Places of Interest – Hamburg

Historical Architecture

St. Michaelis church, built from 1751 - 1762, is not only the most important baroque church building in northern Germany but also features the biggest German church clock. The circumferential measurements of the dial amount to more than 24 meters. It's tower, the "Michel", is 132 metres high and has a viewing platform from which you can watch Port and City undisturbedly. Every day at 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. Turmblasen (tower music) takes place.

A historic architectural monument from the 17th century and an idyllic piece of old Hamburg are the Krameramtswohnungen in close proximity to Michel church. One of the historic traders' flats is still in original condition and was equipped with complete furnishing from the time around 1850/60 by the Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte (Museum for Hamburgian History). It is open to visitors.

After the Town Hall of Hamburg had burnt down completely in 1842, the council temporarily moved into auxiliary premises - for 55 years! The new Town Hall was inaugurated in 1897 and has more than 647 rooms and was erected on more than 4000 oak poles. Completely the contrary of the Hanseatic style the Town Hall shines with an elaborately decorated facade which is seamed by 20 emperor statues. Above the main port it is written in Latin: "The descendants shall aim to maintain the freedom which was achieved by the ancestors with dignity."

 

Hamburg port and the Landungsbrücken jetties

The port is among the world's busiest transhipment ports.
It is the gateway to the markets in north, central and eastern Europe, the bridge between continental Europe and the rest of the world and the most important overseas port for Scandinavia and central/eastern Europe. Harbour tours start from the 700 metre floating pontoon on the Landungsbrücken jetties.

"Speicherstadt" Warehouse District

The 100-year-old warehouse district is located between the Deichtor Halls and Baumwall. With its Wilhelminian brick Gothic buildings, unusual gables and little towers the warehouse district is not at all a place visitors expect to find in an international port. Behind the thick walls, high-value goods such as coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and tobacco are stored. This is also the location of the world's largest Oriental carpet store.

Hafen City

Directly in the heart of the City, between Speicherstadt (Storehouse City) and Port, the probably biggest and most exciting European urban development project develops on the terrain of the former port: "HafenCity" (Port City). Here, the iconic "Elbphilharmonie", a new concert hall, erected directly on the roof of a huge storehouse and already belongs to the architectural highlights. From the spectacular building with its wide view designed by the highly famed architexts Herzog & de Meuron you will be able to marvel at the river Elbe and also at the about 40 cruise liners which enter the port every year.