Tabu Bar, Hamburg, Germany (bar) - Locating Tiki

B bigbrotiki Tiki Socialite Tiki Island, above the Silverlake Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 11621	B bigbrotiki Posted posted on Fri, Jan 2, 2009 10:19 AM Above is a view of the Grosse Freiheit (Great Freedom) street in Hamburg St.Pauli, the neighborhood infamous for the amusement mile called the Reeperbahn, which is lined with strip clubs and gambling halls. This shot really shows the exterior neon of the TABU Bar well (while unfortunately the "Sa..." of the Safari Club is burned out). As a port town, my hometown of Hamburg does not only sport a classic Anthropology Museum that inspired me, http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=30080&forum=2 ...but also the harbor district of St Pauli, with its sailors bars, of which today only few remain: The TABU was a classic "Cabaret" Bar, with scantily clad hostesses and strippers encouraging tourists and sailors on leave to spend their money on high-priced liquor, while outside barkers and photo cases with burlesque queens vied for the attentions of the passers-by. Though the word "Taboo" stems from Polynesian culture, the decor of the place was more reminiscent of the forbidden chambers of a harem, probably the exotic environs that the designer, Erwin Ross, was associating with a "taboo" hideaway. Ross designed and executed all the jigsaw filigree work and paintings in the span of a year and the TABU opened in 1955. The back bar featured a backlit skyline of New York, representing the dream of the "big wide world": and was the masterpiece of Erwin Ross. Though he designed other bars and the occasional rumpus room, he really excelled in the art of burlesque painting: Erwin's first career as a sign painter in the newly formed GDR was cut short when, after having painted countless banners with Marx and Lenin portraits, his other sign subjects were deemed to risque and he was allowed to leave to West-Germany. Here he became the "Rubens of the Reeperbahn". By the 1970s, his nudes graced almost every strip joint in St.Pauli, (just like Leetegs nudes could be found in every Polynesian club). His naive style has been appreciated since, though most of his mural queens have since disappeared from the streets of St. Pauli. While the original TABU interior only lasted for ten years, and the expanded, modernized version disappeared in the 80s, the guardian statue over the entrance hung around long enough for me to photograph it: It is partially visible from the side in this photo from above: The classic neon in this shot has long since disappeared, of course. [ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-01-02 10:24 ]

Above is a view of the Grosse Freiheit (Great Freedom) street in Hamburg St.Pauli, the neighborhood infamous for the amusement mile called the Reeperbahn, which is lined with strip clubs and gambling halls. This shot really shows the exterior neon of the TABU Bar well (while unfortunately the "Sa..." of the Safari Club is burned out).

As a port town, my hometown of Hamburg does not only sport a classic Anthropology Museum that inspired me,
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=30080&forum=2

...but also the harbor district of St Pauli, with its sailors bars, of which today only few remain:

The TABU was a classic "Cabaret" Bar, with scantily clad hostesses and strippers encouraging tourists and sailors on leave to spend their money on high-priced liquor, while outside barkers and photo cases with burlesque queens vied for the attentions of the passers-by.

Though the word "Taboo" stems from Polynesian culture, the decor of the place was more reminiscent of the forbidden chambers of a harem, probably the exotic environs that the designer, Erwin Ross, was associating with a "taboo" hideaway.

Ross designed and executed all the jigsaw filigree work and paintings in the span of a year and the TABU opened in 1955. The back bar featured a backlit skyline of New York, representing the dream of the "big wide world":

and was the masterpiece of Erwin Ross. Though he designed other bars and the occasional rumpus room, he really excelled in the art of burlesque painting:

Erwin's first career as a sign painter in the newly formed GDR was cut short when, after having painted countless banners with Marx and Lenin portraits, his other sign subjects were deemed to risque and he was allowed to leave to West-Germany. Here he became the "Rubens of the Reeperbahn".

By the 1970s, his nudes graced almost every strip joint in St.Pauli, (just like Leetegs nudes could be found in every Polynesian club). His naive style has been appreciated since, though most of his mural queens have since disappeared from the streets of St. Pauli.

While the original TABU interior only lasted for ten years, and the expanded, modernized version disappeared in the 80s, the guardian statue over the entrance hung around long enough for me to photograph it:

It is partially visible from the side in this photo from above:

The classic neon in this shot has long since disappeared, of course.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-01-02 10:24 ]

Post #426713 by bigbrotiki on Fri, Jan 2, 2009 10:19 AM