My Visual Travel Experience: Hamburg

In 2007, I spent three weeks in Europe and I traveled around Germany, Italy and Denmark. My travels in Germany took me to Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt and Bremen. I stayed in Bremen for two days at the home of my elder sister's German friend from her college days. She was very warm and helpful, and was kind enough to lend me her bicycle to explore Bremen. From Bremen, I did a morning-evening trip to Hamburg, which was completely hassle-free because the two cities are just 125 km apart, and the train journey takes barely 1 hour. I enjoyed my visit to Hamburg.

Hamburg has a population of about 1,860,000 (as of 2016) and is Germany’s second largest city after Berlin. It is one of 16 federal states that make up Germany. Hamburg lies along the river Elbe and two of its tributaries, Alster and Bille. Hamburg has a large port, and is an important tourist destination, with several well known churches, museums and other prominent buildings. The city’s rivers and numerous canals have some 2,500 bridges crossing them. The city also has two artificial lakes, Binnenalster and Aussenalster, close to the city centre.

Hamburg has had an eventful though tumultuous history. In 845 AD, Viking ships destroyed the city. In 1030, the Polish burned down the city. In 1189, Hamburg was given the status of Free Imperial City, and this led to it becoming a major port. In 1202 and 1204, King Valdemar II of Denmark attacked and occupied the city. In 1241, Hamburg became a part of the powerful Hanseatic League of trading cities. In 1350, 60% of the population perished in the Black Death. 

In 1529, the city started following Lutheranism. When the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806, Hamburg became a sovereign state and got the title of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. Napoleon annexed Hamburg in 1804 but the Russians freed it in 1814. From 1815 to 1866, Hamburg became one of the 39 sovereign states of the German Confederation. In 1842, large parts of the city were destroyed in a great fire.

From 1866 to 1871, Hamburg was a part of the North German Confederation, and from 1871 to 1918, it was a part of the German Empire. It was an autonomous state in the Weimar Republic from 1919 to 1933. During World War II, Hamburg faced extensive air raids from the Allies in their fight against Nazi German. The city faced large scale destruction and over 42,000 civilians were killed. It was painstakingly restored after the war. Hamburg became a state of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. In 1962, a North Sea flood inundated large parts of the city and 300 people died. After German reunification in 1990, Hamburg’s port has gone on to become one of the largest in Europe, and Hamburg contributes significantly to the economy of Germany.

Rathaus is the Hamburg City Hall. It was completed in 1897 and was made after the earlier Rathaus came down in the 1842 fire. The beautiful Neo-Renaissance building has a 112 meter tall tower. It lies near the lake Binnenalster, and has the office of the mayor of Hamburg and meeting rooms for Hamburg’s parliament and senate.

Rathaus

Conference Room, Rathaus

Fountain in the Courtyard, Rathaus

Binnenalster and Aussenalster  are two artificial lakes in the heart of Hamburg. Both lakes are formed by the Alster river. Binnenalster is the smaller of the two lakes and covers an area of 0.2 sq km. Aussenalster has an area of 1.64 sq km, and is used for sailing and rowing.

Boats in Binnenalster

Nikolaikirche was built in 1874 and with a steeple having a height of 147 meters, it was the tallest building in the world from 1874 to 1876. It was built on the site of an 11th century wooden church, which was replaced by another church in the 14th century, that came down in the great fire of 1842. 

Steeple, Nikolaikirche

Bells, Nikolaikirche

Nikolaikirche was almost completely destroyed in bombings during World War II. The steeple survived, as did a few other parts of the church. The ruins of the church remain a reminder of the devastating war. The church complex also has several modern sculptures that act as a reminder of the horrors of the war. An elevator takes visitors to a platform at a height of 75 meters, for great views of the city. 

Sculpture of the Ordeal, Nikolaikirche

Sculpture of a Woman Praying, Nikolaikirche

Hauptkirche Sankt Michaelis is one of five Luthernan church in Hamburg. It is a baroque church with a 132 meter tall spire, and it was constructed as a Protestant church. It is dedicated to the Archangel Michael. The first church on the site was built in 1669 but it was destroyed in 1750 by lightning. The church was rebuilt in 1786. It was restored after a fire in 1906 and after being bombed in 1945.

Hauptkirche Sankt Michaelis

The Heinrich Hertz Turm is a 279 meter tall radio communications tower completed in 1968. It has eight concentric platforms. One has an observation deck. The tower previously also had a restaurant, but that has closed.

Heinrich Hertz Turm

Moenckebergstrasse is one of the city’s main shopping streets. It is named after the city’s former mayor, Moenkeberg. The Moenkeberg Fountain is a prominent attraction. The street has many department stores and a shopping mall called Europa Passage.

Moenkebergstrasse

Kunsthalle Hamburg was founded in 1850. It is one of the largest art galleries in Germany, and consists of three connected buildings. It has European art from the middle ages to modern times. 

Kunsthalle Hamburg

Kunsthalle Hamburg has a fine collection of German, Dutch, Flemish and Italian paintings. Some of the prominent artists featured include Cranach, Goya, Rembrandt, Rubens, Courbet, Degas, Liebermann, Manet, Monet and Rodin. 

Friedrich's The Sea of Ice,
Kunsthalle Hamburg
Public Domain, Courtesy Google Art

Gauguin's Breton Boys Bathing,
Kunsthalle Hamburg
Public Domain, Courtesy Google Art

Kirchner's Self Portrait with Model,
Kunsthalle Hamburg
Public Domain, Courtesy Google Art

Liebermann's Jakob Restaurant,
Kunsthalle Hamburg
Public Domain, Courtesy Google Art

Manet's Nana,
Kunsthalle Hamburg
Public Domain, Courtesy Google Art

Fischmarkt is a large fish market that manages the fishing port in the city’s Altona district. The market has over 50 fishing businesses that operate in it.

Fischmarkt

Chilehaus was built in 1924 and is a two storyed office building. It is built in the brick expressionism style. The angular building resembles a ship. It is called Chilehaus because it was commissioned by the shipping magnate Henry B Sloman, who made his wealth by trading with Chile.

Chilehaus

Hamburg as the world’s largest Warehouse District, known locally as the Speicherstadt. It is located in the port of Hamburg and dates back to 1927. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. It was built as a free zone to transfer goods without paying customs. There are harbour tours for visitors and there are museums like the German Customs Museum. The buildings are still used as warehouses.

Warehouse District

I found Hamburg very interesting. It had the big city vibe to it, it had beautiful architecture and it had its pretty lakes and canals. Another day or so in the city would have allowed me to do more justice to it, but I got a good feel of it and managed to see most of the main attractions. It perhaps does not have the same vibrancy as Berlin or Munich, but it is well worth a visit nevertheless, and has its own distinct character. The city was one of the worst hit cities in Germany during World War II and my visit to Nikolaikirche was a grim reminder of that, but the rest of the city was an amazing example of the indomitable German spirit of bouncing back from adversity!