The Hamburg Express
by Sus EB It was seven years ago that the dual-national Patrick Tästensen came to Hamburg to study at the university, but even then he was always interested in current affairs and publishing. Those interests, and his wish to start his own company, led him to found The Hamburg Express just a few short months ago. I ran across it at the university, lying around available free for students, but some of our readers may already have encountered it at its premiere at British Day in late August. It is a bi-weekly newspaper in English specifically about Hamburg-related issues. South-African/German Tästensen calls his paper “a local publication in an international language... also, from an international perspective. We like to believe that The Hamburg Express has the potential of becoming a mirror of the international community here in Hamburg.” The paper’s main target groups are the English native speakers who live in Hamburg, and the other international people who speak more English than German, but Tästensen feels that “the city on the whole can profit from an English-language publication that [deals with] the current affairs here in the city.” The editions published so far have included – to name just a few – articles about the recent German national elections and their local ramifications, discussions of various local charities, announcements and reviews of appearances of English native speakers (e.g. authors, musicians) in Hamburg and store openings interesting to Anglophiles, and even an introduction to the American Women’s Club of Hamburg! Not to mention a page on sports events and one announcing all English-language events (movies, concerts, etc.) taking place in the upcoming two weeks. The articles are particularly interesting because they offer much more than the latest developments in politics or sports: they often include a fairly detailed background of what might be interesting to newcomers who don’t know so much about the political and election systems in Germany, or how rugby is played. You can pick up The Hamburg Express in several places “wherever English is spoken” (see list below) for EUR 1.50/issue, or you can subscribe for just EUR 49.95/year. Take a look; I think you’ll find it’s worth it! By the way, Tästensen wrapped up our interview with words of praise for the AWCH: “I’d like to say that the American Women’s Club is a great organization, the members that I have met are great people, and ... it shouldn’t be forgotten that the AWC is also doing a lot of charity work which is very commendable. (...) there is an awareness out there that the club is active, has been active for a long time in doing good things.” Perhaps that will inspire you to pick up a copy of this new and exciting addition of possible reading material in English. Pick up a copy of The Hamburg Express at:
- Tourist Information Bureaus at Hauptbahnhof and Hamburg Airport
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