Hamburg Travel Guide

Interesting Things to Know About Hamburg Before You Visit

• Wherever you are in Hamburg you are never far from water. Around 61 km² of the Hamburg area is water. With that much water there are going to be a few bridges. There is the Köhlbrandbrücke from the 1970s, which is 135 m high with a total length of 3,618 m. At only 50 m in length, an older and very photogenic bridge is Brooks Bridge built in 1887 in the Speicherstadt. In fact there are over 2,000 bridges. Estimates vary between 2,300 and 2,500. Whatever the actual number is, that is more bridges than in Venice, London and Amsterdam put together. Also, don’t miss the Pauli Elbe Tunnel, opened in 1911, it is free for pedestrians. But the car lifts still work today, taking vehicles down to the tunnel level, 24 m below the surface.
• Hamburg has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, both added to the list in 2015. They are the Speicherstadt and the Kontorhausviertel. The Speicherstadt is a late 19th century warehouse district. What is unusual about these warehouses is that they are built with timber-pile foundations; made from oak. Using timber for pile foundations is not that uncommon, but the Speicherstadt has the largest number of such buildings in the world. The Kontorhausviertel is collection of large office buildings on the southeastern edge of the Altstadt. They were erected in the 1920s and are typical of what is known as Brick Expressionism common in Germany at that time.
• The origins of the Hanseatic League arose out of two agreements between Hamburg and Lübeck signed in 1241. The first stated that both cities would defend their freedoms and privileges together. The second called for securing the road between the two cities against bandits, and that anyone expelled from the one would not be permitted to enter other city. In 1264 the main road between Hamburg and Lübeck was cobbled in Hamburg and called Steinstraße. It is the third known cobbled road in northern Europe, and there is still a street bearing that name in Hamburg.
• Hamburg is known for its varied and vibrant music scene; in history as it is today. In 1678 the first civic opera house in Europe opened in Hamburg. Now the Striking Elbphilharmonie, on the Elbe River, is one of the largest concert halls in the world. And one of many, many music venues around the city. Well known German composers Joannes Brahms and Felix Mendelssohn were born in Hamburg. And although not born here Georg Philipp Telemann, arguably one of the most prolific composers, died in Hamburg. He was the musical director of the main churches from 1721. A few hundred years later, the Beatles launches their careers in Hamburg. Beatles Platz in the St. Pauli district was named, and decorated, in their honour. Today the city is well known for its Indie music scene. But there are many and varied musical festivals throughout the year.
• Not surprisingly Hamburg was of great strategic importance in World War 2. And the Allied forces unleashed devastating bombing raids on the city, its shipyards, U-boat pens and oil refineries. Many tens of thousands of civilians were killed, while others fled. Much of the city was destroyed. Hamburg was home to a Neuengamme concentration camp. Prisoners from this camp were on board the SS Cap Arcona when in May 1945 the ship was bombed by the Royal Air Force near Neustadt in Holstein. Said by many to be the worst single maritime atrocity in World War II.