53°33N 10°00E, pop (2000e) 1 703 000; area 755 km²/291 sq mi (including islands of Neuwerk and Scharhörn). Industrial port, cultural city, and province of Germany; on the R Elbe, 109 km/68 mi from its mouth; largest German port; second largest city of Germany; founded by Charlemagne in the 9th-c; formed alliance with Lübeck in the 12th-c, which led to the Hanseatic League; badly bombed in World War 2; railway; university (1919); commerce, shipbuilding, oil, metalworking, electronics, engineering, aircraft, vehicles, packaging, rubber, cosmetics, chemicals, foodstuffs, brewing, cigarettes; birthplace of Brahms and Mendelssohn; town hall (188697), St Michael's Church (175062), art gallery, opera house; Hamburger Dom (NovDec), international boat show.
For other articles named Hamburg, see Hamburg (disambiguation).|
Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg |
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| Coat of arms | Map of Hamburg in Germany |
| Basic Information | |
| Area: | 755.16 km² |
| Population: | 1,746,893 source (2006) |
| Population density: | 2,310 residents/km² |
| Elevation: | 3 m above sea level |
| Postal codes: |
20001–20999, 21001–21149, 22001–22609 |
| Area code: | +49-40 |
| Latitude and Longitude: | 53°33′N 9°59′E |
| Licence plate prefix: | HH |
| ISO 3166-2: | DE-HH |
| Website: | www.hamburg.de |
| Mayor: | Ole von Beust (CDU) |
Hamburg (German pronunciation: [ˈhambʊʁk]; Low Saxon: Hamborg, ['haˑmbɔːχ]) is the second largest city in Germany and with Hamburg Harbour, its principal port, Hamburg is also the second largest port city in Europe, no. Low Saxon: Free un Hansestadt Hamborg) refers to Hamburg's membership in the medieval 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 centred (a) between Continental Europe and Scandinavia and (b) between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
Hamburg is an international trade city and the commercial and cultural centre of Northern Germany.
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.
Hamburg is organised into seven boroughs (Bezirke) comprising 104 quarters (Stadtteile):
Altona Bergedorf Eimsbüttel Harburg Mitte Nord WandsbekThree small islands in the North Sea also belong to the City State of Hamburg: Neuwerk, Scharhörn and Nigehörn.
February 29, 2004 state election
See also: Hamburg state election, 2004Ole von Beust was able to form a majority CDU government without the support of partners.
| Party | Party List votes | Vote percentage | Total Seats | Seat percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | 389,170 | 47.2% (+21.0) | 63 (+30) | 52.1% |
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 251,441 | 30.5% (-6.0) | 41 (-5) | 33.9% |
| Green-Alternative List (GAL) | 101,227 | 12.3% (+3.7) | 17 (+6) | 14.0% |
| Pro Deutsche Mitte (Pro DM/Schill) | 25,763 | 3.1% (+2.9) | 0 (+0) | 0.0% |
| Free Democratic Party (FDP) | 23,373 | 2.8% (-2.2) | 0 (-6) | 0.0% |
| Rainbow - For a new Left (Regenbogen) | 9,221 | 1.1% (-0.6) | 0 (+0) | 0.0% |
| Grey Panthers Party of Germany (GRAUE) | 8,862 | 1.1% (+0.8) | 0 (+0) | 0.0% |
| Law and Order Offensive Party (Offensive) | 3,041 | 0.4% (-19.1) | 0 (-25) | 0.0% |
| All Others | 12,030 | 1.5% (-0.5) | 0 | 0.0% |
| Totals | 824,128 | 100.0% | 121 | 100.0% |
History
The city takes its name from the first permanent building on the site, a castle ordered to be built by Emperor Charlemagne in 808 AD.
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.
In 1529 the city embraced Lutheranism, and Hamburg subsequently received Protestant refugees from the Netherlands and France.
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.
With Albert Ballin as its director the Hamburg-America Line became the world's largest transatlantic shipping company at the turn of the century, and Hamburg was also home to shipping companies to South America, Africa, India and East Asia.
After World War I Germany lost her colonies and Hamburg lost many of its trade routes.
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).
The Iron Curtain—only 50 kilometres east of Hamburg—separated the city from most of its hinterland and further reduced Hamburg's global trade.
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 centre. Hamburg 2020
Economy
The most significant economic basis for Hamburg in the past centuries has been (and still is) its harbour (see: Hamburg Harbour), which ranks 2 worldwide with transshipments of 9 million standard container units (TEU) and 115 million tons of goods in 2004.
Hamburg follows third after Seattle and Toulouse in the list of the most important locations of the civil aerospace industry worldwide.
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. B for Berlin), Hamburg's vehicle licence plate prefix is "HH" (Hansestadt Hamburg, English: Hanseatic City of Hamburg), which underlines Hamburg's historic roots and allows the city of Hanover to use the prefix "H".
Nine mass transit routes across the city are the backbone of Hamburg public transport.
Buildings
Bridges and Tunnels
Hamburg has a number of prominent buildings from the past and present.
St. Michaeliskirche (Saint Michael’s Church, nicknamed “Michel,” like “Mickey”) St. Nikolaikirche (Saint Nicolas' Church, memorial) St. Petrikirche (Saint Peter’s Church, 11th century) St. Jakobikirche (Saint Jacob’s Church, 13th century) St. Katharinenkirche (Saint Catherine’s Church, 14th century)Other churches are also visible in the inner city:
St.Johannis, Harvestehude, Hamburg (Saint John’s) at the AußenalsterTowers and masts
Heinrich-Hertz-Turm Transmitter Hamburg-BillstedtCulture
Theatres
Altonaer Theater Theater Allee Schauspielhaus Ernst-Deutsch-Theater Hansa Theater Theater im Zimmer English Theatre St. Pauli Theater Schmidts Tivoli Hamburger Kammerspiele Imperial Theater komödie - im Winterhuder Fährhaus Thalia Theater Thalia Gaußstraße Monsun Theater Theater Imago Kampnagel Fabrik Theater für Kinder Neues Theater am Holstenwall Theater in der Basilika Schilleroper Theaterschiff am Mäuseturm Ohnsorg-Theater—a theatre in which the actors speak Low Saxon (but they speak Missingsch-infused German for national television broadcasts, since Low Saxon is not comprehensible to most German speakers)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 Golden Pudel Club (Electronic/Dancehall/left-wing political events) website Große Freiheit 36 (Mixed) website Grünspan (Mixed/Livebands) website Hafenklang (Mixed/Liveacts) website (CLOSED, building destroyed) Kaiserkeller (in the basement of Große Freiheit 36) Kir (Alternative/Mixed/Wednesday=Gay) website Logo (Mixed/Livebands) 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 Rote Flora (Mixed-Liveacts/Djs/Left-wing political discussions) website Übel und Gefährlich (Mixed/Livebands/Liveacts) websiteMusic
Classical:
Famous organ built by Arp Schnitger (1648-1719) Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra North German Radio Symphony Orchestra (NDR-Symphonieorchester)Famous Composers:
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) died in Hamburg.Hamburg is also famous for an original kind of German alternative music called Hamburger Schule ("Hamburg School"), a term used for bands like Die Sterne, Tocotronic, Blumfeld and Tomte.
Hamburg was one of the major centres of the heavy metal music world in the 1980's.
Hamburg is also one of the most important global centres for psychedelic trance music.
Museums
Museums in Hamburg include:
Altona Museum and North German State Museum Art Gallery (Kunsthalle Hamburg) Brahmsmuseum Bucerius Kunst Forum Hamburg Museum for Archaeology and the History of Harburg Neuengamme concentration camp memorial Speicherstadt Museum Museum of Hamburg History (Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte) Museum of Art and Design (Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe) Museum of Ethnography (Museum für Völkerkunde) Museum of Labour (Museum der Arbeit)Cuisine
Although Hamburg is jokingly said to be the birthplace of the Hamburger, this is just a myth.
Original Hamburg dishes are Bohnen, Birnen und Speck (Low Saxon Bohn, Peern un Speck, green runner beans cooked with pears and bacon), Aalsuppe (Low Saxon Oolsupp, often mistaken to be German for "eel soup" (Aal/Ool ‘eel’), however the name probably comes from the Low Saxon allns [ʔaˑlns], meaning “all”, “everything and the kitchen sink”, not necessarily eel.
Hamburg is the birthplace of Alsterwasser (a reference to the city’s river Alster with two lake-like bodies in the city centre thanks to damming), a type of shandy, a concoction of equal parts of beer and carbonated lemonade (Zitronenlimonade), the lemonade being added to the beer. (Many Hamburgers consider their Frikadelle and the American hamburger different, virtually unrelated “creatures.”)
Sports
The most popular sports team in Hamburg is Hamburger SV, a football team in the German Bundesliga. The Hamburg Blue Devils are another American football team in Hamburg, playing in the domestic league. The Hamburg Freezers represent Hamburg in the DEL, the highest ice hockey league in Germany.
Demographics
80 % German, 20 % Other ( mostly Turkish, Russian and Polish)
Religion
38 % Protestant, 10 % Catholic, 8 % Muslim, 40 % none
Language
As elsewhere in Northern Germany, the original language of Hamburg is Low Saxon, usually referred to as Hamborger Platt (German Hamburger Platt) or Hamborgsch.
Education
Universities
University of Hamburg website University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf website Hamburg University of Applied Sciences website Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg website HWP - Hamburger Universität für Wirtschaft und Politik website HFH - Hamburger Fern-Hochschule website Helmut Schmidt University - University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg website Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg website Fachhochschule für Öffentliche Verwaltung Hamburg website Fachhochschule für Finanzen (website not available yet) Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg website Evangelische Fachhochschule für Sozialpädagogik, Soziale Arbeit und Diakonie website Bucerius Law School - Hochschule für Rechtswissenschaft website European University of Applied Sciences Hamburg website HCU - HafenCity University for Architecture, City Planning, Structural Development and Geomatics website HSBA - Hamburg School of Business Administration website / Studenten website AMD - Akademie für Mode & Design website EBC - European Business College Hamburg website HMS - Hamburg Media School website WA HH - Wirtschaftsakademie Hamburg websiteTourism
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Warehouse district 1890 |
Warehouse district |
The Kesselhaus (boiler house) |
Landungsbrücken |
Hamburg was generally not considered to be a tourist magnet, not even by locals.
However, most people visit Hamburg because of a specific interest, notably one of the musicals, a sports event, a congress or fair.
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 - marathon, open to the public: April Tennis Masters Series: May HSH Nordbank Run, open to the public. Race through the HafenCity (HarbourCity): May Panasonic Hamburg Hockey Masters: June Dragon boat race, open to the public: August Cyclassics - UCI-ProTour bike race, open to the public: August Hamburg City Man Triathlon - triathlon, open to the public: August American Football - A part of NFL Europe, the Sea Devils are based in Hamburg. Film festivals Filmfest Hamburg : September Fantasy Filmfest : April Kurzfilmfestival - International Short Film Festival : June Lateinamerika-Filmtage - Latin-America Days : December Spanische Filmtage - Spanish Days : July Lesbian & 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 : Saturdays in summer Music Fleetinselfest - Music and international artists open air : July G-Move - Techno parade: June Schlagermove - German 1960's / 1970's music parade : July Fun / Street Festivals Alstervergnügen - Alster fair: August Christopher Street Day (Gay Pride Parade) : June Hamburger Dom - considered the largest funfair in northern Germany: three times a year Hafengeburtstag - Hamburg's harbour birthday: May Motorradgottesdienst - Biker's divine service in Hamburg's largest church St. Michaelis: JuneTwin cities
St. Petersburg, Russia, since 1957 Marseille, France, since 1958 Shanghai, People's Republic of China, since 1986 Dresden, Germany (then East Germany), since 1987 León, Nicaragua, since 1989 Ōsaka, Japan, since 1989 Prague, Czech Republic, since 1990 Chicago, Illinois, U.S., since 1994More information: Hamburg Twin Cities (in German only)
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