From "Trichter" to hotel

"Beim Trichter", this is the name of the street connecting Zirkusweg with Reeperbahn, and the ARCOTEL Onyx Hamburg is situated on the triangular piece of land bordered by these three streets.

Today it is principally a meeting place for business people and individual tourists, but roughly 150 years ago there was a small wooden pavilion in the form of a funnel. Back then, this part of the city was known as the district before the "Millerntor". Nobody suspected that it would one day become probably the most famous part of Hamburg, if not in the whole of Germany. The "Trichter" (funnel) quickly became a popular place to be, where small refreshments were available along with dancing and music from time to time.

During the period of the French occupation around 1806, the Reeperbahn was considered the "promenade d'amusement entre Hambourg et Altona". For the first time, the "Trichter" offered something quite spectacular: a panoramic rotunda was added, in which landscapes, mythological scenes or historical events could be viewed with a 360° panorama.

In 1814 the suburb was almost completely destroyed by fire, which engulfed the "Trichter" too. After being rebuilt in 1820 with an open veranda and billiards room it was bought by restaurateur Theodor Mutzenbecher and replaced with a more solid building. The "Trichter" was renamed by the new owner, and called "Mutzenbecher's Beer Hall".

You can "experience" just how this exciting piece of history continued to develop (from beer hall to concert hall) and how it eventually took on its current form of the 4-star-superior ARCOTEL Onyx Hotel by visiting our themed room, the "Kiez room" with original exhibits and photos from the St. Pauli Museum.

Photocredit: Hamburger Staatsarchiv