby Altona Balcony, this viewpoint – the Small Altona Balcony – located about 27 meters above the Elbe, offers a panoramic view of the river, the Köhlbrand Bridge, and the harbor, in an intimate and calm atmosphere, sheltered and secure under the crown of the dark red tree, a place of intimacy and outlook at the same time.

About 160 years ago, the fortifications of Hamburg were transformed into green spaces for the residents of the narrow streets. The basic idea was a green promenade ring around the city, where people of different social classes could meet freely beyond these hierarchies and simultaneously engage in leisure and walking in the park, enriched by monuments and the botanical garden.

Between 1869 and 1983, the Wall Parks were the site of several garden exhibitions. The BUGA in 1973 was not only a venue for the presentation of plants and horticulture but also a platform for community and social projects aimed at a new interpretation of the relationship between art, nature, and society. The pottery studio, founded in 1975 as a result, represents this cultural and social participation. The pottery studio is located in the Wall Parks in a small pavilion made of black wood and white bricks.

The offerings of the pottery studio are successful and very popular because they provide children, regardless of prior knowledge, an entry into three-dimensional design. The offerings are free of charge and primarily target children from the neighboring district of St. Pauli and children of park visitors.

At Große Elbstraße number 84 – previously with a direct view of the undeveloped Elbe shore – is Hafenklang in a building from 1890, which used to be the stable for the streetcar horses of the Hamburg harbor railway. Hartmut Böhme founded the "Hafenklang Studio" here in 1970 as a music studio – with the first 24-track recording device in Hamburg, and Udo Lindenberg and Einstürzende Neubauten recorded their first records here.

The building was supposed to be demolished in 1996. The communal living group on the first floor resisted this and initiated events and the campaign "Hafenklang stays." After negotiations with Sprinkenhof, a major renovation was negotiated, and Hafenklang moved in 2006 to the vacant Frappant shopping center next to the former Karstadt building on Große Bergstraße in Altona to keep the team together and continue operations.

After a renovation and expansion of the building, the club moved back to its old location at Fischmarkt. There is now another concert room on the first floor, the "Golden Salon." The club sees itself as a stage for cultural newcomers, hosting metal, rock, punk, folk, and electronic concerts by smaller and still unknown bands, and it is a great party location.

There are few places in Hamburg like the Hafenklang Club that offer artists the opportunity to work creatively, perform, and develop without having to pay exorbitant prices. The Hafenklang is run by a collective. The operators of the club work with enthusiasm and for little money. Profit motives are not the focus here, but rather the passion for music, support for artists, and a good atmosphere.

The increased operating costs and expensive renovations brought the association into financial trouble. In 2024, the Hafenklang Club was initially saved within just two days through a crowdfunding campaign. The club is supported by the city of Hamburg, but the funding is low given the importance of the place for the city's music scene and in relation to the financing of large tourist events.

Located in a listed brick building of the former freight station in the Oberhafen, this creative coworking space lies between historical substance and modern transformation, directly along the ICE railway line and opposite the new buildings of HafenCity.

The FilmFabrique Coworking is a project of HamburgerKino e.V., which has been committed to NoBudget short films and a vibrant and accessible film culture since 2002. As part of the international cinema movement, HamburgerKino e.V. actively advocates for film culture policy issues and operates the FilmFabrique as an open space for filmmakers and other creatives. The film studio serves as a multifunctional area for shoots, workshops, and events. Access is deliberately low-threshold and ideal for beginners and amateurs. At the same time, the necessary infrastructure for professional productions is also provided.

Annually, the KinoKabaret takes place, an independent short film festival where filmmakers from around the world collaboratively produce and publicly showcase films in a short time and without competition. This productive environment, which offers freelancers and smaller productions workspace and networking opportunities, highlights the necessity of free spaces for creative work and cultural creation in the city. FilmFabrique emphasizes the importance of such experimental places for inclusive cultural promotion as a support for vibrant democratic processes.

Peute is a forgotten inland island of the Elbe, belonging to the district of Veddel and located at Billwerder Bay. Peute is situated at Billwerder Bay and is a relic of the old, pre-logistics port – a place that has largely resisted modernization and carries something enchanted, almost forgotten within it. Here, traditional work is still done, while in other parts of the Hamburg port, historical buildings have had to give way to modern logistics halls. In 2012 and 2014, despite protests from heritage protectors and museum directors, valuable industrial ensembles from the 1920s were demolished on the site of the former Groß-Einkaufsgesellschaft Deutscher Consumvereine (GEG).

About 40 percent of Peute is now the factory premises of the company Aurubis (formerly Norddeutsche Affinerie AG), while the Peute harbor is designated as a nature reserve – a coexistence of industry and reclaimed nature. Peute itself is just above the water level – similarly low as the Hamburg fish market – and is regularly flooded during storm surges, which underscores the vulnerability of this industrial area.

The two moons of the installation are located on the grounds of the traditional shipyard Heinrich Buschmann and Sons at the end of the peninsula at Peuter Elbdeich. The first moon is attached to the workshop and visible from the street. The second is located at the dry dock and The two moons of the installation are located on the grounds of the traditional shipyard Heinrich Buschmann and Sons at the end of the peninsula on Peuter Elbdeich. The first moon is attached to the workshop and is visible from the street. The second is located at the dry dock and can only be viewed from the waters of the Norderelbe or from the opposite islands of Kaltehofe and Entenwerder – a deliberately inaccessible location. From the end of the Peute, there is a unique view of the silhouette of Hamburg with the Elb bridges and the unfinished Elbtower in the distance. This location forms a remarkable contrast to the gleaming HafenCity and the gentrified districts of Hamburg.

Peute is a forgotten inland island of the Elbe, belonging to the district of Veddel and located at Billwerder Bay. Peute is situated at Billwerder Bay and is a relic of the old, pre-logistics port – a place that has largely resisted modernization and carries something enchanted, almost forgotten within it. Here, traditional work is still done, while in other parts of the Hamburg port, historical buildings have had to give way to modern logistics halls. In 2012 and 2014, despite protests from heritage protectors and museum directors, valuable industrial ensembles from the 1920s were demolished on the site of the former Groß-Einkaufsgesellschaft Deutscher Consumvereine (GEG).

About 40 percent of Peute is now the factory premises of the company Aurubis (formerly Norddeutsche Affinerie AG), while the Peute harbor is designated as a nature reserve – a coexistence of industry and reclaimed nature. Peute itself is just above the water level – similarly low as the Hamburg fish market – and is regularly flooded during storm surges, which underscores the vulnerability of this industrial area.

The two moons of the installation are located on the grounds of the traditional shipyard Heinrich Buschmann and Sons at the end of the peninsula at Peuter Elbdeich. The first moon is attached to the workshop and visible from the street. The second is located at the dry dock and The two moons of the installation are located on the grounds of the traditional shipyard Heinrich Buschmann and Sons at the end of the peninsula on Peuter Elbdeich. The first moon is attached to the workshop and is visible from the street. The second is located at the dry dock and can only be viewed from the waters of the Norderelbe or from the opposite islands of Kaltehofe and Entenwerder – a deliberately inaccessible location. From the end of the Peute, there is a unique view of the silhouette of Hamburg with the Elb bridges and the unfinished Elbtower in the distance. This location forms a remarkable contrast to the gleaming HafenCity and the gentrified districts of Hamburg.

The Billbrook in the east of Hamburg was a swamp area in the ancient river valley of the Elbe, bordered to the north by the river Bille, the Brook at the Bille. In the 19th century, the area was filled in and systematically developed through a network of wide, linear, straight, and parallel streets, with five wide canals constructed for drainage.

Billbrook is primarily characterized by its diverse economic structure. Numerous industrial and commercial enterprises, warehouses, and logistics companies are located here. Despite the industrial focus, there are some residential areas in Billbrook and villages with churches and houses from the 19th century and earlier.

At Billbrookdeich 306 is the site of the logistics company Garbe, which has several locations in Hamburg and throughout Germany, and opposite is the architecturally striking Bao Quang Pagoda. Founded in 1984 by the nun Thich Nu Dieu Tam, it serves the Vietnamese Buddhists in Hamburg and the surrounding area. The Bao Quang Pagoda has been located at this site by the Bille since 2008, which houses one of the largest Buddhist nunneries in Germany. In addition to conveying Buddhist teachings, the Vietnamese Buddhist community also fulfills social and integrative functions.

At Bullerdeich 6-8 in Hammerbrook, a very special place has developed in recent years: a community-designed and maintained open space that, in collaboration with local initiatives and interested parties, is transforming the site of the old recycling yard into a park.

The PARKS project aims to gently transform public space through an inclusive and community planning process, creating a green corridor through the four districts of St. Georg, Borgfelde, Hammerbrook, and Rothenburgsort: the Alster-Bille-Elbe greenway.

PARKS was initiated in 2019 and is supported by neighbors, local associations, artists, and the commissioning authority for Environment and Energy and the District Office of Hamburg-Mitte. In the founding year, a program of planning workshops, structural interventions, walks, cultural events, and gardening activities was implemented. In the following years, the area has continually transformed and changes together with those who use it.

PARKS serves as a forward-looking model project for urban open space planning that considers and negotiates the relationship between cultural and green spaces and their users, addressing what public spaces, and particularly parks, mean for an urban society and how they can be created from existing resources.