Tourist Attractions in Hamburg

Facing the train station in Hamburg, to the southeast, is the Museum of Art and Industry, which ranks after the Bavarian National Museum in Munich as the most comprehensive display of German, European and Asian applied art in Germany (in particular china, furniture and silver from northern Germany and the Netherlands and applied art from East Asia) and a collection of works by Kokoschka.

In the new town is Hamburg's traditional emblem and landmark, the Baroque St Michael's Church (by E. G. Sonnin, 1750-62). From the 132m/433ft high tower, familiarly known as "Michel" (lift), there are fine views. In a courtyard to the east are the Krameramtswohnungen, dwellings originally built to house the widows of members of the Krameramt (Shopkeepers' Guild). In House C is a museum.

South of Hamburg's St James Church, in Burchardplatz, is the boldly conceived ten-story Chilehaus (by Fritz Höger, 1922-24), perhaps the best-known building in the business quarter. Nearby is the Sprinkenhof (by Fritz Höger and H. and O. Gerson, 1927-31). Farther east stands the Cityhof (1956), a group of four 42 m/138ft high office blocks.

In Hamburg's northwestern suburb of Stellingen is Hagenbeck's Zoo, excellently laid out on modern lines, with its large stock of animals arranged according to the part of the world from which they come. Most of them are in free-range enclosures ("troparium," dolphinarium).

The Hamburg Museum of Ethnology was founded in 1879 and transferred to its present building in 1915.

North of Hamburg's Aussenalster, in the Winterhude district, can be found the Winterhude Municipal Park (Stadtpark), with a Planetarium housed in an old water tower.

Planetarium Hamburg opened in 1930 and features the Zeiss planetarium projector "Universarium Mk.9", which projects onto a dome spanning 21 meters.

To the south of Hamburg's Mönckebergstrasse, in Steinstrasse, can be found St James's Church (14th C., restored 1959 after severe damage in the Second World War), with medieval altars and an Arp Schnitger organ.

A number of events and festivals occur in Hamburg every year.

In the Sachsenwald, 30km/20mi east of Hamburg, can be seen the Friedrichsruh hunting lodge, which was acquired by Bismarck in 1871 (Bismarck Museum and Mausoleum).

A special attraction is the Butterfly Garden (native and tropical butterflies in green houses).

Also in the area is Schloss Friedrichsruh, once the residence of Otto von Bismarck.

The first line of the Hamburg Metro was opened in 1912. The system is made up of 3 lines with 98km of track, 40.6km underground and 37.4km elevated. There are 87 stations. Tickets are interchangeable between all modes of transport in Hamburg.

The metro system serves about 175 million people yearly with a rolling stock of 933 cars. During peak hours trains run every 2-5 minutes.

Beyond the Grosse Wallanlagen and the Glacischaussee in Hamburg is the Heiligengeistfeld (30 hectares/75 acres), scene of the Domfest, a popular festival held in March-April and November/December.

Also in the field are a war memorial/military relic, a football ground, and an indoor swimming pool.

The International Folk Festival in Hamburg features folk dance and song every three years and is usually organized in September.

South of Hamburg's train station are the Markthalle (communications center) and the Deichtorhallen (restored and reopened in 1989; art exhibitions).

The Deichtorhallen are the largest exhibition halls of their kind in Europe with over 6,000 sq. m. of exhibition space.

From the Rathausmarkt, the wide Mönckebergstrasse, which is Hamburg's principal shopping and business street and lined with imposing offices and business houses, leads past St Peter's Church (St Petri (founded in 14th C.; rebuilt in neo-Gothic style 1844-49; 133 m/436ft high tower) to the Central Station (Hauptbahnhof), northeast of which is the Schauspielhaus (Theater).

The street has large department stores, fashionable stores for all ages, and other specialty shops.

From Hamburg's Messberg, a busy square on the south side of the Chilehaus (Messberghof, in clinker brick; by H. and O. Gerson, 1923-25), the wide Ost-West-Strasse leads west past St Catherine's Church (St. Katharinen; 14th-17th C., rebuilt 1956) and the 147 m/482ft high Nikolaikirchturm, the tower of St Nicholas's Church (completely destroyed during the Second World War) and over the Nikolaifleet, Alsterfleet and Herrengrabenfleet into the new town (Neustadt).

A new three-ailsed brick hall-church was erected in the first hald of the 14th C. and about 1418 a second side aisle was added on the south.

The ancient cargo ship San Diego, once used to transport merchandise from the coast of South America, is now open as a museum.

This church, mainly of 16th C. design, is built in honor of the Princess of Alexandria who was martyred in the 4th C.

The ruined tower of Saint Nicholas has been in its state since the air raid of 1943. It is now a memorial to Nazi persecution and World War II.

To the north of Hamburg's Altona, in the Bahrenfeld district, lies the Volkspark (160 hectares/400 acres; laid out 1914-15 and 1918-20), with play areas and sports grounds, allotments and a swimming pool (open in summer). Here too is the Volkspark Stadium (1951-53; 60,000 seats), built up from rubble from demolished buildings.

Windajmmer Rickmer Rickmers is a large sailing ship that was built in 1896. It is docked at Hamburg and is open as a museum.

23km/14mi northeast of Hamburg is the Schleswig-Holstein town of Ahrensburg, with Schloss Ahrensburg, now a museum (splendid interiors reflecting the way of life of the country nobility).

There is an attractive drive along the Elbchaussee to Blankenese (14km/8.5mi west of Hamburg's city center), a former fishing village with numbers of handsome villas on the Süllberg (86 m/282ft; fine view).

6 km/4mi downstream on the Elbe from Blankenese (near Hamburg), at the Schulau ferry house, can be found the Willkommhöft ship-greeting station, where ships arriving or departing during daylight are greeted by the playing of their national anthem and the hoisting of their national flag.

Harburg, until 1937 an independent town (first recorded around 1140 as Horneburg), lies on the south bank of the Süderelbe, at a point where a ridge of sandy heathland, with the wooded Harburger Berge (Schwarze Berge), comes close to the river. Now incorporated in Hamburg, it is predominantly industrial (oil refineries) and has an important industrial harbor.

On the Lämmertwiete, to the north of the Marktplatz (known as the Sand), are a number of 17th and 18th C. half-timbered houses (restored). In Museumsplatz, near the Rathausplatz, is the Helms Museum (prehistory and the early historical period).

At Ehestorf, southwest of Hamburg-Harburg, the Kiekeberg Open-Air Museum exhibits houses of the 17th-19th centuries from Lüneburg Heath.

Scheessel is the site of an annual festival which takes place in July and brings together folk dancers, singers and musicians from all over the world. Traditional trades fairs and expositions are also organized as part of the festival.