DocksCLUB Hamburg

Eberhard Knopf, who ran the "Eberhard Knopfs Konzert und Automatenhaus" at Spielbudenplatz 21 even before 1900 and exhibited curiosities such as the "Wonders of Australia" and the "Tallest Man in the World", introduced his audience to the world of film on 20 February 1900. He showed several 25 to 30 metre-long films on a free-hanging screen that was visible from both sides, with viewers behind the screen seeing a mirror-inverted image and paying less admission. There was a Kobero & Co shop cinema nearby, which Knopf took over and in which he presented longer films, including a film version of "Robinson Crusoe" in 1902. Due to its growing success, he opened a film theatre with 667 seats in an extension at Spielbudenplatz 19 in September 1906, which is still there today. After a conversion and extension in 1922, the theatre largely survived the bombings of the Second World War.

On 27 July 1945, this theatre was one of the first to reopen to the public after the war. Between 1930 and 1950, it attracted around eleven million visitors. In 1965, the cinema became the "Eros-Cine-Center" for sex films and was converted into a Hollywood cinema or variety theatre in nostalgic style in 1974. As the latter was not successful, it was converted into "Knopf's Music Hall", which eventually became the Docks discotheque and music club on 14 September 1988. In the 25 or so years of its existence, many well-known artists have performed there, including Metallica, who described the Docks as the "best club in the world", as well as artists such as David Bowie with Tin Machine, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iggy Pop, Peter Maffay, Die Ärzte, Black Sabbath, Public Enemy, Nelly Furtado, Roxette, the Ramones, Tom Petty and Blondie.

At the end of the 1990s, the club was given the additional name D-Club, but is still primarily known as Docks. From 2008, there were discussions about the future of the Docks, including demolition plans by Norbert Aust, the operator of the neighbouring St. Pauli Theatre and Schmidt Theatre. Aust described the Docks as a "ruin". Docks operator Amir Ahmadi opposed these plans.

A change in management took place in 2010. Since then, the Spielbudenplatz-based company "M.T.M. more than music! Veranstaltungs GmbH", based on Spielbudenplatz, has been running the venue under the management of Susanne Leonhardt.