Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
3 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
4 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
5 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Hamburg Rote Flora

Rote Flora

This contentious squat has stood through fire, violence, and government intervention as a hotbed of leftist protest.

Hamburg, Germany

Added By
Ryan Iseppi
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Rote Flora   www.GlynLowe.com on Flickr
Rote Flora   www.GlynLowe.com on Flickr
Rote Flora   Martin Kleppe on Flickr
Rote Flora   www.GlynLowe.com on Flickr
Rote Flora   enbodenumer on Flickr
  cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
  Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
  cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
  Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Located in an increasingly decrepit building that once housed Hamburg's famous Tivoli-Theater, the Rote Flora has been occupied by squatters, radical leftists, and the homeless since 1989 when locals began holding demonstrations decrying plans to convert the building into a nightclub and theatre for popular music.

While the building was constructed in 1888 and operated as a theatre for over a century, since 1989, the Rote Flora has served as a nexus for radical and revolutionary culture in Hamburg's Schanzenviertel. Having survived multiple fires, plans by the city to demolish the entire structure, and frequent (and often bloody) clashes with the police, Rote Flora, with its dilapidated, graffiti-covered facade, has become a symbol of the radical Left in Germany. Each time the city has attempted to retake the space from the radicals who occupy it, either via police action or property lawyering, the young punks living and working in the space have won out by simply refusing to abandon the aging building. 

Today, the Rote Flora serves as a venue and cultural center, and it plays host to a number of concerts, parties, art exhibitions, and political and social talks and conferences. However even with the increased focus on art and music, the hardline spirit of rebellion suffuses the very walls of the structure.  

Related Tags

Graffiti Venues Politics

Community Contributors

Added By

DoctorMoog42

Edited By

EricGrundhauser, cyanidesiren, Johan SWE

  • EricGrundhauser
  • cyanidesiren
  • Johan SWE

Published

July 16, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/roteflora/termine.php
  • http://florableibt.blogsport.de/english/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rote_Flora
  • https://libcom.org/blog/protesters-clash-police-rote-flora-social-centre-eviction-hamburg-22122013
Rote Flora
71 Schulterblatt
Hamburg, 20357
Germany
53.562085, 9.961457
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Feldstraße Bunker

Hamburg, Germany

miles away

Beatles-Platz (Beatles Square)

Hamburg, Germany

miles away

Impaled Skull of Klaus Stortebeker

Hamburg, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Hamburg

Hamburg

Germany

Places 16
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Feldstraße Bunker

Hamburg, Germany

miles away

Beatles-Platz (Beatles Square)

Hamburg, Germany

miles away

Impaled Skull of Klaus Stortebeker

Hamburg, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Hamburg

Hamburg

Germany

Places 16
Stories 1

Related Places

  • An anti-gentrification message.

    San Francisco, California

    Clarion Alley

    This one-block alleyway is stuffed with street art that is colorful, cultural, and intensely political.

  • Georg-von-Rauch-Haus

    Berlin, Germany

    Georg-von-Rauch-Haus

    Named after a militant urban guerilla, this famous former squat is a graffiti-covered stronghold of leftist culture.

  • The Lennon Wall.

    Prague, Czechia

    Lennon Wall

    Despite attempts by local police to discourage it, Beatles-inspired graffiti has been a means for artists to air grievances for decades.

  • The front signage of Third Man Records.

    Nashville, Tennessee

    Third Man Records

    Jack White's record store is the only place in the world that records live shows direct-to-acetate.

  • Annapolis, Maryland

    Equal Justice Mural

    A mural honoring two trailblazing Supreme Court Justices—Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

  • Eskişehir, Turkey

    Uğur Mumcu Park

    This harrowing memorial remembers a murdered investigative journalist.

  • Taipei, Taiwan

    Dr. Chen Wen-chen Memorial

    A memorial honoring a mathematician likely murdered by Taiwan's authoritarian government.

  • Tower seen from the Central Square

    Kaliningrad, Russia

    House of Soviets

    Dominating the skyline of Kaliningrad, the iconic House of Soviets has always been abandoned.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.