Hamburg is a major port city situated on the Elbe River in northern Germany. 1,740,000 inhabitants make it Germany's second-largest city. The Greater Hamburg Metropolitan Region has a population of four million. It is at the same time one of the 16 German Bundesländer (states).
Hamburg is a city-state. It values its status as a city, being as independent as possible of other states that have existed or currently exist in Germany. Nevertheless, over the centuries, Hamburg has always been an international city. This is not only because of its position in international trade, but also in political dimensions.
One of the most important harbors in Europe and the world, Hamburg takes great pride in its mercantile background, which built the city's wealth in the past centuries. From 1241 on, it was member of the Hanseatic League, a medieval trade monopoly over Northern Europe. In the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, millions left Europe on their way to the new world through the Hamburg harbor. Today, the harbor ranks second in Europe and sixth to seventh world-wide. Consequently, one of Hamburg's tag lines is "The Gate to the World" (derived from the city’s coat of arms, showing an argent city wall with a gate and crowned by three towers on a field of gules). Hamburg is known to be the richest metropolitan area in the European Union (just followed by Bruxelles and London).
PLACE TO VISIT
St. Nikolai's Church - was formerly one of the five Lutheran Hauptkirchen (main churches) in the city of Hamburg. It is now in ruins, serving as a memorial and an important architectural landmark. When Hamburgers mention the "Nikolaikirche", it is generally to this church that is referred, and not the new Hauptkirche of St. Nikolai which is located in the Harvestehude district. The church was the tallest building in the world from 1874 to 1876 and is still the second tallest building in Hamburg.
St. Michaelis - called Michel is one of Hamburg's five main Protestant churches (Hauptkirchen) and the most famous church in the city. St. Michaelis is a landmark of the city. It is dedicated to the archangel Michael. A large bronze statue, standing above the portal of the church shows the archangel conquering the devil.
The 132m-high baroque spire totally covered with copper is a prominent feature of Hamburg’s skyline and has always been a landfall mark for ships sailing up the river Elbe.
St. Peter's Church - is the oldest parish church in Hamburg, Germany. It is named after the Christian Apostle Peter, who the Catholic Church believes to be the first Pope. The church is located on Mönckebergstrasse and marks the highest point in Hamburg's Old Town. Its tower rises to a height of 132 meters; there are 544 steps to the top. The parish currently consists of a few hundred members. About 300 persons work there today, as priests, social workers, choir leaders, and craftsmen. The majority of these are volunteer positions.
The St. Jacobi church is one of the five principal Lutheran churches of Hamburg, Germany. The church is located directly in the city center, has a 125 m tall tower and features a famous organ by Arp Schnitger from 1693. It is dedicated to St James the Greater and oftren incorrectly known in English as St Jacob's.
St. Katharinen (St Catherine's Church) is one of the five principal Protestant churches (Hauptkirchen) of Hamburg, Germany. The base of its spire, dating from the 13th century, is the oldest building preserved in the city. It is situated on an island near what was formerly the southern boundary of the medieval city, opposite the historic harbour area on the Elbe river. It traditionally served as the church of the seamen.
Hamburg Rathaus is located in the Altstadt quarter in the centre of Hamburg, Germany, near the lake Binnenalster and the central station. It is the seat of the government of Hamburg. Constructed from 1886 to 1897, the city hall still houses its original governmental functions with the office of the First Mayor of Hamburg and the meeting rooms for Hamburg's parliament and senate (the city's executive).
The Chilehaus (Chile House) is a ten-story office building in Hamburg, Germany, a prime example of brick architecture of the 1920s. This enormous building spans a street, the Fischertwiete. The building is famed for its top, which is reminiscent of a ship's prow, and the facades, which meet at a very sharp angle at the corner of the Pumpen and Niedernstrasse. The best view of the building is from the east. Because of the accentuated vertical elements and the recessed upper stories, as well as the curved facade on the Pumpen street, the building has, despite its enormous size, a touch of lightness.
The Hamburg Philharmonic Hall is a concert hall under construction in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg, Germany. The concert hall is designed by Herzog & de Meuron on top of an old warehouse.
Ohlsdorf Cemetery in the quarter Ohlsdorf of the city of Hamburg, Germany, is the biggest non-military cemetery in the world and the second-largest cemetery in the world after Calverton National Cemetery in eastern Long Island. The cemetery has a area of 391 hectares (966 acres) with 12 chapels, over 1.4 million burials in more than 256,000 burial sites and streets with a length of 17 km (11 mi). Public transport is provided with 25 bus stops of two bus lines of the Hamburger Verkehrsverbund.
Planten un Blomen is a park with a size of 47 hectares in the center of Hamburg. The name is Low German for plants and flowers. The first plant was a Platanus, planted by Johann Georg Christian Lehmann in November 1821. It can be seen next to the Hamburg Dammtor railway station entrance of the park.
Hamburger Kunsthalle is an art museum in Hamburg, Germany. The art museum focuses on Hamburger Malerei in the 14th century, paintings of Dutch and Flemish artists of the 16th and 17th century, French and German paintings of the 19th century, and modern art. It consists of three linked buildings, located in the city center, near central station and the Binnenalster lake.
Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg (International maritime museum) is a museum in the quarter HafenCity of Hamburg, Germany. It was opened on June 25, 2008 by the German president Horst Köhler. The museum houses Professor Peter Tamm's collection of ship models, plans, uniforms and maritime art, all over more than 40.000 items and more than one million fotos.
Afghan Museum is situated in the historic and picturesque Warehouse District of Hamburg, Germany. The Afghan Museum's mandate is to bring the authentic and traditional aspects of Afghan culture to life. The Hamburg State Opera (in German: Hamburgische Staatsoper) is one of the leading opera companies in Germany. Opera in Hamburg dates back to 2 January 1678 when the "Opern-Theatrum" was inaugurated with a performance of a biblical Singspiel by Johann Theile. It was not a court theatre but the first public opera house in Germany established by the art-loving citizens of Hamburg, a prosperous member of the Hanseatic League.
The Hamburg Dungeon is a live-action presentation of the "darker times" of Hamburg. It is probably mostly suited for a younger, easily impressed audience. But it might not be suitable for young children.
The Miniatur Wunderland is the world's largest model railway layout. The panoramas include parts of Hamburg, the Alps, the American west, and a Scandinavian exhibit which features automated ships on a body of water. It is located in the Speicherstadt close to the Hamburg Dungeon.
The Hamburg Cruise Center, where cruise lines land in Hamburg, is in the HafenCity. Its terminal building is constructed out of 40 sea containers. Nearby, directly at the river Elbe, you find an orange observation tower called HafenCity View Point, allowing nice views on the HafenCity, the harbor, and the river (free admission).
WHAT TO DO
Theatre, Opera and Musicals - Hamburg has an opera house (Staatsoper) and many theaters. It is also known to host a number of different musicals, as well as other music events.
Fischmarkt (Fish Market) — Every Sunday morning vendors praise wares of virtually every type at Hamburg's oldest open-air market, dating back to 1703. The market takes place at the foot of the century-old Fish Auction Hall, where live-bands perform jazz, skiffle, country, or western music. Open every Sunday from 5AM-9:30AM, in winter from 7AM-9:30AM.
Hafengeburtstag (Harbour Birthday) — Every year in May the harbor birthday attracts millions of people. Dozens of stands and stages, a ship parade, and changing events are organized to celebrate the cities spring of wealth. The harbor filled 800 years in 1989. Since then, the Harbor Birthday grew the greatest harbor party in the world. It is generally in early May.
Kirschblütenfest (Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival) — On May 19th, the Japanese community of Hamburg celebrates the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival by the Lake Alster. Enormous fireworks and a peaceful atmosphere are characteristics of this event.
Hamburger Dom (Fair) — The Dom is one of the largest fairs in Germany. The streets of the fairground, lined on both sides with stalls and rides, are some 3.3 km long. It takes place in spring, summer, and early winter for the duration of one month each.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Hamburg has the fourth largest international airport in Germany, so arrival by plane is an obvious choice for those visiting from far away. Hamburg airport is closed at nighttime. Flights which have suffered severe delays will be diverted to Hannover, Frankfurt, or other German airports. It may, therefore, be prudent to avoid booking flights due to land late in the day. International flights are highly unlikely to be diverted as they are all scheduled to land well before the airport is closed for the night.
The airport, which is hugely popular with plane-spotters, is surrounded by Schrebergärten (meticulously maintained allotments), park lands, and open green spaces, crisscrossed by bicycle and walking trails. The popularity of this area is not only due to the many viewpoints, but also because Lufthansa Technik (Lufthansa's maintenance service) operates some large hangars on the airport, which means that the site is visited by a variety of rare and interesting aircraft (including VVIP).
By train - Hamburg has five major stations: Hauptbahnhof (central station), Altona, Dammtor, Harburg, Bergedorf. Various types of train service are available.
ICE (Inter City Express) high speed train service to or from most major German cities, including Berlin, Cologne (Köln), Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich also to Basel and Zurich (Zürich) Switzerland. There are usually hourly service to most destinations during the daytime.
Direct service to or from Copenhagen (Denmark), Budapest (Hungary), Prague (Czech Republic), Vienna (Austria), and Bratislava (Slovakia).
By car - via the Autobahn:
A1 to/from Lübeck (north-east) — To get to the city change to the A24 at "Autobahnkreuz Ost".
A1 to/from Bremen, Cologne (Köln) (south/south-west) — To get to the city change to A255.
A7 to/from Flensburg, Kiel (north) — To get to the city exit at "Bahrenfeld".
A7 to/from Hanover, Kassel (south)— To get to the city exit right after the "Elbtunnel" at "Othmarschen" or "Bahrenfeld". Use the rightmost pipe of the "Elbtunnel" to exit at "Othmarschen".
A23 to/from Husum.
A24 to/from Berlin.
Be prepared to pay for parking or park outside the city and use public transportation.
By bus - Buses serving other cities (regional, national, and European destinations) arrive at or depart from Hamburg's central bus station ("ZOB"), which is located near the central railway station (Hauptbahnhof) (two minute walk). Destinations include Berlin (several times a day). Buses to Lübeck depart from Wandsbek.
Hitchhike - You can leave Hamburg to the south (A7-Hannover/Frankfurt/Munich) and southwest (A1-Bremen/Cologne/Netherlands) from the filling station known as "HH-Stillhorn" you can get there with the Bus 13 from suburbanstation S-Wilhelmsburg. To Berlin you can start at the "Horner-Kreisel" and take the Bus 161 from S-Berliner Tor or walk from U3-Rauhes Haus. You can find cars driving to most German cities for €10-20.
