Party Time at Millerntor – Hamburg Report
[Part 2]
I 01.03.2020
I Daniel Barthold
I FC St. Pauli v VfL Osnabrück 3-1
© Cedric Everhartz
THE CITY
After focussing more on Hamburg’s city centre in the fist report I will now emphasize on the Sankt Pauli district which is located not far from the ‘Binnenalster’ – in fact, it is actually somewhat within walking distance.
St Pauli is both a very tourist but also a working class part of the city. During the day one can see that the area and especially the locals are economically struggling and at night it is a buzzing hot spot for parties with loads of tourists filling the most famous strip – the ‘Reeperbahn’.
To feel the St Pauli borough I would recommend to pay a few other locations a visit such as the ‘Sternschanze’, a traditionally left-wing quarter with some excellent international restaurants and bars. It is all down to earth with some fresh food which is a great option during the day.
Pre-match there are several bars outside the stadium such as the ‘Knust’ which hosts live bands every weekend, the ‘Millerntor’, a bar that supports the friendship between St Pauli and Celtic FC and finally the ‘Jolly Roger’, the ultimate St Pauli supporters joint where a lot of die-hards spend their weekends. It is all a bit alternative so do not bother to dress up around St Pauli’s home ground.
THE GAME
FC St. Pauli vs VfL Osnabrück
3-1
The story of the game was not the deserved 3-1 home win for the home side but the celebrations of St Pauli’s derby victory the week before. The stands were filled with ‘Hamburg is brown and white’-banners (St Pauli’s colours) and the mood and atmosphere was simply outstanding even before the match started including a decent away crowd of 3,000 supporters.
© Netzwerk Gegengerade
St Pauli were in control for most of the match having a 3-0 lead after 48 minutes. Osnabrück shaped up a bit in the last 20 minutes but only managed to score once and 3-1 felt a fair final score which boosted more celebrations in the home end.
THE STADIUM
Millerntorstadion is one of the most popular stadiums in Germany due to its atmosphere, its location in Hamburg and the stands being close to the pitch. In the last 10-15 years the ground experienced a major overhaul and it is a proper football stadium with a capacity of just under 30k.
Financially, it is fair to say that the club has never been in a better position but they keep struggling to really make it to Bundesliga 1. They do look like a top 6 side in Bundesliga 2 if they wouldn’t drop too many points unnecessarily over the course of a season.
HOW TO GET THERE
St Pauli is easily accessible by public transport. From Hamburg Central station or the closer long-distance station Dammtor it takes about 10-15 minutes to get to Millerntor. There are plenty of subway stations around such as ‘St Pauli’, ‘Feldstrasse’ or ‘Reeperbahn’. It is not necessary to take a taxi really but it should not cost you more than 10€ from Hamburg Central. On the way to the stadium keep an eye on the beautiful view of the River Alster when the train leaves from ‘Hauptbahnhof’ (central station) to Dammtor station.
4/10
Daniel Barthold
Born in 1983 in Hildesheim (Lower Saxony, Germany) and raised in the Hamburg Area. Supporter of FC St. Pauli and since 2010 living and working in London (England) as a sports business consultant. Groundhopping has been a passion since the early days but I am actively counting and ticking off grounds since the Euros 2004. I have been to 500 stadiums in 65 countries so far.