Galleria

Galleria (also referred to as GALLERIA Passage Hamburg) is a shopping arcade located at Große Bleichen 21 in the Neustadt district of Hamburg, Germany. Situated in the heart of the Passagenviertel — the city's most prominent shopping district — it lies between Jungfernstieg, Neuer Wall, the Rathaus (town hall) and Gänsemarkt. The arcade opened in 1983 and is regarded as a prime example of early-1980s postmodern architecture. Its interior, designed by the Swiss architect and designer couple Trix and Robert Haussmann, features a distinctive black-and-white marble floor and pilaster rhythm that has become the passage's trademark. The Galleria focuses on specialized retail, concept stores and high-end gastronomy rather than mass-market chain retail. Its tenant mix includes exclusive shops and restaurants such as HENSSLER AT HOME, Masushi Bar, Tabac, Linus, Sevensenses, Schmidt & Schmidtchen, Pyrate Style, Bagger & Gehring, Otten von Emmerich, Rooks & Rocks Hutmanufaktur de Vries and others. The arcade emphasizes personal service, with staff who welcome customers by name and offer qualified advice; visitors can arrange personal VIP shopping appointments in their preferred store. From April to October each year, the GALLERIA Ponton is transformed into a floating summer terrace overlooking the Bleichenfleet and the city. The building combines a two-storey shopping passage with approximately 4,800 square metres of office space on a 1,816 square metre plot. The passage opens onto the street with full-height and full-width glazing, while the office floors above have a regular window pattern. The architecture draws on historical models such as the Burlington Arcade in London and the arcades of San Marco in Venice, as well as the Galleria degli Antichi in Sabbioneta, whose proportions closely match those of the Hamburg Galleria. The interior has served as a backdrop for numerous film and fashion shoots. Galleria is privately operated. Its official website provides information on shops, gastronomy, events and leasing of exclusive shop areas and office space. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 10:00–19:00 and Saturday 10:00–18:00, with restaurants and bistros offering extended hours. The arcade is easily reached by U-Bahn (Jungfernstieg, Gänsemarkt, Rathaus), S-Bahn (Jungfernstieg), bus (Gänsemarkt or Rathausmarkt), Alster boat (Jungfernstieg pier) and mainline rail (Hauptbahnhof and Dammtorbahnhof), with parking garages at the Alsterhaus, Bleichenhof and Hanseviertel nearby.

The Galleria shopping arcade was built between 1978 and 1983 at Große Bleichen 21 in Hamburg's Neustadt. The street Große Bleichen itself originated during the development of the Neustadt, which was fortified in the 17th century on former Alster meadows used for bleaching laundry. After the great Hamburg fire of 1842, the street was built up with townhouses of patrician families; around 1900 the first commercial buildings such as the Kaufmannshaus and the Kaisergalerie appeared. The former townhouse of the von Schröder family at Große Bleichen 21 was used as offices and shops. By the mid-1970s, the area between Gänsemarkt, Poststraße and the southern part of Große Bleichen had fallen into neglect and was in need of renewal. Often only makeshift repairs after the Second World War and the neglect of many buildings had caused this central inner-city area to lose attractiveness, until private renewal measures initiated a turnaround. As part of this initiative, planning for the Galleria passage at Große Bleichen 21 began at the end of 1976. The property was acquired in 1976/77, construction began in 1978, and the Galleria opened in 1983. The architecture of the shopping passage in the building of black-and-white marble was created by the Swiss designer and architect couple Trix and Robert Haussmann and was recognized by the design magazine wallpaper. Inspired by shopping passages in London and Milan, a classic covered shopping street was realized in Hamburg. The architects' approach involved engaging with historical models such as the cross-sectional forms of the Burlington Arcade in London or the architectural decor of the arcades of San Marco. The building by Heinz Rupertz was designed to fit into the existing row of buildings, with its own face but without standing out from its surroundings. Traditional Hamburg brick buildings with their vertical articulation and regularly arranged windows with white frames served as models. The choice of yellow-red brick allowed the new building's appearance to blend with the partly significant historic fabric of the surroundings. The building's use is visible from the outside: the two-storey passage with shops arranged on both sides of the central axis opens at full height and width in the facade. The office floors have a regular window division. For the interior design, historical buildings served as models, such as the Galleria degli Antichi in Sabbioneta, one of the most important long galleries in art history, whose proportions almost exactly match those of the Galleria in Hamburg. The new building contains all the essential design elements of the classic 19th-century covered shopping street, but in a form appropriate to its time. The result is a simple, clear space with strict articulation by pilasters. The even pilaster rhythm creates an overarching uniformity of the whole, a fixed frame that allows the individual shop to unfold its 'identity' without disturbing its neighbor. In this elementary space, decor is meant to be an architectural design element, not ornamentation. A key design element of many historical passages, the regular arrangement of lighting fixtures, was adopted. On each of the pilasters layered with black and white marble, one of the blocks was formed as a light, as were the keystones above the entrance portals of the staircases. The rhythm is supported by the ornament of black and white marble on the floor, which has since become the trademark of the passage. The backdrop-like longitudinal walls on the upper floor, set free under the flat arch of the skylight, appear almost without thickness and are further dematerialized by their bluish color. The Palladio motif with its alternating openings articulates the longitudinal walls. The gathered fabrics above the two entrances, executed as leaded glass, are a symbol of staging, of the grand entrance: the passage appears as a stage, with passers-by and merchants as actors. It is not surprising that the Galleria has served countless times as a backdrop for film and fashion shoots. Key planning data: property 1,816 m²; office space 4,800 m². The Galleria remains active today, operated as a private shopping arcade with a focus on specialized retail, concept stores and gastronomy.

• 1983

  Galleria opens.

• 1978

  Construction begins.

• 1977

  Property acquisition completed in 1976/77.

• 1976

  Planning for the Galleria passage at Große Bleichen 21 begins at the end of 1976.

Exclusive, curated shopping arcade focused on specialized retail, concept stores and high-end gastronomy in a landmark postmodern setting.

• Specialty retail shops

• Concept stores

• Restaurants and bistros

• GALLERIA Ponton floating summer terrace

• VIP shopping appointments

1. 1GALLERIA Passage Hamburg Shoppen Genießen Verweilengalleria-hamburg.de
2. 2Contactgalleria-hamburg.de
3. 3Produkte zu finden in der GALLERIA Passage Hamburggalleria-hamburg.de
4. 4Galleria – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
5. 5Galleria di Romawikidata.org