"A memorial for the Fab Four: with the exception of Liverpool, no other city played such a major role in the Beatles' career as Hamburg. In the very heart of St Pauli, on Grosse Freiheit, the Beatles Platz square commemorates this legendary pop band.
An unparalleled career: in Hamburg, the lads from Liverpool did not only conquer the hearts of the locals, but also those of the entire global music world. So in 2001, Stephan Heller, programme head of the local radio station Oldie 95, came up with the idea of creating a Beatles square in Hamburg. Today, a paved vinyl plate and five stainless steel silhouettes of the famous artists commemorate the Beatles, their history, and the St Pauli music scene of the 1960s. A few steps further away you will also find a single silhouette reminiscent of Stuart Sutcliffe, the Beatles’ original bass guitarist, who died in 1962. In the grooves between the granite plates there are stainless steel bands sporting engravings of about 70 song titles of the Beatles. At the edge of the plate, square lamps are recessed in the ground, which are illuminated consecutively, creating the impression of a rotating turntable. If you like, you can step inside one of the silhouettes and become a member of the Beatles, if only for a very short time." - https://www.hamburg-travel.com/see-explore/sightseeing/beatles-platz/
"The Beatles-Platz (German: Beatles Square/Plaza) is a plaza in the St. Pauli quarter in Hamburg, Germany, at the crossroads of Reeperbahn and Große Freiheit. It is circular, with a diameter of 29 metres (95 ft) and paved black to make it look like a vinyl record. Surrounding the place are five statues, representing The Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Stuart Sutcliffe, George Harrison, and a hybrid of drummers Pete Best and Ringo Starr each of whom played with The Beatles at times during their Hamburg engagements.
Beatles-Platz is located in HamburgBeatles-PlatzBeatles-Platz
Location of Beatles-Platz in Hamburg
This plaza was built to commemorate Hamburg's importance in The Beatles' history. The draft design was by architects Dohse & Stich during a common tendering. Building the project cost about €500,000 and was split among donations, sponsors and the city of Hamburg.
The project's initiator was Hamburg radio station Oldie 95. On the station's instigation the community of interest IG Beat City was founded, which considers The Beatles-Platz as a prelude for more projects targeting The Beatles' memorisation in Hamburg's cityscape.[citation needed]
After Hamburg's First Mayor Ole von Beust and Minister of Culture Karin von Welck gave the senate's consent for the project, construction began. The first drawing saw the construction started around December 2005–January 2006, overall costs of €100,000 and a completion in May 2006, in time for the Football World Cup.
On 29 May 2008 at 13:00, construction began with the symbolic groundbreaking, which was done by the initiator Stephan Heller. Uriz von Oertzen (Hi-Life Entertainment), Frank Otto, Dr. Karin von Welck (minister of culture), Markus Schreiber (head of borough exchange Hamburg-Mitte) and Prof. Jörn Walter (construction supervisor).[1]
The five figures on Beatles-Platz
Construction continued for approximately three months, and ceremonial opening took place on 11 September 2008 presided over by the city's First Mayor. The Beatles memorial consists of metal statues of the band members as well as song names of successful songs. The initial engravings held some spelling mistakes such as Drive me car, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and Can't Buy Melove ,[2][3] which could not be corrected before completion. By now the incorrect plates have been exchanged.[3]"- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatles-Platz
