The relationship between water, commerce and architecture is the pillar that supports Hamburg's history. A river port that the Elbe River connects with the North Sea, about one hundred kilometers away. Distance that is not perceived based on the marine atmosphere that is breathed. The reasons to visit Hamburg are liquid and red.
1. Port and heritage architecture
Speicherstadt is the largest network of connected warehouses in the world. 26 hectares on a river island in the Elbe on which 17 medieval-looking red brick buildings are located in which coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and tobacco have been stored. Today large Persian rugs do it. Since 2015, this warehouse complex and the neighboring Chilehaus (Casa Chile) building, shaped like a ship's bow making its way into the sea, have been included on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
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2. Memory of the past
The medieval church of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of merchants and seafarers, was caught in the flames of the great fire of 1842. Another church was built on that charred wasteland and was bombed by the Allied side during World War II. Today only a few ruins remain that have become a memorial to remember the vicissitudes that Hamburg has suffered throughout its history.
The medieval church of St. Nicholas, in Hamburg. Bildagentur-online / Joko / Alamy / CORDON PRESS
3. The place of farewells
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. Mr. Ballin built a city in this place with hospitals, religious temples of different faiths, theaters, restaurants and homes, for people waiting their turn to board the ships heading to America, between 1850 and 1939. The museum in question, for Through technology and audiovisual media, it reconstructs the history of emigration.
Items on display at the Emigration Museum, Hamburg, Germany.Bjanka Kadic (Alamy / CORDON PRESS)
4. To see inside and out
The Elbphilharmonie is an impressive concert hall on the banks of the Elbe River built on a former warehouse on the western edge of the Hafen City (Port City). Its glass façade topped with a roof in the shape of a sea with waves has become the new postcard image of Hamburg. The Elbphilharmonie combines innovative architecture, in a privileged location, with acoustics that the Greeks would have liked to enjoy and with a concert program designed to bring the largest possible audience to music.
The Elbphilharmonie concert hall, on the banks of the Elbe River. Kris Hoobaer (GETTY IMAGES)
5. Goals are the least important thing
In the hooligan and activist neighborhood of Sankt Pauli, unknown
The Beatles
could be heard for the first time, outside of England . In the same neighborhood is Millerntor. A stadium in which
Hells Bells
by AC/DC plays when the players jump onto the pitch and
Song 2
by Blur when the local team, FC St. Pauli, scores a goal, the most socially and politically committed football club in Germany. A team that plays to fight for its anti-racist, anti-fascist and homophobia demands, more than for the victory of the party. 90 minutes in which its militant fans remain standing.
6. Bathing on a river beach
Hamburg has a sandy beach one kilometer long of the three between Övelgönne and Teufelsbrück, to the west of the city. The city shows off and enjoys its river coastline, in the purest Mediterranean style. In Hamburg, thanks to the Elba, whoever feels like it can put on flip-flops, put on a swimsuit and spread out a towel on the sand. Those who find the sand uncomfortable or the water seems cold can also take a seat at a beach club, next to the old Sankt Pauli pier.
7. Where night owls gather
At the Fish Market on Sundays, very early, you can go to breakfast, beer in hand, coffee, herrings, oysters and a piece of pastries, while you watch the guys who look like they haven't finished the party they're having. They started the night before. The history of this site dates back to 1703. Since then, local producers sell fish, meat, vegetables and typical Hamburg prepared dishes. Hamburg's relationship with water is so close that every time the Elbe River overflows the square floods, however, it has never done so on a Sunday, to date.
Statue at the Fish Market in Hamburg.Dan Saunders (Alamy / CORDON PRESS)
8. A dual lake
In Hamburg water manifests itself in rivers, canals and lakes. In the heart of the city, the Alster River turns into two lakes: the Inner and the Outer. Some 164 hectares of water surface crossed by small sailing, rowing and tourist boats. In the middle of the lake one can guess how pleasant it is to walk along the banks of the Alster, one of the most desirable residential areas of the city.
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