In the early 17th century it developed into a suburb called "Hamburger Berg" outside the gates of the neighboring city of Hamburg and close to the city of Altona.
The name comes from a hill in the area that Hamburg planned in 1620 for defensive reasons.
Thus, settlement was initially allowed there, but soon businesses that were not in demand either in Hamburg or Altona, for example due to their smell or noise, were transferred to the "Hamburger Berg".
In addition, rope workers were stationed here because it was difficult to find enough space in the city for them to work.
The name of St. Pauli's most famous street, Reeperbahn, or "Rope Walk", dates back to its rope-making past.
When people were officially allowed to live in St. Pauli at the end of the 17th century, the city government moved the workhouses and hospitals out of the city to the "Hamburger Berg", which was later named after the still existing church "St.
Pauli."
Pauli."
St. Pauli was mainly used by sailors for entertainment during their stay in Hamburg and Altona.
To this day, it is known as the "sinful mile", combining high and low standards of entertainment, from musicals, theaters to bars and clubs, as well as the most famous red light district.
Various social problems and conflicts have arisen in recent decades, including in Hafenstrasse, Rote Flora and Bambule.
Hamburg, as a major port city, has very close ties with China and Asia in general.
From about 1890 there was the Chinanviertel Chinatown in the St. Pauli district, which was closed by the Nazis in the 1930s.
Chinatown St. Pauli has been regenerating since the 2010s.
Hamburg also hosts the biennial high-level conference "Hamburg Summit: China Meets Europe", has been home to a major Chinese consulate at Elbhaussee 268 in Othmarschen since 1921, and has Shanghai as a sister city.
A large contingent of Chinese and other Asian immigrants continues to live in the areas of Sao Pauli and Altona, and new arrivals also gravitate to this part of the city.