Many people consider Hamburg to be the world's most beautiful city. Indeed, there is hardly another German city that offers so much quality of life. People who live here can always see the sky. The ample cityscape stands out through its generously spaced buildings and few prominent skyscrapers. Built on an area covering 291.5 square miles, 1.7 million people live in Germany's second-largest city. With 6,070 residents per square mile, Hamburg is remarkably thinly populated for a big city. Just about everywhere, there is a feeling of expanse and freedom. It is truly a city where you can breathe freely!

It is all due to the wind that wafts in from the sea, the copious quantities of water as well as the luxuriant green landscapes and foliage right in the middle of the city. The trees adorning the streets and squares, the generously-sized parks, such as the Stadtpark, Volkspark, Jenischpark, Planten un Blomen, and the green spaces around the Outer Alster all together create the city’s green lung. On the watercourses between the Elbe and the Alster, nature is returning to the big city as well. The Hamburg of today has more wooded areas than a century ago. Urbanity and nature go hand-in-hand here.

Elegant residential areas alternate with middle-class suburbs and lively and trendy quarters - often separated by just a few U-Bahn (metro) stations. The excellent public transportation system makes a car superfluous within the city. This, too, is a mark of the quality of life here. Then there's the cosmopolitan climate that prevails in the city and region around it. More than four million people from every nation on earth are at home in the Hamburg metropolitan area. It is a lively co-existence of nations and cultures characterized by tolerance. No wonder that Germany's most beautiful city is a magnet to people and companies. And no wonder that Hamburg continues to grow.