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Hamburg is
Germany's 2nd largest city after Berlin. It is the country's largest port, the
second largest port in Europe and ninth largest in the world. Despite
this, it is located some way inland where the rivers Alster and Bille open into
the Elbe, which then flows into the North Sea some 70 miles to the north
west.
Free and Hanseatic City
First established as
Hamma Burg (fortified city) in the 9th century, Hamburg played a major
part in the establishment of the Medieval Hanseatic League and even now, as a
city state with freeport status, free trade and independence feature highly in
the life of the city.
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| Hamburg's landmark, St Michael's Church |
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| The second largest port in Europe |
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Destroyed by
fire
Hamburg has been badly hit by fire on several occasions,
notably in 1284 and 1842, and then again in 1943, when heavy Allied bombing
caused a firestorm that killed 42,000 people. Later peaking at over 1.8m
in 1961 before dropping below 1.6m by 1985, Hamburg's population is now
around 1.75m.
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Well
connected
Hamburg is served by 4 motorways (see Hamburg by road), and the main station is a major
rail hub for northern Germany. Local transport includes an underground
(U-Bahn), light urban railway (S-Bahn), buses and even ferries on the city's
many waterways, such as the Binnen- and Aussenalster (the Inner and Outer Alster
Lakes).
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| Hamburg station, a major railway hub |
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| The Outer Alster Lake |
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Music and
media
While the city remains a busy port and home to industry, such
as the German Airbus plant, Hamburg has been part of the music
scene since the Beatles played here in the early 60s and is still famous for its
clubs and nightlife on the Reeperbahn. Hamburg is also where over half of
all of Germany's newspapers and magazines are printed. |
See
also Expedia.co.uk for Hamburg hotels, flights and rental
cars  .
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External links
Hamburg.de official site
(English)
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Internal links
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