Café Lehmitz was a bar that existed in 1960s Hamburg, located near the famous entertainment district of Reeperbahn. It was a refuge for night revelers, dock workers, sailors, dealers, as well as workers and visitors of the red-light district.

Anders Petersen was only 18 when he first immersed himself in the atmosphere of St. Pauli, the center of Hamburg’s nightlife. A few years later, he returned to the city as a photographer and, by chance, found himself in Café Lehmitz, where he created his now-famous photographic series.

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About the author

Anders Petersen

Born in 1944, Anders Petersen is a Swedish photographer and a “living legend” of contemporary photography. He studied under the renowned master of black-and-white photography Christer Strömholm, president of the School of Photography at Stockholm University.
In 1973, Petersen published his first photobook, Gröna Lund, shot in the Stockholm amusement park of the same name. In 1978, he published in Germany his series Café Lehmitz, which has since become one of the most iconic works in the history of European photography.
Today, Petersen is the author of more than 20 photobooks. He continues to produce solo projects and participate in group exhibitions across Europe, Asia, and the United States.
His awards include Photographer of the Year at the Rencontres d’Arles (2003), the Special Jury Prize at the Third International Photo Festival in Lianzhou (2007), and the Dr. Erich Salomon Award from the German Society for Photography (2008).

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Last updated on 10.04.2026