StuBu

The StuBu in Bremen during the day (photo 2007)

The StuBu in Bremen at night (photo 2013)

The StuBu was a student jazz bar and then a traditional discotheque in Bremen . The StuBu (student union) was initially located in Ostendorpstrasse and is now one of the main attractions of the so-called “disco mile”. The “Stubu Dancehouse” has a total of five levels with different orientations under one roof. In 2012 it was temporarily closed by the Bremen authorities. It was reopened on September 12, 2013.

history

The name StuBu was derived from the Studentenbund , as it was originally an event location of the Studentenbund Bremen eV , a representation of the students, who had their dormitory, office, hall and bar at Ostendorpstraße 2. The StuBu could be traced back to approx. 1948; From then on there were files with business documents and the first complaints from residents about noise and annoyance from guests. It was a registered association until it was privatized in the mid-1970s.

At the beginning (until around the end of the 1970s) the StuBu was only open on weekends. It had a very good reputation in the jazz scene far beyond the borders of Bremen; Appearances by well-known musicians such as Albert Mangelsdorff , Volker Kriegel , Hannes Wader and many more testify to this popularity. Small jazz bands like the sextet around Harald Eckstein with Ed Kröger ( modern jazz ), the Six Sounds or the Hot Potatoes (both swing and New Orleans jazz ) were also known beyond Bremen's borders. If there was no live music, the StuBu was operated as a disco, whereby the music differed greatly from the music of the usual discos - here, too, every evening was completely sold out. At that time the StuBu was run on a voluntary basis.

In terms of its furnishings, the StuBu also differed from the usual discos and clubs of that time. Until around 1972, the furniture in the main room, i.e. around the dance floor, consisted mainly of old sofas and armchairs. This casual comfort was very popular and one of the keys to the success of this club. From around 1972 the main hall was given a more modern design, many sofas were thrown out and made room for tables and benches made of wood - but this facility also had its charm and was not ordinary; Even if many rejected it first, it could not detract from its popularity.

Since the StuBu building belonged to the city (it was only rented) and after the student union disbanded in the early 1970s, the end came at some point in Ostendorpstrasse. There was a considerable need for renovation, and the protests of the residents increased sharply when the operator opened the StuBu on weekdays.

From the mid-1970s onwards, the StuBu no longer belonged to the student union, but was taken over by the managing director at the time and now operated commercially. The city of Bremen decided in the mid-1980s to demolish the building. The operator was terminated and offered alternative accommodation in the city center.

In 1986 the StuBu moved to the inner city of Bremen and was now in the street Hinter dem Schütting , in direct proximity to the market place and the Böttcherstraße . In 1994 the decision was made to move again, this time to Rembertiring , where the discotheque is still located today.

Operation from 2000

From 2001 onwards, there were repeated violations of bodily harm and drug abuse in connection with the bouncers .

In 2004 the StuBu was renamed the StuBu Dancehouse as a whole . The two clubs StuBu-Musikkeller and Coconut were expanded to include Skyline and Sixties and a lounge.

The nightclubs of the so-called Bremen disco mile and in particular the StuBu were increasingly observed by the police in early 2006 after a shooting in front of the neighboring “Beat-Club” disco. The shooting had taken place between Albanians and members of a Lebanese family clan . The suspicion arose that organized bouncer gangs dominated the StuBu. The head bouncer of the StuBu was married to a woman from the Lebanese clan. The operator rejected such allegations. The authorities announced that they would intensify the scrutiny of the Bremen bouncers, amid concerns that the clashes were part of an attempt by organized crime to control access to the discos. According to the presumption of the police, the premises should only be kept open for their own drug dealers and prostitutes. In the first half of 2006 alone, the police investigated 70 such cases.

On August 26, 2006, a major raid took place as a result of these abnormalities by the doorman in the StuBu . During the search, around 500 police officers cordoned off a large area. 1500 people were searched, 52 were minors. As a result of the search and the previous incidents, the operator was threatened with closure on the grounds that there were suspicions that the organized bouncer scene and criminals were running the business and not the owner. On December 11, 2006 the restaurant license was revoked by the responsible city office. An urgent procedure initiated before the administrative court was unsuccessful, and the higher administrative court of Bremen also confirmed the decision of the city office. On April 18, 2007, the stub was closed.

On July 12, 2007 the reopening was approved after the implementation of various, often security-relevant, measures with a new owner and various requirements. When it reopened, the Stubu appeared as "Stubu DanceHouse GmbH".

After there were problems with admission in 2008 and a knife fight in April, there was another threat of closure in May, but operation was re-permitted under difficult conditions.

In May 2010 the sole shareholder Rainer Büsing replaced the previous managing director. A few months later, on August 26, 2010, the Bremen city office announced that it would withdraw the license from the discotheque again. The reason is the unreliability of the sole shareholder and owner under commercial law. The managing director appointed by him is just a so-called straw man. The stubu remained open for the time being, however, as the city office agreed not to close the discotheque until the administrative court had decided on the current matter. The operator of the Stubu had lodged an objection with the office and also submitted an application to the administrative court that the city office may not close the discotheque immediately as announced.

In September 2010 the management was changed again. Instead of one, Stubu DanceHouse GmbH now had three managing directors. On August 1, 2012, the Bremen City Office revoked the operator's license to operate. Operations should be stopped within 14 days. The authorities accused the former club boss, Rainer Büsing, of continuing to control the stub via straw people. This would have resulted from investigations by the police. The contract with the company that was responsible for security in the Stubu expired in mid-June. Instead, their own bouncers were employed again, but this contradicted the security concept agreed between the city office and the discotheque. The city office saw the safety of up to 3000 guests no longer guaranteed.

On August 10, 2012, it was announced that the discotheque was allowed to remain open for the time being, as the responsible city office had failed to hear the operators of the Stubu before notifying them of the closure order. However, this should be made up for. On October 9, 2012, the Bremen Higher Administrative Court confirmed the city office's closure order. The Higher Administrative Court saw it as proven that an unreliable person had had a significant influence on the business operations of the operating company, which also explains its unreliability.

Currently no restaurant license has been granted for the newly founded Seven Days GmbH i. G. awarded by the city office. In contrast, Seven Days GmbH i. G. Complaint filed with the administrative court in Bremen.