About Hamburg
So about 2 months ago, I moved to Hamburg. Being that it is the second largest city in Germany, a popular tourist destination worldwide, and my home until June, I figured I should probably tell you about it a little.
As I said, Hamburg is a very large and fairly wealthy city. With 1.8 million residents, the city is second only to Berlin in Germany and is the 14th largest city in Europe. The average income is just under 50,000 EUR per ear, which is equal to about $58,000. This is most likely due to Hamburg's status as the second largest port in Europe--Hamburg's history is marked with multiple instances of destruction, but the nature of its port has helped it recover and prosper after each disaster.
Hamburg may seem to come in second a lot, but you'll be delighted to know that it is home to Europe's largest red light district. Called the Reeperbahn, it's highly reminiscent of the Las Vegas Strip. It's fat with strip clubs, bars, sex shops, and brothels, and they're all lit up with neon signs come nighttime (Even the police station has its own giant, neon blue sign...). It's a very popular tourist destination and parts are popular with the locals as well. Watch out, however: there's a part of the Reeperbahn called Herbertstraße that women are not allowed to enter. Legally, there's nothing stopping women from entering, but if a woman tries to wander in, she'll likely have bottles/trash and jeers thrown her way until she leaves. The reason is that this is the part of the district where it's possible to find prostitutes standing in windows, as in Amsterdam's red light district, and it's said that, historically, prostitutes were concerned about women on the street stealing their business.
Though it's probably obvious to you by this point that Hamburg is a place of ~high culture~, allow me to elaborate on the city's art and music scenes. Hamburg is home to a plethora of cultural venues. More than 40 theatres, 60 museums, and 100 music venues are sprinkled throughout the city, and are frequented by tourists and locals alike. One of the more famous venues is the Elbphilharmonie concert hall. Finally finished in 2016 (6 years late and more than half a billion Euros over budget...) and opened in January of 2017, the Elbphilharmonie (or Elphi) is one of Hamburg's crown jewels. It's one of the most acoustically advanced concert halls in the world, hosts extravagant concerts and symphonies, serves as a stunning landmark visible from many parts of the city, and now it's got mold! Amazing!
There is a large "alternative culture" scene around Hamburg as well. Epitomized by the ANTIFA and anarchy symbols spray painted on the used clothing collection bin near my apartment, the alternative movement is present throughout the city and has its own cultural strongholds. The Sternschanze is a trendy food and shopping district of the city that is also home to the Rota Flora, an old theatre turned headquarters for protest organizers. Definitely similar to the Elbphilharmonie, Uebel & Gefährlich is a hub for more... modern... musical acts, and sort of the opposite of the Rota Flora, U&G had a previous life as a flak tower during the second world war and is now an incredibly popular music venue.
I've said a lot about various buildings and streets, but Hamburg also has some really beautiful parks. Nearest to my apartment is the Stadtpark, a massive open park filled with small statue gardens, cafes, fields, forests, fountains, a swimming hole, and a planetarium. The Stadtpark attracts tourists when it's the chosen venue for large concerts (like the Rolling Stones three months ago), but it's really popular with locals as a location for spaziergehen, the very important and very German custom of just going for a walk. Another beautiful park located not far from the city center is Planten un Blomen. More botanical garden than park, Planted un Blomen also offers cute places to eat and frequently puts on water and light shows. Not to be forgotten when speaking of constructed "natural" landscapes are the Alster and the many canals that run through the city. The Alster and the Binnenalster are, respectively, the large and small lakes nestled in the center of Hamburg. You can't escape the water in Hamburg, and that means that there are plenty of bridges and grassy shores on which to enjoy viewing the waters and all the plant and animal life that comes with it.
As I said, Hamburg is a very large and fairly wealthy city. With 1.8 million residents, the city is second only to Berlin in Germany and is the 14th largest city in Europe. The average income is just under 50,000 EUR per ear, which is equal to about $58,000. This is most likely due to Hamburg's status as the second largest port in Europe--Hamburg's history is marked with multiple instances of destruction, but the nature of its port has helped it recover and prosper after each disaster.
Neuer Wall is one of the more luxurious shopping districts in Europe. It's located in the center of the city, right by Rathaus (City Hall) and contains storefronts for Rolex, BVLGARI, Coach, etc. One of my favorite things to do is walk through the lights on this street and feel poor.
This is one of the more popular views of the Speicherstadt, an old warehouse district. Honestly, there is no ugly part of the Speicherstadt--it's one of the first places I take people who come to visit me.
Hamburg may seem to come in second a lot, but you'll be delighted to know that it is home to Europe's largest red light district. Called the Reeperbahn, it's highly reminiscent of the Las Vegas Strip. It's fat with strip clubs, bars, sex shops, and brothels, and they're all lit up with neon signs come nighttime (Even the police station has its own giant, neon blue sign...). It's a very popular tourist destination and parts are popular with the locals as well. Watch out, however: there's a part of the Reeperbahn called Herbertstraße that women are not allowed to enter. Legally, there's nothing stopping women from entering, but if a woman tries to wander in, she'll likely have bottles/trash and jeers thrown her way until she leaves. The reason is that this is the part of the district where it's possible to find prostitutes standing in windows, as in Amsterdam's red light district, and it's said that, historically, prostitutes were concerned about women on the street stealing their business.
Though it's probably obvious to you by this point that Hamburg is a place of ~high culture~, allow me to elaborate on the city's art and music scenes. Hamburg is home to a plethora of cultural venues. More than 40 theatres, 60 museums, and 100 music venues are sprinkled throughout the city, and are frequented by tourists and locals alike. One of the more famous venues is the Elbphilharmonie concert hall. Finally finished in 2016 (6 years late and more than half a billion Euros over budget...) and opened in January of 2017, the Elbphilharmonie (or Elphi) is one of Hamburg's crown jewels. It's one of the most acoustically advanced concert halls in the world, hosts extravagant concerts and symphonies, serves as a stunning landmark visible from many parts of the city, and now it's got mold! Amazing!
The Elbphilharmonie. You can see people walking on the little platform between the brick and the glass parts of the building--this is part of the Plaza, and is a free sightseeing spot. It is open pretty much every day, and is a great way to get a 360 degree view of the port and the city.
As a bonus, Uebel & Gefährlich is located on the Heiligengeistfeld, or Field of the Holy Spirit.
The Alster & Binnenalster in summer.
I've only scratched the surface of what Hamburg has to offer, but it's already obvious why it's such a popular tourist destination and it's equally clear why so many people choose to live in the city. Historically, Hamburg has been an important city commercially, culturally, and politically, and now it's serving its most important job to date as my temporary home.
If you want to know more about the city, feel free to ask questions. Also s/o to wikipedia for the photos and the facts.
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