The first record of Ottensen dates from 1310. In 1390, it became the seat of the bailiff of the county of Holstein-Pinneberg. The settlement was mostly composed of farmers and craftsmen. During the 1640s, it surpassed nearby Altona in size. It was annexed to Prussia in 1867, and the population rose rapidly: from 2,411 in 1840 to 37,738 in 1900. It was later annexed to the city Altona, which in turn was due to the Greater Hamburg Act annexed to Hamburg in 1937.
Geography
According to the statistical office of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, the quarter has a total area of. The southern border to the quarter Waltershof is the river Elbe. The railway tracks of the city train is the north border to Bahrenfeld and the eastern border to the Altona-Altstadt quarter. In the West is the quarter Othmarschen.
Demographics
In 2006 in the quarter Ottensen were living 32,757 people. The population density was. 14.3% were children under the age of 18, and 12.7% were 65 years of age or older. 16.2% were immigrants. 1,863 people were registered as unemployed. In 1999 there were 18,959 households out of which 16.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 55.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 1.72. In 2006 there were 3,558 criminal offences.
The Altonaer Museum Norddeutsches Landesmuseum is museum dedicated among other things to the history and culture of the coastal area of northern Germany. Founded in 1863 it is today located in the street Museumsstrasse near to the Hamburg-Altona railway station. The museum has 4 branches, the Altonaer Museum itself, the Jenisch Haus for art and culture in the Othmarschen quarter, the Rieck Haus in the quarter Curslack and the Heine Haus at Elbchaussee 23.
Performing arts
The Altonaer Theater is located in the street Museumsstrasse 17. It was founded 1876 as Altonaer Stadttheater at the street Königstrasse. In 1943 destroyed, a new location was found in the school Museumsstrasse. In 1954 the Altonaer Theater was reopened there with Hans Fitze as the theatre manager. In 1994 the theatre closed due to financial problems. In 1995 the theatre was reopened and play until today. The smaller stage Thalia an der Gaußstraße of the Hamburg Thalia Theater is located in Ottensen.
Recreation
In Ottensen are two small park areas, Donnerspark and Rathenaupark.
The Altonaer Kinderkrankenhaus is a hospital for children with 195 beds located Bleickenallee 36. The Asklepios Klinik Wandsbek has a day care facility for psychiatric problems in the Bülowstr. 8. In Ottensen were 32 day care centers for children and also 130 physicians in private practice and 11 pharmacies.
Transportation
Ottensen is serviced by the rapid transit system of the city train. According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, in the quarter were 9,894 private cars registered. There were 133 traffic accidents total, including 105 traffic accidents with damage to persons.
