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The Alsterwanderweg, a hiking trail along the river Alster, is one of Hamburg‘s finest local recreation areas. It is a great place to take the whole family on a long walk and is a must-see, not only in summer. The Alstertal-Einkaufszentrum (AEZ) was ope- ned in 1970. It was Poppenbüttel‘s second shopping center and Germany‘s first indoor shopping center. Today it houses nearly 250 shops and leaves practically no wish unfulfilled. Since April 2013, Poppenbüttel has also been the new home of Deutsche EuroShop.Poppenbüttel is situated astride the Oberalster and is clearly divided from the neighbouring parts of the town by green belts and environmental conservation areas. First documented in 1336, it consisted of no more than a small number of farms sur- rounding the village square all the way up to the 19th century. Since as early as the end of the 19th century, though, it has been a popular destination for weekend trips from Ham- burg. Thanks to a marked improvement in transport connections, which saw the access roads paved and Poppenbüttel connected to Hamburg‘s suburban train network at the beginning of the 20th century, the population grew steadily and has now settled at around 22,000. Poppenbüttel was suburbanised in 1937. Today, Poppenbüttel stands for pleasant residential areas, abun- dant nature and a shopping paradise. The area is not only popu- lar with families, but also with older generations: two large resi- dential complexes offer independent living in owner-occupied apartments for the elderly. Poppenbüttel Birgit Schäfer, Secretary to the Executive Board S Today, Poppenbüttel stands for pleasant residential areas, abundant nature and a shopping paradise SHOPPING { 42 } DES ANNUAL REPORT 2012

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