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Hamburg
* Hamburg. Located in northern Germany on the River Elbe
* Germany's second city
* Population 2,680,000 (UN estimate, 2000)
* Foreign Consulates: 90
* Nearby historic towns of Stade and Lüneburg
* Modern city with historic links
* Germany's major port
* A city shaped by water
* Where 'The Beatles' made it
* Red Light nightlife in St Pauli & The Reeperbahn
World Cup 2006 Matches in Hamburg
Sat June 10 Argentina v Ivory Coast
Thur June 15 Ecuador v Costa Rica
Mon June 19 Saudi Arabia v Ukraine
Thur June 22 Czech Republic v Italy
Fri June 30 5 v 7 [QFC]
The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is in north Germany on the River Elbe near the North Sea. It's Germany's second city and is the major port and an important business center with more millionaires in residence than any other city in the country.Hamburg is defined by water with the wide majestic River Elbe and the port best explored by tour boat from Landungsbrücken, in St. Pauli or catch the enormous brick warehouses and the museums of the Speicherstadt and the new HafenCity docklands development nearby. Interesting museums in Speicherstadt include the Dialog in Dunkeln - a museum creating the experience of being unable to see in urban, rural and jungle landscapes, The Hamburg Dungeon, the Spicherstadtmuseum, the Deutsches Zollmuseum - the German Customs Museum, for model train buffs, don't miss the fascinating and well-presented Miniatur Wunderland - the largest H0 model railroad layout in the world (miniatur-wunderland.com) and one for a rainy day the Spicy's Gewüzmuseum - the Spice & Herb Museum.
During World War II the city was extensively bombed and 55,000 people lost their lives, but Hamburg has rebounded and boasts some of the most expensive real estate in Germany, particularly in upmarket Blankenese - a former fishing village and home of sea captains, now an area of quaint cobbled streets, restaurants and guesthouses among the fine residences on the banks of the Elbe - or the areas surrounding the Binnenalster and Außenalster Lakes in the center and north of the city. To get to Blankenese take the S-Bahn to Blankenese Station.
With ties to England since the 13th Century, Hamburg held the BRITFEST festival in 2001. It highlighted the links between the city and England in commerce and culture including the Beatles' visit in 1962 to the Star Club on the Reeperbahn and their popular return to the Ernst-Merck-Halle in 1966 on the "Bravo-Blitz-Tour", though riots followed this concert as well as that of the Rolling Stones.
The Alfred C. Toepfer Foundation has awarded prizes to British artists, authors and architects since 1937. The winners have included Graham Greene, Harold Pinter, John Schlesinger, Doris Lessing, Sir Alec Guinness and Samuel Mendes.
The city area is two and a half times the size of London.
More than 90 consulates are located in Hamburg.
The historic towns of Stade and Lüneburg are only half an hour from Hamburg.
Hamburg has grown into a major publishing center: Stern, Der Spiegel and Die Zeit are all printed here.
Getting to Hamburg
Air
The airport is 20 minutes from Hamburg city centre. No direct rail service, but bus 110 will take you to Ohlsdorf Station and suburban trains into the city. There are direct airport buses to the airport from the Hauptbahnhof.
Bus/Road
Hamburg is well served with autobahns (motorways) from Denmark, Berlin, Dortmund, Hannover and Cologne and points south.
Ferry
Ferries from Harwich in the UK arrive at Cuxhaven in Lower Saxony and then its a 2 hour journey into Hamburg by bus or train.
Getting Around
Hamburg is well served by U-Bahn (subway) and S-Bahn (suburban rail) links, which run throughout the night on Friday and Saturday nights. On other days there is an all-night bus network from the main bus station near the Rathaus. There are a variety of one-day and multiple-day travel passes available.
A climate-neutral World Cup
Click here for the 2006 Fifa World Cup venues
Click here for general information
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