Central Area

The townscape of Hamburg owes its particular charm to the large basin of the Binnenalster, in the center of the city, round which run the elegant Jungfernstieg (with the Alsterpavillon cafe and the landing-stage used by the Alster boats) and the Ballindamm (with the offices of the Hapag-Lloyd shipping line, founded in 1847 as HAPAG). To the west of the Neuer Jungfernstieg, in Dammtorstrasse, is the State Opera House (Staatsoper; 1855).

West and southwest of the Binnenalster in Hamburg the creation of pedestrian zones in recent years has added a number of new passagen (shopping arcades and lanes) to those already existing. Lined with shops, boutiques, restaurants, etc., they make this a pleasant area in which to stroll about.

The line of Hamburg's old fortifications, with the Lombardsbrücke and Kennedybrücke, separates the Binnenalster from the Aussenalster to the north. This popular sailing area can also be reached from the Jungfernsteig on one of the Alster boats. Along its west side are beautiful parks and gardens.

Immediately west of the parks and gardens in Hamburg's Outer Alster is the redeveloped Pöseldorf area (galleries, boutiques, cafes and bars, etc.; painted house fronts).

To the south of the Binnenalster in Hamburg are a number of canals (fleete), with locks, linking it with the Elbe (Herrengrabenfleet, Bleichenfleet, Alsterfleet and Nikolaifleet; sightseeing cruises). These canals mark the division between the old town (Altstadt) and the new town (Neustadt).

To the east of the Ballindamm in Hamburg, on the Glockengiesserwall, stands the Kunsthalle, an art gallery (altar pieces by Meister Bertram of Minden and Meister Francke, works by Philipp Otto Runge and Caspar David Friedrich and minor Dutch masters; important special exhibitions).

In the center of Hamburg's old town is the Rathausmarkt, with the Town Hall (1886-97), a sumptuous neo-Renaissance building. Behind it is the Stock Exchange (Börse).