- This article is about the city in Germany. For other articles named Hamburg, see Hamburg (disambiguation).
Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and with the Hamburg Harbour, its principal port. Hamburg is also the second largest port city in the European Union.
The official name Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (German Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg) refers to Hamburg's membership in the mediæval Hanseatic League and the fact that Hamburg is a City State and one of the sixteen Federal States of Germany.
Hamburg is situated on the southern tip of Jutland Peninsula, geographically centered a) between Continental Europe and Scandinavia and b) between North Sea and Baltic Sea. The city of Hamburg lies at the junction of the river Elbe with the rivers Alster and Bille and the city center is beautifully set around Lake Binnenalster and Lake Außenalster.
Hamburg is an international trade city and the commercial and cultural center of Northern Germany. Hamburg is famous for its sophisticated music scene.
Politics and Administration
The Bürgerschaft (City Assembly) is the parliament of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, which is elected by the citizens of Hamburg every four years.
The Erster Bürgermeister (First Mayor) is head of the senate (which forms the government) and gets elected by the city assembly and is thus head of the city state. The current mayor is Ole von Beust (see also List of mayors of Hamburg).
Hamburg Rathaus (Town Hall)
The state and administrative city cover 750 km² with 1.8 million inhabitants, while another 0.8 million live in neighboring urban areas. The Greater Hamburg Metropolitan Region (Metropolregion Hamburg) includes some districts in the adjacent federal states of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony and covers an area of 18,100 km² with a population of just over 4 million.
Hamburg is organized into seven boroughs (Bezirke) comprising 104 quarters (Stadtteile):
Three small islands in the North Sea also belong to the City State of Hamburg: Neuwerk, Scharhörn and Nigehörn.
History
The city takes its name from the first permanent building on the site, a fort ordered to be built by Emperor Charlemagne in 808 AD. The fort was built on some rocky ground in a marsh between the Alster and the Elbe as a defence against Slavic incursion. The fort was named Hamma Burg, where "burg" means "fort."
The "Hamma" element remains uncertain. Old High German includes both a hamma, "angle" and a hamme, "pastureland." The angle might refer to a spit of land or to the curvature of a river. However, the language spoken might not have been Old High German, as Plattdüütsch was spoken there later. Other theories are that the fort was named for a surrounding Hamma forest, or for the village of Hamm, later incorporated into the city. Hamm as a place name occurs a number of times in Germany, but its meaning is equally uncertain. It could be related to "heim" and Hamburg could have been placed in the territory of the ancient Chamavi. However, a derivation of "home city" is perhaps too direct, as the city was named after the castle.
In 834 Hamburg was designated the seat of a bishopric, whose first bishop, Ansgar, became known as the Apostle of the North. In 845 a fleet of 600 Viking ships came up the River Elbe and destroyed Hamburg, at that time a town of around 500 inhabitants. Two years later, Hamburg was united with Bremen as the bishopric of Hamburg-Bremen.
In 1030 the city was burned down by King Mieszko II of Poland. After further raids in 1066 and 1072 the bishop permanently moved to Bremen.
The charter in 1189 by Frederick I "Barbarossa" granted Hamburg the status of an Imperial Free City and tax free access up the Lower Elbe into the North Sea. This and Hamburg's proximity to the main trade routes of the North Sea and Baltic Sea quickly made it a major port in Northern Europe. Its trade alliance with Lübeck in 1241 marks the origin and core of the powerful Hanseatic League of trading cities.
In 1520 the city embraced Lutheranism, and Hamburg subsequently received Protestant refugees from the Netherlands and France. Hamburg was at times under Danish sovereignty while remaining part of the Holy Roman Empire as an Imperial Free City.
Briefly annexed by Napoleon I (1810-14), Hamburg suffered severely during his last campaign in Germany. The city was besieged for over a year by Allied forces (mostly Russian, Swedish and German). Russian forces under General Bennigsen finally freed the city in 1814. During the first half of the 19th century a patron goddess with Hamburg's Latin name Hammonia emerged, mostly in romantic and poetic references, and although she has no mythology to call her own, Hammonia became the symbol of the city's spirit during this time. Hamburg had several great fires, notably in 1284 and 1842.
Hamburg experienced its fastest growth during the second half of the 19th century, when its population more than quadrupled to 800,000 as the growth of the city's Atlantic trade helped make it Europe's third-largest port.
Hamburg's central promenade Jungfernstieg on Lake Alster in 1900
In 1900 Hamburg-America Lines was the World's largest transatlantic shipping company, and Hamburg was also home to shipping companies to South America, Africa, India and East Asia. Hamburg became a cosmopolitan metropolis based on worldwide trade. Hamburg was the port for most Germans and Eastern Europeans to leave for the New World and became home to trading communities from all over the world (like a small Chinatown in Altona).
After World War I Germany lost her colonies and Hamburg lost many of its trade routes. In 1937 the city boundaries were extended with the Groß-Hamburg-Gesetz (Greater Hamburg Act) to incorporate Wandsbek, Harburg, Wilhelmsburg and Altona. The city counts 1.7 million inhabitants.
During World War II Hamburg suffered a series of devastating air raids which killed 42,000 German civilians (Bombing of Hamburg in World War II). Through this, and the new zoning guidelines of the 1960s, the inner city lost much of its architectural past.
The Iron Curtain - only 50 kilometers east of Hamburg - separated the city from most of its hinterland and further reduced Hamburg's global trade. On February 16, 1962 a severe storm caused the Elbe to rise to an all-time high, drowning one fifth of Hamburg and killing more than 300 people.
After German reunification in 1990, and the accession of some Eastern European and Baltic States into the EU in 2004, Hamburg Harbour and Hamburg have ambitions for regaining their positions as the region's largest deep-sea port for container shipping and its major commercial and trading center. Hamburg 2020
Sister cities
Chicago, Illinois, U.S., since 1994
Dresden, Germany, since 1987
León, Nicaragua, since 1989
Marseille, France, since 1958
Ōsaka, Japan, since 1989
Prague, Czech Republic, since 1990
Shanghai, People's Republic of China, since 1986
St. Petersburg, Russia, since 1957
Economy
Landungsbrücken (
"the Jetties"), in
St. Pauli district
The most significant economic basis for Hamburg in the past centuries has been (and still is) its harbour (see: Hamburg Harbour), which ranks 2nd in Europe and 9th worldwide with transshipments of 7 million standard container units (TEU) and 115 million tonnes of goods in 2004. International trade is also the reason for the large number of consulates in the city. Although situated several kilometers upwards the Elbe, due to its ability to handle sea ships it is considered a sea harbour.
Other important industries are the aerospace company Airbus, which has one of its two assembly plants located there, and media businesses, most notably three of Germany's largest publishing companies, Axel Springer Verlag [1], Gruner + Jahr [2] and Heinrich Bauer Verlag [3]. About half of Germany's national newspapers and magazines are produced in Hamburg. There are also a number of music companies (the largest being Warner Music Germany) and Internet businesses (e.g. AOL and Google Germany). Heavy industry includes a steel, an aluminium and Europe's largest copper plant [4], and a number of shipyards like Blohm + Voss [5]. Research DESY - Deutsches Elektronen SYnchrotron, the German Electron Synchrotron
Transport
Hamburg is connected by four Autobahnen (motorways) and is the most important railway junction on the route to Northern Europe. Hamburg's international airport is Hamburg Airport, which is the oldest airport in Germany still in operation.
Though large cities in Germany normally only have a one letter prefix (e.g. B for Berlin), Hamburg's vehicle licence plate prefix is "HH" (Hansestadt Hamburg, English: Hanseatic City Hamburg), which underlines Hamburg's historic roots and allows the city of Hannover to use the prefix "H".
Like in most larger German cities, the local public transport is organised by a Verkehrsverbund, basically a joint venture of all public transport companies servicing the area. In and around Hamburg, it's the HVV (Hamburger Verkehrsverbund). Tickets sold by one HVV company are accepted by all other HVV companies.
Nine light rail routes across the city are the backbone of Hamburg public transport. Three lines comprise the U-Bahn and six the S-Bahn system. U-Bahn, short for Untergrundbahn (underground, subway), is a standard German term for a municipally owned electric light rail system. The lesser part of the Hamburg U-Bahn operates through underground tunnels. Most of the U-Bahn tracks are on embankments or viaducts; older residents still speak of the system as the Hochbahn ("elevated railway"). A third light rail system, the AKN connects to satellite towns in Schleswig-Holstein state. Gaps in the light rail network are filled by bus routes, plied by single-deck, two- and three-axle diesel buses. Hamburg has no trams or trolley-buses, but is experimenting in using hydrogen fuelled busses.
Finally, regional trains of Germany's major railway company Deutsche Bahn AG and the regional Metronom trains may be used with a HVV public transport ticket, too. Except at the three bigger stations in the center of Hamburg, the regional trains hardly stop again inside the area of the city.
A day and night bus network operates as frequently as 2 minutes at important places to 30 minutes in suburban areas. There are five ferry lines along the river Elbe, operated by the HADAG. While mainly needed by Hamburg citizens and dock workers they can also be used for sightseeing tours at the (relatively) low fees of a HVV public transport ticket.
Buildings
Bridges and Tunnels
Hamburg has a number of prominent buildings from the past and present. Speicherstadt,
The many canals in Hamburg are crossed by over 2300 bridges — more than Amsterdam (1200) and Venice (400) combined.
Churches
The skyline of Hamburg features the high spires of the five main churches ('Hauptkirchen') covered with green copper plates.
Towers and masts
Culture
Theaters
Dance clubs
- Angie's Nightclub (Soul/Jazz/Livebands) website
- Change (Gay)(Electronica) website
- China Lounge (House) website
- Docks (Trance/Latin/RnB/Mixed) website
- Cult Club (70s, 80s, Classics) website
- Echochamber (Reggae/Dancehall/Electro) website (CLOSED)
- Funky Pussy Club (HipHop/R&B) Info
- Große Freiheit 36 (Mixed) website
- Grünspan (Mixed/Livebands) website
- Kaiserkeller (in the basement of Große Freiheit 36)
- Kir (Alternative/Mixed/Wednesday=Gay) website
- Lounge (House/Soul/Latin/Lounge) Info
- Molotow (Livemusic/Clubnights/Rock) website
- Pit (Gay)(Electronica)(Bondar) website
- Pacha (House) website
- Rutsche (Dancehall/Techno/Pop/Rock)
- Superfly (House/HipHop/Mixed) website
- Tanzhalle (DJs/Liveacts) website
- Thomas Read (House/Pop/R&B) website
- Waagenbau (Electronica/Techno/HipHop) website
Music
Classical:
Famous Composers:
Contemporary: Hamburg is known for giving the Beatles a start in their musical career in the early 1960s. They played at the Star Club, which was located in the district St. Pauli near the perhaps most famous street of Hamburg, the Reeperbahn.
More recently it is known for some of the most popular German hip hop acts, such as 5 Sterne Deluxe, Samy Deluxe, Beginner and Fettes Brot. There is also a quite big alternative and punk scene which gathers around the Rote Flora, an occupied villa located in the district of Sternschanze. Some of the musicians of the famous electronic band Kraftwerk also came from Hamburg.
Hamburg is also famous for an original kind of German alternative music called Hamburger Schule ("School of Hamburg"), a term used for bands like Die Sterne, Tocotronic, Blumfeld and Tomte.
Hamburg was one of the major centers of the heavy metal music world in the 1980's. Many bands such as Helloween, Running Wild and Grave Digger got their start in Hamburg. The influences of these bands and other bands from the area were critical to establishing the subgenre of Power metal.
The Lion King theatre in Hamburg's harbour
Since the German premiere of Cats in 1985 there are always a number of musicals being played in the city. Among them have been Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King or Dance of the Vampires. This density, which is the highest in Germany, is partly due to Germany's major musical production company Stage Entertainment being located in Hamburg. One of the musical theatres is a large tent in the harbour, guests either arrive by boat or through the historic Old Elbe Tunnel.
Museums
Museums in Hamburg include:
Local Cuisine and Drinks
Although Hamburg is jokingly said to be the birthplace of the Hamburger, this is just a myth. The hamburger was named after Hamburg. Original Hamburg dishes are "Birnen, Bohnen und Speck" (green runner beans cooked with pears and bacon), "Aalsuppe" (Often mistaken to be German for "eel soup" (aal = eel), however the name probably comes from the Low Saxon "aalens", meaning "all" - anything could be in it, but not necessarily eel. Today eel is often included to meet the expectations of unsuspecting diners.), "Bratkartoffeln" (fried potatoes), "Finkenwerder Scholle" (fried plaice), Pannfisch (fried fish), Rote Grütze (something similar to summer pudding consisting mainly of red berries) and "Labskaus" (a strange looking combination of corned beef, mashed potatoes and beet root – with a name oddly similar to Liverpool's lobscouse). Hamburg is the birthplace of the "Alsterwasser", a reference to the Alster lakes in Hamburg, which is beer shandy, a mixture of equal parts of beer and carbonated lemonade (Zitronenlimonade), wherein the lemonade is added to the beer.
Local Dialects
German and a regional dialect called Missingsch which is influenced by Low German, which is rarely spoken now but can be still heard from harbour labourers.
Tourism
Hamburg is best visited in spring or summer. A typical Hamburg visit includes a tour of the city hall and the grand church St. Michaelis (called the Michel), and visiting the old warehouse district (Speicherstadt) and the harbour promenade (Landungsbrücken). Sightseeing busses connect these points of interest. Of course, a visit in one of the world's largest harbours would definitely be incomplete without having taken one of the harbour and/or canal boat tours (Große Hafenrundfahrt, Fleetfahrt) which start from the Landungsbrücken. Many visitors take a walk in the evening around the area of Reeperbahn, considered Europe's second largest red light district and home of many theatres, bars and night clubs.
However, as already indicated, most people visit Hamburg because of a specific interest, notably one of the musicals, a sports event or an exhibition.
Statistics
The described type of tourism leaves clear tracks in the statistics: In 2004, each visitor spent an average of two nights. The majority of visitors comes from Germany (80%), most foreigners are European, especially from the United Kingdom and Switzerland, and the largest group from outside Europe comes from the U.S..
Medical tourism became an issue in 2004 because of the number of rich Arabic patients seeking medical treatment in one of Hamburg's hospitals; accordingly, the number of visitors from the Persian Gulf states grew by nearly 30% compared to 2003. A lot more visitors also came from East Asia (Taiwan, China) and especially the Baltic states.
Regular events
For the interested visitor, some events held every year:
- Sports (Note that a registration, usually months in advance, is needed for public races.)
- Hamburg Marathon [13] - marathon, open to the public: April
- Tennis Masters Series: May
- Dragon boat race, open to the public (if you have a dragon boat...): August
- HEW Cyclassics [14] - bike race, open to the public: August
- Hamburg City Man Triathlon [15] - triathlon, open to the public: August
- Film festivals
- Filmfest Hamburg [16]: September
- Fantasy Filmfest [17]: April
- Kurzfilmfestival - International Short Film Festival [18]: June
- Lateinamerika-Filmtage - Latin-America Days [19]: December
- Spanische Filmtage - Spanish Days [20]: July
- Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Hamburg [21]: October
- Arts & Exhibitions
- International Fireworks Festival: August
- Kirschblütenfest - Grand fireworks and Japanese culture: May
- Lange Nacht der Museen - one ticket, 40 of Hamburg's museums open until midnight: May
- Theme nights (jungle, romantic, Asian) at Hagenbeck's zoo [22]: Saturdays in summer
- Music
- Fleetinselfest - Music and international artists open air [23]: July
- G-Move - Techno parade: June
- Schlagermove - German 1970's music parade [24]: July
- Fun / Street Festivals
- Alstervergnügen [25] - Alster fair: August
- Christopher Street Day (Gay Pride Parade) [26]: June
- Hamburger Dom - considered the biggest seasonal theme park in northern Germany: three times a year
- Hafengeburtstag [27]- Hamburg's harbour birthday: May
- Motorradgottesdienst - Biker's divine service in Hamburg's largest church St. Michaelis: June
Notable Hamburgians
Actors, actresses, and filmmakers
Architects and Designers
Musicians and Composers
Poets and Writers
Politicians
Scientists
Sportsmen
External links
Coordinates: 53°34′16″N, 10°01′39″E
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg under GFDL
