Hamburg

About Hamburg

Hamburg is one of the most interesting cities of Germany. On the one hand it is a busy and bustling metropolis, but on the other hand is also an elegant and cozy seaside idyll.

Some of the famous Hamburg's attractions are:

St. Michaelis



One of the city's major landmarks is the Lutheran church of St. Michealis. It was built in the early 17th century. The church was destroyed by lightening in 1661. It was replaced by a baroque building with a tower in 1786. In 1906, the church was destroyed by fire but rebuilt, this time it was rebuilt true to the original. The two World Wars left the building severely damaged.
Another interesting fact is that St. Michaelis used to have the world's largest organ.
From the tower you can get nice views of the city A famous tradition has been kept intact for 300 years, every Sunday a trumpet player plays a hymn in all directions of the compass.

Jungfernstieg

The Jungfernstieg with its tree avenue along the Alster (a river) has been Hamburg's shopping and promenade street for a long time. The trees have been planted to make the Jungfernstieg look more attractive. To the north of the Inner Alster Lake big steps lead to a terrace that is right next to the Alster. Ferries depart from there. The well-known café Alsterpavillion is located on the West side of the Jungfernstieg and is a popular place in Hamburg.

The Town Hall

The Town Hall is an impressive, neo-Renaissance town hall. It was built in 1897. The 111m-long north facade is dominated by a huge tower decorated with bronze statues of past German Emperors. The interior contains some 650 different rooms. Famous rooms are the Bürgersaal, Kaisersaal , Turmsaal and the fantastic Große Festsaal. The Große Festsaal is still used for celebrations. The building was left undamaged during the second World War. The town hall is the seat of the senate, the parliament and the government of the state-city Hamburg.

Harbour

Hamburg's harbour is known as the 'gateway to the world'. The harbour has expanded a great deal since it's founding The harbour was founded prior to the 12th century.
Hamburg is one of the world's largest seaports - approximately 12,000 ships dock here annually and it is one of the largest industrial areas in Europe. The harbour takes up almost one tenth of the city's total area, the harbour covers about 75 square kilometers.
The Landungsbrücken, the Old Elbe Tunnel and the Köhlbrandt bridge are all worth visiting. The Landungsbrücken is also the staring point for tours of the harbour. These tours take place daily and in many areas of the port.

 

Speicherstadt

Built at the end of the 19th century, the Speicherstadt is the world's largest warehouse complex. The warehouses are all made of brick. The copper roofs and small towers serve as decorative features. Many of the warehouses have up to eight floors. The historic Speicherstadt still serves its original purpose. A number of different wares, from spices to carpets, are stored in the huge warehouses founded by local merchants over a century ago.
Reeperbahn

The Reeperbahn is one of the most famous streets in Germany. The Reeperbahn is full of cafés, bars, restaurants, theatres, cabarets, music clubs and sex shops. The Reeperbahn is situated in the district of St. Pauli, and it is the center of Hamburg's red-light district.

State opera

The Staatsoper is one of the best opera houses in the world. International stars perform in the Staatsoper. The plays that are performed in this opera house range from the classical to the modern.
The building dates from the 1950s, but the opera itself was founded as long ago as 1678.