ANTONELA'S ADVENTURES: February 2011

Some landscape of north Germany.

Population: 1.769.117 (city itself)
4.300.000 (metropolitan area)

Hamburg flag

'Burg' in German means 'castle'. Ham castle, built to defend the important site at the river Elbe against invaders, is the origin for the name of this German city. Though the precise location of the castle is unknown it became the symbol in the coat of arms and flag.

According to some sources Hamburg, German city located in the north of the country, is the land of the creation of the hamburger meal. What I was expecting was an endless reference to this tasty meal. Those who born in this city are called Hamburger. The city of tasty citizens.

But actually Hamburg seems to be way more proud about other things.
For example, the history of the city.
One of the main component of the Hanseatic League, an economic alliance of trading cities during Middle Ages, Hamburg was so powerful city that once was called as Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg. Actually this is still the official name of Hamburg. With the adoption of the tax-free policy trading business flourished and let it powerful enough to call itself independent and free city. Later it decided to join Germany and gradually gave up on it's independence, but nothing changed about the vocation of trading city that only kept growing becoming one of the most important harbor in the world.

Hamburg Rathaus, the city hall.

The heritage of this history of trading city can be seen on the architecture of some buildings that wasn't bombed and destroyed during World War II. Influence also easy to be seen on the new buildings.

Sprinkenhof building with very interesting facade.

Wall full of maritime symbols.

Ships on the top of the buildings used to indicate that was a headquarter of a trading company.

Chilehaus, 1922 brick building in the shape of a ship.

New steel-glass building with ship shape.

Nowadays the port of Hamburg is the third largest port in Europe and eighth in the world. Key to the German economy, 4th world's biggest economy and 2nd exporter.

The city is the born place of companies like:

- Hamburg Süd (shipping company, mainly Europe-South America route, which containers can be easily seen in Brazil)
- Hapag-Lloyd (worldwide cargo and passengers transportation company)
- Blohm + Voss (shipbuilding company that built the biggest motor yacht in the world, like Roman Abramovich's Eclipse)

It also host an Airbus factory and media giants' headquarters.

Hamburg history is written with many disasters and rebuilding.
Many fire episodes destroyed relevant part of the city, the big one known as the Great Fire was in 1842 and burned most of the city buildings and left thousands of people homeless.
Deceases like the Black Death (bubonic plague) and epidemic Cholera killed thousands too.
The most recent chapter of destruction and reconstruction happened with the air raids bombing during World War II.
After all tragedies, destruction and deaths Hamburg is nowadays the richest city in Germany, one the most rich and developed country in the world.

Starting point of the 1842 Great Fire!

One of the biggest metropolitan area in Germany, Hamburg has more than 2.300 bridges making it the city with the highest number of bridges in the world, more than Amsterdam. I didn't see so many bridges, it doesn't feel there is so many, though they are Germans and there's so much bridges that even they don't know the exact number, better not doubt.

Hamburg is something like the German capital of musical shows attracting tourists from all over the country and even neighbors. The Lion King, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Dirty Dancing and Tarzan are some of the many musicals plays that makes Hamburg a reference .
Talking about musicals, Elb-Philharmonie, a new concert hall expected to be completed by 2012. Actually it should already be completed. It started to be built by 2007 and expected to be complete by 2010 at the cost of 241 million euros. Later on 2008 the cost estimation went up to 480 million euros, from which the public sector is responsible for EUR 323 millions and the conclusion postponed to later than 2010.
And it was really interesting to see that this happen even in a place like Germany!! No doubt that it will become one of the most beautiful concert hall in Europe and maybe one of the most beautiful modern buildings in Europe too attracting a lot of tourists and money.

The Elbe Philharmonic hall under construction.

But at the same time it remembers me about Maracanã stadium at the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Historical stadium that hosted the final of the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, probably will host the next final of the FIFA World Cup at 2014 and was for many years the biggest stadium in the world. The attendance of the final of 1950 World Cup was impressive 199.854 fans.
For the Pan American Games at Rio in 2007 R$ 196 millions were invested in renovations. At that time they said the renovation would make it ready for the 2014 World Cup. But years later it's not good anymore. 2010 a new renovation for Maracana on the way. Initial costs would be of R$705 millions (around EUR 320 millions), some months later new estimates concludes the costs can reach 1 billion reais (around EUR 456 millions). And there is still 4 years on the way for new costs estimations...
The difference between Maracana and the Elbe Philarmonic hall is that Brazilian public sector take 100% of the costs without private sector investing a cent.

So good to discover that maybe Brazilians and Germans aren't so different at all.

Hamburg is twin-sister with São Paulo, though this would be more reasonable to be linked to another Brazilian city: Nova Hamburgo (Portuguese for New Hamburg), located in the south of the country and with a lot of German immigrants' influence.

The very busy Hamburger Hauptbanhof, one of the busiest in Europe

The Elbe Philharmonic is located at the brand new HafenCity (Harbour city). Former deteriorated harbor area HafenCity is the biggest project of urban development in Europe. While most of the buildings are still under construction walking in this brand new area just feel like walking in a pier filled with modern buildings. It's going to be like a new city inside a city. Apartments, offices, university, business, all the infrastructure of an entire city in a district. It feels like walking inside the video game SimCity.
That's architects' playground.

Lots of brand new buildings still under construction

Pier feeling, remembers a bit Copenhagen's Nyhavn

Interesting shape buildings

Reeperbahn at the Sankt Pauli district is the largest red light area in Europe.

An entertainment district filled with bars, dance clubs, sex shops, theaters, prostitutes.

Girls standing on the street "fishing" if you know what I mean.

Other good things from Hamburg:

Ikea is backpacker's paradise: food for 1 euro!

1 euro for 1 hot dog and unlimited soft drink!!! Ikea sounds like a good place to live.

Cool Lego store in the center of Hamburg.

Football day / Fußball tag - First round of the German Bundesliga

Getting ready for a HSV's Bundesliga match.

Step by step for a match of Hamburger Sport Verein (HSV).
The ticket I bought the day before the match, at the HSV fanshop in the center of Hamburg. There a girl helped me to get the cheapest ticket for the opening of the season. Though it wasn't cheap, the customer service was very helpful and good.
Guaranteed ticket, ready to go to the stadium. HamburgerSV stadium, called Imtech Arena, was one of the stadiums of the FIFA World Cup 2006. There's many signs indicating where to go, but in doubt just go to the metro and follow the crowd wearing blue. Quite organized, fast and very easy to get to the stadium by metro.