Hamburg Hafencity: Neues Wohnen am Wasser | die nordstory | NDR Doku

Where until a few years ago there was a vacant port, an urban residential area is being created. Subtitle: Norddeutscher Rundfunk 2022 People who don't know Hamburg think: "Wow, HafenCity, nice, very big." The shine is great in the water, in the sun, you don't always have it. I have made many moves, but this time it was difficult. That's super wet. How does a new neighborhood become home? Now your pants are wet. For Mika, this is all just one big playground. She has lived in Baakenhafen half of her life. She moved here with her parents two years ago. We were in a housing crisis, in the sense of the word.

We were desperate. We didn't ask what we could know beforehand. We only saw the plan, a few lines on paper. We saw that the apartment is bigger, there is water to the right and left. We get involved. The playground is surrounded by construction sites. During the week it is so noisy that you can't be here. Because this... I don't know what it's called, a hammer drill, it hammers so hard you can barely stand it. Since Angela Kecinski and Ludger Vollmer lived here with their son, they have set their sights on the Elbe Philharmonic. The Baakenhafen district, with 2,400 homes, is being built around it.

Then the houses shot up at such a sensational speed that they were already there. Then there was a day when they dismantled a crane. Then they closed the road and took him away; that was an event. Then we continued, house by house. Quickly, quickly, quickly. Now we have to stop by here, honey. See how you're doing today. Oh, wired. Today with cable. They connected it. The face of the district is still changing. New works, new houses, new roads: there is always something different. So we have to go up here. For four-year-old Mika, construction fences and bulldozers are the most normal thing in the world.

I work on the land. When she was three years old, she loved playing construction worker. Of course, she incorporates it into her everyday life. I think the kids then adapt to her living space, so to speak. Now go there, quickly. Baakenallee runs through the southern part of the district. Many commercial spaces remain empty. We lack doctors, especially for children, and we lack green spaces. I also miss restaurants. For example, we wanted to have food available to us on a Sunday at 7:00 p.m., but that is not possible. Once you decide to move here, you have to take what you can get.

There are almost always vegetables on board when Kerstin Auer crosses the bridge to Baakenhafen. There is still no weekly market here. Nine months ago she opened a restaurant in Neubauviertel. I found this store by chance and thought: it's too pretty, I can't say no. I applied and thought, if I get it, I'll do it just because I think it's beautiful here. I'm very happy. It will take some time until it works well or until there are enough people here. But I actually went ahead and did it. Now we have to see how we can make it all work.

Ann-Christin, do you have a bowl? Yes, thanks. Kerstin lives in Bahrenfeld, west of Hamburg. She still runs a restaurant there. She splits the purchases. We need the things for the other store. We're going to do some shopping and reorder things because it's not worth making a big order here. We don't stock up as much as we go shopping every day. Are you picking the lettuce? Suin and the mushrooms can come back in. I'll give it to you like this. Since the new store opened, he has been traveling between Bahrenfeld and Baakenhafen. Every day he drives several round trips, five miles each in city traffic.

Without them, things don't work here or there. People here have to find us first. And we have to get a whole new clientele, which of course is also stressful. You can't go from zero to one hundred. The restaurant only offers vegan dishes. No meat, no dairy. In fact, I am quite confident because the weather is very good in Hamburg today. If it continues like this, I imagine we will receive more visitors today. Kerstin in Baakenhafen is not the only one who has hope. Two supermarkets advertise for customers. What Kerstin couldn't get in the wholesale market, she looks for here.

She wanted organic spinach, but it's not available. And I don't think there are any outbreaks either. Or I'll search a little more. Good day! Hello. Do you have any outbreaks? Yes. Where then? Actually, there on the shelf. Then I looked and found nothing. Here in front, but unfortunately they are empty. And somewhere in a back door or something? No, unfortunately not. OK. There are still many holes here. We observe construction works. I'm looking forward to the people who are still coming. Or they were already there and said, "We're moving in three months." Good day! Up here.

We moved today. Today we say goodbye. Jens and Moni Detmering have built and are moving to Baakenhafen. Exit, finally. Still unreal, somehow. You still can't believe it. The Pax closet: you had dismantled it then and it goes to the basement. The two have been planning the move from St. Georg to the Elbphilharmonie for 14 years. I wanted to ask what the new apartment is like because a lot of things go in the basement. The basement is twelve square meters. And I hope it's better than this. Sounds good. It was a crazy idea when we came up with it back then.

I never thought it would actually work. Now it has worked. Fortunately. Because everything is too expensive and clichés like that. It's only for rich people, you'll never get there. Like driving a Porsche or those classics that you might want to but can't... Like a normal citizen, so to speak. What's wrong with the stool? Should I come with you? Of course he has to go. As real estate prices in HafenCity seemed unaffordable to them, they founded a community of builders many years ago. Defrosting could have been done previously. Actually, they should have moved in a long time ago, but water damage delayed them.

You have to calculate five to six years for a construction community. 13, 14 years is, of course, extreme. You have to be very flexible. Ought. There is no such thing as planning, scheduling. And then friends always ask: "You had a project in HafenCity. What is it like there now?" "I'm still not..." "What?" And every time you have to say the same thing. And my mother gets upset because her friends keep asking. With the condo in Baakenhafen, the graphic designer and fashion buyer fulfill their lifelong dream. Sweets for the party. This is a very delicate topic... Be careful! ... Image. ♪ Jan Delay: “Sure” ♪ Honey, it's starting.

We made it clear today. The conclusion, finally in the apartment after 14 years. * Engine starts * ♪ Oh yes, we'll make it clear We'll make it clear ♪ * Sizzling * For Ludger, Angela and Mika, Baakenhafen has long been everyday life. You live in 78 square meters, rented from a cooperative. Previously they lived in a small old apartment. Angela says the house was very nice. I always say she bothered me. It made a lot of noise. It was an old house, a worn-out house. The nice thing was the roommates in the house. Can I, my bunny? I want to take out a spoon.

Angela works as a dancer and choreographer, Ludger is a composer. Two independent artists are also not very popular with the owners. It was difficult. We were almost never invited to see apartments. Once there was a public tour: there were 200 people for an apartment that was too expensive and too small. I received an email and we looked at what the general conditions were. We thought they were very good. Then we agreed and were very happy. Well, it really was winning the lottery. Inner courtyards are planned so that Baakenhafen can become a home for families. This is where we meet.

The inner courtyard means a certain freedom for us. We can come here. Mika can play outside without much effort; You can also sit and read something while he plays here. Actually, the only meeting place. There are no established cafes yet. I would say that these interior patios are a point of social exchange. Jens and Moni's new home is a hybrid wooden house. Its building community has built 29 apartments here. Then open both sides. Hmm? Open both sides. How does it work? Here, I think. Oh yes, like that. We need washing machines. Okay, come in. Mainly families live in the house.

There are also some singles there. And Jens and Moni. Backwards, not here. The apartment has 124 square meters. Are you looking for the screws? The couple has never moved in together. I'll check to see if that lamp is still... Oh, shit. I have to install a lamp in the bathroom. There go the hanging lamps. Light strip on. Of course it doesn't work again. Light strip on. Jens has installed a lot of technology. Oh yeah. This is now possible with Smart Home. Yes, it is comfortable. Play a little. Simply because you can. Because today it is possible. At first, Moni thought it was stupid: "We don't need anything." Now she always gets up: "Hey Siri, turn on the desk lamp." So she doesn't have to run there, she's happy.

I like that too. There was one thing Jens didn't want to wait until he moved in: he tried the bathtub first. I'm looking forward to many hours. Now I'm going to bathe more often, before I almost never bathed. Now I don't know: I may even bathe every day. It's great. Glitter is cool, you don't always have it in the water or in the sun. From their top-floor apartment they still have unobstructed views of the Elbe and the Elbe Philharmonic. We go there three times a year. Now we can finally walk there. We even have the city tour line with bus 111.

Beyond the Elphi. When friends come, we always go to the Plaza and we are always excited. At the ages of 77 and 67, Gabriela Herzog and Maike Ulms moved to Baakenhafen. You should be able to see your new house from the Elbphilharmonie square. They have both lived here for almost a year. I don't know if we'll see that. Wait a minute. You have to see it, yes, there in front. I see it, but it looks very small from here. But that's all. I see my balcony. I find it exciting. I'm curious to see what else comes up. I never thought I'd get excited, even about a new district.

And you? I find it exciting, as do you. I'm also curious to see what will happen. I'm looking forward to the cranes and the finished houses. After living in Bremen for many years, moving to the Baakenhafen district is a new beginning for them. My attitude towards life has changed: more optimistic, happy, curious. There are new perspectives and new possibilities. The spectrum has expanded. The horizon. I really wanted that. As you get older, everything gets more complicated anyway. So then I just... well, stay mobile. I have the feeling that they are challenging me here. Maike and her partner have moved to a housing complex for women: the Arche Nora.

Together they want to help shape the neighborhood. The bed is for insects. Since HafenCity is not green, we wanted to make a small contribution. Almost all the women are retired and want to live together here. So that none of them are alone in old age. We are 18 women. Sometimes there are smaller conflicts. We haven't had anything really extreme yet. But arguments arise from time to time. But yes, in some ways we learn from each other. I find it enriching, I have to say. In any case, your front garden is already thriving. That smells. In the district of Bahrenfeld, eight kilometers away, the greenery has been growing over many decades.

Restaurateur Kerstin Auer lives in a house that is more than 100 years old. She shares 45 square meters on the ground floor with her dog Wilma. The kitchen is also the living room. When you live in an old building, sometimes you think: straight walls, new bathrooms, big windows! There isn't much light here either. Kerstin imagines moving to Baakenhafen, although the old building has charm. It's great in summer. You open the door, you're outside, that's nice. In winter it's cold. Very cold and a little olsch. And new would be nice, shiny would be great. Big windows and more light would be nice, especially in winter.

Kerstin currently doesn't have time to seriously look for an apartment. With the restaurant in Baakenhafen she took a big risk. Her main business in Bahrenfeld has to help finance the new one. In almost five years she has gained regular customers with her vegan bowls. Wait a minute, there's a noise here. I just had to wash my hands. In fact, I had a lot of resistance. Nobody eats that, just make ciabatta. So I thought, "No, I want to know this now." At first it was a small company. People had to try it first. Kerstin specializes in lunches.

What time is it? A quarter to. Oh. It is open from 12 to 3 p.m. Many customers arrive right at 12 p.m. We can open it, but the food is not ready yet. But people already know that sometimes we are a little tall. But then you know everything is new, we did it today. So it's going to be tight. The Bowl concept is: a plate, everything on it. Or a bowl for that matter. It's not a piece of anything and there are garnishes around it. But it is a bowl in which everything is equal. Well, I think it's great.

Everything is always fresh and the service is excellent. I come every lunch time. So your two. People come here because they know what we do. On Baakenallee it is even more common for the classic response to be: "What, vegan?" or "I would like some coffee." "We only have oat drinks and stuff here, no cow's milk." "No, I don't want that." Very different people live together in Baakenhafen. 40% of theApartments are publicly subsidized and many builder communities have set up shop there. Including the women of the Arche Nora housing project. You can develop things in a community. They can... ...meet each other.

Talk to each other. It is not necessary to live so anonymously on a block. Gabriela Herzog and her roommates periodically plan activities to strengthen the sense of community. With 18 women, there are 18 different characters. So tolerance, tolerance is the key word. We must treat each other with the greatest respect and appreciation possible. Each of the women brings her own perspective to her life. And to the changing neighborhood, which is far from finished. It's normal that everything changes, I can only enjoy it. I don't entirely agree with my... I'll say friends. I'm looking forward to the water houses, that's something special.

The investors want to build three residential towers in the water of the old port basin in the coming years. A walkway will connect it to the pier. Spectacular architecture for exclusive apartments. A clientele will settle in that does not fit into this social structure. They are very high quality and very expensive condominiums. So I ask myself: Does it have to be like this? But I think a lot has already happened: the Ferraris should be in our underground parking lot and things like that. Or when the sheikh comes once a year, they bring him his Bentleys, that's all taken care of.

First of all, it's important to get to the here and now anyway. ♪ Let's go to the swing, Luise. ♪ Yes, it's okay. For many people, moving is still on their minds. I felt devastated, I had never felt like this before. I've made a lot of moves in my life and I don't remember them that way. But this time it was intense. I honestly don't want to do that again. I think, it sounds strange, that this is my last apartment. I want to stay here. The norm at Arche Nora is that each woman has her own apartment. Gabriela and Maike also live separately, although they are a couple.

Each of them has 55 square meters and two rooms for themselves. Maike lives two floors above. This is Gabriela's kingdom. We lived together before. But coexistence is not always easy for a couple. Then we decided we both wanted our own apartment. This is ideal for us and I can recommend it to all couples. We are not outside the world, but two floors away. That's a lot of freedom. Michael Maierhof mainly looks for open spaces in Baakenhafen. *Whisper* The musician and composer experiments with sounds and noises. He set up a studio in his apartment. I previously lived in St.

Pauli, a very noisy environment. Completely different apartment, old building. Everything is shabby, but very pretty. I've made completely different music in the two years I've been here. Much more technical because I work more with light. Now the ball stimulates the background with light and the microphone transmits it to the speakers. *Scratching* Maybe a completely different type of computer music? Basically analog... um... ...metaphorical computer music. Michael is a co-founder of the construction community Kammerkombinat. Almost all members are in creative professions and previously lived in St. Pauli. What I think is great: so many clouds and sky. In St.

Pauli I saw a little piece of sky at an angle from my desk. Here I am sitting on the couches and I can see the full range of clouds. Actually, this is a natural experience in the city that I don't know about. As an independent composer you have so little money that you would never have considered an apartment like this. These are social housing within the construction community. That was the only way it was possible. Michael is a good researcher. His compositions do not consist of classical melodies, but rather he organizes sound complexes. We have very different sound experiences depending on the direction of the wind.

When the south wind blows we have the O'Swaldkai. That means hitting containers,... ...reversing the cranes: I-i-i. So to speak, the entire port rings. When the east wind blows, the Elbe passes over bridges: i.e. motorways, free port bridges, rail traffic, S-Bahn, freight trains. West winds are best: we can have cruise ships, sometimes ship horns. But the west wind is actually the calmest. ♪ Dynamic string music ♪ * Boat horn * Jens and Moni have already been living in Baakenhafen for eight weeks. *Boat horn* So a sound like that always gives me goosebumps, hey. But nowadays they go back for quite some time.

Yes. They are not missing their old balcony in St. Georg. You looked towards the green park. It's pretty too, but of course that's something different, the wide view is the best. (Jens) Honey, are you holding on a little then? Today they want to show their new apartment to two friends, so every detail has to be right. So let's see if we can somehow light the last lamp here. Three years ago they ordered this designer lamp for the kitchen. Until recently it was in the basement. This is a special acoustic ceiling so that it doesn't echo as much here.

To enjoy good music. And unfortunately it is very, very sensitive. Now drop it. Is it fixed now too? (makes a noise as he falls) Oh, what a shame! (laughs) In any case, not everything should be at the same height, but a little bit... And then illuminate everything you do. So I don't think it's bad. Yes, if you watch TV, everything is fine. I'm also a perfectionist in general. If so, I'll do it right. We are fetishists of the interior, we are ready for it. Visitors were immediately drawn to the rooftop. They both come from outside. These are the Elbe bridges...

Moni, that looks like New York. ...and that will be all... the photo was like this. I moved to Lüneburg, which is smaller and nicer. So it wouldn't be for me, but I think it's cool to come visit. Just with the port, the view - totally beautiful. I jokingly say: we built our coffin, I'm going to die here. If not some super disasters... The fact that it smells like diesel for five hours every day is loud, but I don't believe it. Then it's perfect. In recent years, the friends have realized how difficult the road to their dream apartment was.

Then with that water damage... When that showed up, I felt so sorry for you. Then I also thought: Now that too! This delays everything again. In 2019, the building structure was underwater after heavy rain. It was pouring rain there. * rippling water * like in a stalactite cave. I stood in my dressing room, which I was looking forward to. It was completely submerged in water and dripped like a shower. It was just horror. We've been through a lot and you think it can't be true. Close your eyes and go ahead. The locker room is now dry and ready. This is our bathroom here.

This perfect bathroom. The highlight of the tour of the apartment is the bathroom with a view. Then you take a bath and have a view of Elphi. It's totally cool. The front of the window seems bold to me, depending on how you look at it. Of course not in terms of views, it's a dream. But if you move freely you can look inside. The thing is that a roommate who was parked downstairs already told me that he saw me taking a bath. How did I get out when you're lying, no. But when you go up and down there, you bathe naked.

I do not have any problem with that. ♪ Upbeat swing music ♪ At the end of the port in the Baakenhafen district the promenade will heat up this afternoon. ♪ Upbeat swing music ♪ I really underestimated the parade. It was really exhausting, even afterward. I think that's why I'll never do it again. But who wants to get away from here? But now you finally arrive and you can enjoy it. ♪ Upbeat swing music ♪ * Next stop: Reeperbahn. * It takes a quarter of an hour to reach St. Pauli. The difference could hardly be greater. We had concerns when we moved. We come from a district where all the bar culture is located.

You come home at night and nothing happens. When in St. Pauli there are people on the streets 24 hours a day. It wasn't entirely clear if we really liked it. Michael Maierhof and many members of the creative construction community lived around Reeperbahn. As a composer, Michael still comes here regularly, especially when it comes to music. There is no specialty store like this in HafenCity. In Baakenhafen he wants to perform a short opera that he composed himself. Yesterday I had a dress rehearsal and I had a problem. I converted and prepared a microphone here. Yes. It creaked incredibly loudly.

The crunch, I imagine, came from the cup. No, that was electronic cracking. Then it must have been the cable. Then I need a new cable. We can help with that. Yes, that fits. twenty-one? I'll take it right away. Understood. This device is completely new to me. I learned something again today. Fine, thanks. You are welcome goodbye. In this house, not far from Reeperbahn, Michael lived for more than 30 years. It used to be amazing. When people entered the apartment, they wanted to go out to the balcony. Because here on the street you live the craziest life you can imagine.

With all the personalities, drunk, dressed up,... ...in groups, drunk. You can see life in all its nuances here. In Baakenhafen I see the Elbe in all its nuances. Flow, ebb,... ...reflections that change according to the season. Totally exciting. I would be happy to exchange. As a former industrial site, Baakenhafen continues to offer freedom to creative people. ♪ Spherical sounds ♪ A sound installation from the 1960s has been temporarily installed in the warehouse. The immensity in a closed space: can this be experienced again acoustically in Hamburg on this scale? I don't know, it's bigger than the Elbe Philharmonic. Regarding the dimensions of the base area.

Pretty unique. Michael could also imagine his music here, or better yet, in the Elbe Philharmonic itself. In Hamburg it is difficult to create something truly experimental. In this sense, I haven't played at the Elbphilharmonie yet. Maybe another ten years and then we'll tackle them with contemporary music. Kerstin Auer has just arrived from Bahrenfeld. Lunch is over and now she prepares for the afternoon in Baakenhafen. You can't see us, we are hidden and behind. We don't receive any mail here either, ever. The postman can't find us. That's where I really have problems, because the emails from the tax office keep coming with: "It doesn't exist." Did you find the tofu?

Yes. Kerstin is perfecting the menu and trying to understand the needs of the people here. I make the marinade for the new tofu pieces. Today we are going to organize a new bowl, a Power Bowl for athletes, because there are many gyms here. I often have people come straight from the gym and say: they just want protein, no carbs. Then I always mix it up a little bit in freestyle for them. So no sugar is true? Exactly, great. At Kerstin's the food is vegan and also gluten-free. This is very well received by some people. For others, a Bundt cake made with vegan margarine and buckwheat flour is completely new.

This takes some getting used to. A completely different flavor, but not so much as to say that it cannot be eaten, quite the opposite. Vegan is not my main source of nutrition either. If someone comes and says, "I'd like strawberry shortcake," and we say, "It's vegan," they usually leave. But there are also older people who come here specifically and they really like to eat vegan and are happy about it. I think they can still do a little bit. Vegan is particularly popular among young people. That's why Kerstin is convinced that her concept will soon work in the family-owned Baakenhafen.

She still fights for the idea of ​​it every day. Do you have anything like vegan beer or something? No alcohol? I don't have alcohol. Don't you have one? I would have some kombucha, fermented tea. He should be healthy. Totally healthy. I just received it from Stade. I'll try. Real? Regional...I'll probably have fun with that. In fact, my customers always tell me quite clearly what they think of the food. When I make new bowls or something, they don't stop. He hasn't even tried the new "Power Bowl" for fitness fans yet. It should contain enough protein. I haven't calculated how much protein it is yet, but I know how much the components have.

Are you sending me? Excellent. There aren't many eating options here. If there's a way to get protein right next door, that's good. I am happy with the bowl. This afternoon Kerstin's terrace is very busy. Thanks also to the residents of Arche Nora, some of whom stop by from time to time. The first months in Baakenhafen were difficult. Kerstin needs more regular customers in the area. They also say it's been going on for at least a year. I'm glad if that covers the costs, we're on the right track. Not everyone who is supposed to come here at some point is already here.

Something else will happen. We need that too. At the end of the day, the restaurant owner heads to the nearby dam. The dog Wilma goes swimming in the Elbe. Here too, Kerstin's thoughts revolve around restaurants. After a 20-hour day, I'm already wondering if a second store would be a good idea. Sometimes you have to work a lot. It would be good if we had enough staff. But I think it's nice to be there. I think it's going to be great. It just takes a little time. Now I can't do anything else. Tomorrow at five in the morning, Kerstin has to go shopping for thenew day.

When the sun rises over Baakenhafen, Angela Kecinski is already awake. I don't know anymore which is your cereal and which is my cereal. Her son Mika has to go to daycare today. Angela has a dance rehearsal. Eating breakfast together can become a chore. She convinces Mika to go to daycare. This has nothing to do with daycare, it's great. But somehow it's always so nice to be home. But it does not work. So, sadly, she has to go. Me too. But I have to stay home. No, today mom has to work and do important jobs. But I do not like!

We'll talk about that later, okay? (crying) Another bite? In addition to the living room with kitchen, the family also has two bedrooms. The apartment is, so to speak, spacious in itself. Has space. He can move around, he has a nice room with nice things. He just feels comfortable here. He likes it here. The old apartment was only 55 square meters. There would be no room in the old house. There was only one bedroom and a living room. That would not have been possible. We basically had to sleep in the living room. Then I would have had a children's room.

Do you want to put that? The family uses a cargo bike. The neighborhood is designed for this. In fact. Oh. Yes, yes, it works. The daily daycare route runs through the old part of HafenCity to the city center. Do you want to take your mouse with you? Yeah? Very good. Hello. Good morning. Your commute is short today. Hundreds of meters from the nursery, Angela's dance rehearsal takes place in the Saint Jacobi church. More precisely: in the structure of its roof. Short distances help you be able to take care of work and the child. It is very hard.

The performing arts are not yet structurally very advanced in terms of balancing motherhood and artistic practice. Some productions tolerate you not being able to work full time. So don't rehearse my eight hours a day and another four hours on the weekend. So it works. It's hard to reconcile that. During the evening's performance, her husband will take care of Mika. Our living situation has reduced travel distances. I can be present at a rehearsal for a long time. Now here too. It is a ten minute bike ride from our apartment to St. Jacobi. Of course, this is a luxury for my work situation.

The indoor performance will be broadcast by video in the church hall. *Bells ring* A performance will also take place in Baakenhafen. The women of Arche Nora want to install a picture hanger in the common room. Gabriela Herzog hopes that one of her photographs will also be included. If it suits the taste of others. The group room should be nice. So I thought it would be nice to post one of my photographs that I took myself. In the future, parties will be held and guests will be accommodated in the ground floor room. Women want to furnish the room themselves.

I'm the only one who dares to make holes in the wall. I look and admire. The wall is new. That's why it's even more important that everything fits right on the first try. That doesn't look good. Can't you recite it like this? This comes from the vacuum cleaner. I know I have to keep my distance. Can this be deleted? Yes, there are sponges like that too. This will be our shared living room. Don't laugh back there. *Laughs* We ordered wonderful chairs, 18, this beautiful table, then the photos. But there is already a problem on the second hole.

Can't you go any further? Now I need the super machine. The skin through everything. Luckily, Reingard also has a hammer drill. *Loud buzz* Surprise! One of the women donated the curtain. Either we take this one or we have to buy a new one. This was the easiest solution. When the picture rail is in place, the question arises: What can be placed on the wall? I hope it's clear. I'm very happy about it, I took it myself. I have to take a look first. Is this New York? Central Park? Can you give me something else with a screw?

With the curtains, chairs and paintings, the room takes on a completely different atmosphere. Guys, there's a painting hanging! *Cheers* Because we can, in community. It's nice to see what we can create ourselves. The fact that mine is hanging there is sensational. I find it beautiful. I didn't expect it, but now it's stuck. That has to happen. I think that's also very nice. So I think this is good. This is frost, even with chalk. Cool! This is how it should be. Yes, great, thanks Hans. Restaurateur Kerstin also wants to hang something next door: a banner. To make your store look better.

Advertising technician Hans helps. We have tried everything. Putting up posters and things like that, there is no possibility. Everything is falling down, the wind here is too strong. It took me a while to get these frames. Fortunately, Hans succeeds. I still have a screw. Four nuts, I'll take another look. The banner must be stretched well so that it does not swing in the wind and become annoying. A sailor would probably do it another way, but signmakers do it this way. When designing the poster, Kerstin had to respect HafenCity's specifications. This means that we have to do everything in HafenCity colors, such as brown, grayish beige, black and white.

Let's see what that brings. I'm glad people can finally see us and find us. At least I hope so. I have to take another look at the front to see if it really is more visible. I don't know if I find it a little transparent. This is this structure of holes for the wind to blow like this. I hope it shows. Kerstin wants to focus her offering more on the people of the neighborhood. Because the store is still not working well. We need to do more advertising. I'm changing the breakfast menu again. We have to adapt more to what is happening here.

He has something special planned for the next day. *Rattle noise* Michael Maierhof also has a premiere coming up. Tonight he wants to present his short experimental opera for the first time. Together with the singer Marcia. That the aspect of the field is there. I do it every day, things like that. I imagine that for many people it will be strange. Whenever I do something with kids, they get excited. Older people think it's cool too. For middle-aged people, sometimes that's... Huh? What are you doing? That's crazy. There's got to be some fun, right? ♪ (light tone) Ah ♪ Michael is allowed to use a community room in the neighborhood for the performance.

He expects a sold out house. I don't even know the people here. So I'm curious to see who shows interest here. It's also a journey of discovery to see who lives here and who is interested. This will be exciting. Hello. How does this smell? Oh! Full of makeup! *Laughs* But really! Real? Yes. His apartment serves as the backstage area. A neighbor of the urbanization does the singer's makeup. I am a retired makeup artist, retired for two years. But before that I was a makeup artist. And I did many films, as a makeup artist. It's nice to live with people who you know have so much creative potential.

It's fun. From time to time you hear piano playing, singing exercises and things like that. Then comes something similar to opera, like Michael. The desk lamp still has to follow the game. I already have half of my house down. It is very special, but very practical. I can download everything. You don't have to rent a car and store everything and put it away. I leave you the key. Bye bye! Bye bye! Costume designer Anke came especially from Bahrenfeld. This is a great round here. I'm jealous because I didn't know such a project existed. The atmosphere is so cool, it's so exciting.

I would get an apartment too. Michael, we're going down now! ♪ Ah ah ah ah ah ah Uh uh uh uh uh uh ♪ Pretty good crowd, I'd say. We have sold out all 25 places. ♪ Experimental singing ♪ ♪ Experimental singing ♪ *Applause* I am very satisfied, everything went well and there was a full house. Some people said they had never been to Baakenhafen. "Oh, do that there, I always wanted to come here." Kerstin also has its premiere the next day. In the middle? Yes. She teaches a cooking class. For the first time in Baakenhafen. She cuts it in half and uses a spoon to remove the seeds and cut them into small wedges.

I haven't had a fresh yellow zucchini in her hand yet. This is something new. The participants come from a professional dance teaching school and are about to graduate. That's one tablespoon of flaxseed per four tablespoons of water. Correct. OK. I'll show you this, you have to hold on tight. Then you have to press both. *humming* I love trimming hedges. Chainsaws also work in a similar way. We will do it. Full of beauty! I wish that happened more often. Sometimes it is like that. All the tables are occupied. Brilliant. Then come days when two people come. You shake your hooves and think: I could have stayed home.

We look forward to the next wave of arrivals. Then the neighborhood becomes more populated. So, of course, we also hope that it will be more for us. There are, among other things, crispy pieces of tofu, red cabbage salad and millet tabbouleh. I'm curious to see if it tastes good. And if it is enough. Summer is almost over. Kerstin looks to the future with mixed feelings. You can't really tell what's going on here. It depends on the people here. It is the decision of whether you just want to live or also live. The question is how much is still going on here?

The women of the Arche Nora housing project grew together as a community over the summer. That's not bad at all. Cattle! Cattle! You have the feeling that you know each other better, that you do different things together. Everything is good, not bad. I have a good feeling. I also feel good. I have to say it. I left my comfort zone and dared. I needed courage because here I am starting from scratch. But that also has quality. That's good. For me, my relationship has changed for the better. I have become much more alive. I have more joy in life.

Soon. So I'm really looking forward to the next few years. (all) Oh! It's a house you have together. It's like an extended family. Michael's construction community celebrates two years of Baakenhafen. Your new home. Nothing has changed in St. Pauli since 30 years ago. Here you walk through the streets. You think, another floor. Or in another building, scaffolding is being taken down. Suddenly you see a house. You can walk past it, all at once. Then you have a path that never existed before. And more and more people are traveling from house to house. Which is also good. It's a really crazy dynamic here.

Copyrighted subtitles: NDR 2022