The relationship between water, commerce and architecture is the pillar that supports Hamburg's history. Speicherstadt is the largest network of connected warehouses in the world.
The medieval church of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of merchants and seafarers, was caught in the flames of the great fire of 1842. The Emigration Museum is located in the so-called Ballin City, on the Hamburg island of Veddel, in honor of the owner of the Hamburg Amerika Line company. The Elbphilharmonie is an impressive concert hall on the banks of the Elbe River built on a former warehouse.