Why Hamburg

For many, Hamburg is Germany’s finest city – a cosmopolitan host open to change, refreshing by day and exciting by night. The pulsating hub of a region which primarily stands for vastness and nature, yet also has a lot more to offer. Hanseatic Brick Gothic, grand merchants’ mansions, royal country estates and manicured parks all make up the charm of northern Germany. They attest to the civic pride in maritime traditions, economic successes, entrepreneurial spirit and typically northern German style – but certainly not to stagnation.

Business & science

Hamburg is a stronghold for brands, a media city, the third largest civil aviation location in the world, and one of the most important reloading points and ports in global trade. The centuries-old relationships with the Far East, namely China and Japan, as well as the Baltic, gave rise to the city’s reputation as being the gateway to the world. The city on the Elbe has for decades also been home to the group, German or European headquarters of many internationally renowned businesses.

Interdisciplinary research and technology transfer are creating new co-operations and fields of science. Universities are also getting involved, the largest being the University of Hamburg, founded in 1919, with its university hospital in Eppendorf. The HafenCity University, offering courses in architecture, construction and geomatics, is the newest of the 20 national/nationally accredited universities in the Hanseatic city. Lüneburg is another popular university city in the region. The metropolitan region has a total of 36 universities with around 100,000 students.

Green waterside metropolis

Water is the element which has moulded and shaped Hamburg for centuries. The city’s location on the shores of the Elbe, which, as Germany’s second largest river, connects the economic hubs in the south with the open seas, has allowed the metropolis to become one of the world’s most important centres for trade and transhipment. The shores of the Elbe and the unique locations right on the water provide a spectacular view of the harbour, passing cruise liners and giant container ships.

Those preferring to steer their own course have their own sailing area in the middle of the city in the form of the Außenalster (Outer Alster Lake). Rowboats, paddleboats and Alster ships are popular alternatives. The river, which was dammed up in the Middle Ages, splits into the Binnenalster (Inner Alster Lake) and Außenalster (Outer Alster Lake), whose shores are lined with upscale hotels, restaurants, jetties, Japanese cherry trees and large parks. A vast network of canals and rivers winds around the city, which, for this reason, has more bridges than Venice.

You don’t have to look hard to find flagship stores and famous labels in Hamburg. The shops around the Neuer Wall, in the Europapassage, on Mönckebergstraße or around the Gänsemarkt are a true paradise for shoppers. Young designers, galleries, trendy cafés and restaurants are hallmarks of popular hotspots such as the elegant Eppendorf, the eclectic Schanzenviertel, the Lange Reihe in St. Georg, the Elbmeile at the fish market and the Gängeviertel. These are being joined by new districts with their own character, such as the HafenCity or the Emporio quarter next to the Laiszhalle.