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Hamburg · Venue

MS Stubnitz

A concert venue profile for Hamburg’s converted East German refrigeration ship, MS Stubnitz.

Upcoming shows
63
Capacity
700
Address
29 Kirchenpauerkai, 20457 Hamburg
Phone
040 30083666
Next show
Wed, 30 Sept 2026
Official siteDirections
MS Stubnitz in Hamburg

About MS Stubnitz

MS Stubnitz is Hamburg’s 700-capacity concert vessel: an 80-metre former East German refrigeration ship moored in HafenCity. Its distinction sits below deck, where original cargo holds have become performance rooms while the ship retains its maritime machinery, scale and industrial character. A gig here unfolds inside a real working vessel, with a history extending from the GDR fishing fleet to a roaming cultural project.

From fishing fleet to cultural ship

Built at Volkswerft Stralsund in 1964 for the GDR fishing fleet, Stubnitz worked from Sassnitz and later with Rostock’s fleet, freezing and transferring catches at sea. Fleet restructuring in 1990 led to its sale, and an artists’ initiative converted the vessel into a mobile cultural platform in 1992. The ship subsequently took music and arts programmes through northern European ports before establishing a Hamburg base in 2013.

Its recent history carries a more pointed turn. Growing residential development in HafenCity brought escalating complaints about music and the clattering gangway during 2022. In February 2023, Hamburg’s culture authority, port bodies and the operators agreed on a berth near Elbbrücken, alongside funding for a quieter gangway. Stubnitz moved east in September 2023, a practical reminder that this venue’s mobility remains part of its survival.

Below deck, across the programme

Today, Stubnitz books live bands, club nights, performances, theatre, exhibitions and bar events, with electronic music and rock-adjacent underground bills sitting alongside jazz, hip-hop and R&B. The main concert room, Hold 4, is a 210-square-metre cargo hold for up to 400 standing guests, equipped with a large stage and professional lighting and sound. Above it, the Factory has two bars, booths and a fixed DJ desk; an opening between the rooms can join the spaces for a multi-level night.

Sources

  1. Die Geschichte der Stubnitz — MS Stubnitz
  2. Neuer Liegeplatz für die MS Stubnitz in der Nähe der Elbbrücken — Hamburg.de
  3. MS „Stubnitz“, Rostock / Hamburg — Metropolregion Hamburg
  4. Corporate Events & Private Functions on Board the Stubnitz — MS Stubnitz
  5. Das Programm: Alle Kultur-Veranstaltungen an Bord — MS Stubnitz

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