Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg

Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany (after Berlin) and along with its central port, also the second-largest port in Europe (after Rotterdam) and the most populous city in the European Union which is not a national capital. The city is home to approximately 1.8 million Hamburgers.
Hamburg is located on the southern point of the Jutland Peninsula, directly between Continental Europe to its south, Scandinavia to its north, the North Sea to its west, and the Baltic Sea to its east. Hamburg is located in the position where the River Elbe meets with the rivers Alster and Bille.

Hamburg has architecturally significant buildings in a wide range of styles. There are only a few skyscrapers. Churches like St. Nikolai's church, the world tallest building in the 19th century, are important landmarks. The skyline of Hamburg features the high spires of the principal churches (Hauptkirchen) Saint Michael's Church (nicknamed “Michel"), Saint Peter's Church, Saint Jacob's Church and Saint Catherine's Church covered with green copper plates.


The many canals in Hamburg are crossed by over 2500 bridges, more than Amsterdam and Venice combined. Hamburg has more bridges inside its city limits than any other city or town on Earth. Tunnels are also connecting the northern and southern parts of the city, the old Elbe Tunnel (Alter Elbtunnel) is now a major tourist sight, and the Elbe Tunnel (Elbtunnel) is the crossing of a motorway.

The townhall is a richly decorated Neo-Renaissance building finished in 1896. With its tower of 112 metres (370 ft) it is Europe's highest townhall. On its facade it shows the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire since Hamburg was, as a Free Imperial City, only under the sovereignty of the emperor.

Many visitors take a walk in the evening around the area of Reeperbahn in the quarter St. Pauli, considered Europe's largest red light district and home of strip clubs, bars and nightclubs. The singer and actor Hans Albers is strongly associated with St. Pauli, providing in the 1940s the neighbourhood's unofficial anthem, "Auf der Reeperbahn Nachts um Halb Eins." The song explains in a polite way how a sailor enjoys his last day with a trollop before going aboard. It was in the Reeperbahn that The Beatles began their career with a 48-night residency at the Indra Club, and then another 58 nights at the Kaiserkeller, in 1960, the Top Ten Club (1961), and the Star-Club (1962).

See more photos here.