Going to the theater

DEUTSCHKURSE | Harry-Folge-057-Landeskunde-Bild01
null DW

Harry has the brilliant idea to hide from Anderson in the theater! In Hamburg, he is spoiled for choice. There are about 45 different styles of theater in the city. Maybe Harry is in the mood for a musical? Then he's in the right place. Hamburg is the third-largest musical city in the world after New York and London. Nonetheless, more traditional theater is also well-liked, as seen at the Thalia, the oldest theater in the city.

DEUTSCHKURSE | Harry-Folge-057-Landeskunde-Bild02
null DW

But if Harry really wants to immerse himself in Hamburg's culture, he should visit the Ohnsorg Theater. For over 110 years, plays have been performed there in Low German, a variant of German that was the original language of Hamburg. Something similar can be found in Munich at the Iberlbühne, where Bavarian is spoken. In Hamburg's Ohnsorg Theater, the plays are also adapted for television. But then performers tend to speak a regional version of High German so that even people from outside the region can understand what is being said. Even native German speakers without previous exposure have trouble understanding Low German.