Travel On

HAMBURG

The second-largest city in Germany after Berlin, Hamburg with its central port, Hamburg Harbour, has the ninth largest port in the whole world and second in central Europe. An approximate 1.8 million inhabitants currently reside within Hamburg, making it the most populous city besides the capital city. Hamburg, being another Hanseatic city, is also one of the sixteen Federal states of Germany and a city-state famous for its commerce and diverse culture, especially in Northern Germany.

Tourism plays a major role in Hamburg’s economy, and a very good reason why – two of Germany’s most visited sites, the harbour and the Reeperbahn, not to forget the Cathedral in Cologne or the castle Neuschwanstein are all located here. The harbour, being the world largest and sometimes referred as Germany’s “Gateway to the World”, has always been favoured by tourists, especially the canal boat tours from the harbour itself around Hamburg. Visitors who prefer the low life also have the privilege of walking down the streets of Reeperbahn – Europe’s largest red-light district by far due to the vast numbers of strip clubs, bars and nightclubs. This place might be a famous tourist spot for some of the music-lovers as the Beatles started their career at the on of the clubs there, the Indra Club.

In Hamburg tourists can also witness the famous Neo-Renaissance building with its 112 meters-high tower, easily Europe’s highest townhall. The emperors of the Holy Roman Empire was shown on the fa?ade of the townhall as Hamburg was formerly under the status of Free Imperial City and was under sovereignty of the emperor.

Hamburg’s zoo in Stellingen, the Tierpark Hagenbeck is famous for taking the initiative to use open, moat surrounded enclosures to let the animals feel more at home, rather than barred cages. A visit to the Tierpark Hagenbeck is a must as it is the only zoo in the world that uses a barless enclosure which makes it a closer resemblance to a park rather than a zoo. The animals in the park are also grouped by species, separated by wide moats or wide pits to ensure that every animal is confined to its own region. Carl Hagenbeck, the founder certainly earned his park the title ‘animal paradise’. It is certainly to feast to the eyes as one could look across an expanse of the zoo and see many animals at once, as if in the wild.

Alster, the large lake right in the heart of the city has always made the people of Hamburg proud of their city – and it’s not hard to see why. Formally a river, Alster and the parks around it serve as a significant recreational area and contribute much to the development of tourism in Hamburg. The banks of the Alster river are perfect for a relaxing walk with the breathtaking scenes around the lake and a boat tour on the Alster ends up in the busy city centre, where tourists can go shopping or relax in a street caf?.

As most people can easily guess, Hamburg is also the origin of hamburgers, a delicious snack that is popular all over the world. With the beautiful scenes around the city of Hamburg and the opportunity to taste the original taste of hamburgers, a lot of tourists seldom hesitate to take a trip to Hamburg. Why you?