Hamburg

Hamburg lies about 101 km from the open sea on the River Elbe. With 1,7 million inhabitants, it is the second largest city in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is the biggest harbour city in Germany (and after Rotterdam the second biggest in Europe) and – not a contradiction - it is the greenest city in Germany.

13 % of the city are park and greenland, 23 % protected countryside and 6% nature reserves. However, two thirds of the city are occupied by parks, lakes or tree-lined canals, giving this huge harbour city a refreshal rural feel.

Hamburg’s skyline is dominated by the pale green of its copper spires and domes, but a few houses and the churches are just about all that’s left from before the last century. The Great Fire of 1842 was a main cause of this loss, followed by demolition to make way for the warehouse area, and bombing during World War II.

Though commerce is Hamburg’s strength it has its share of cultural attractions as befits a town that was once the home of Johannes Brahms. Be sure to visit the cathedrals of St.

Jacobi, where you can see a distinguished 15th-century altar, and St. Michael, a baroque church with a 440-ft/134-m spire offering a great view of the city.