A Misty Morning Walk Around the Old Port of Hamburg
This article takes you along on a morning walk across the Old Port of Hamburg and Speicherstadt, the city’s historic warehouse district.
A visit to Hamburg
As previously outlined in the trip report introduction, I found myself in Germany for work during autumn.
After a few intense days of work, I had planned to fly straight from Germany to Greece for a much-needed holiday on some sunny islands in the Cyclades.
Before catching my flight to Athens, I did have some time to spare in Hamburg, a city I’ve visited multiple times in the past and have really grown to like.
Although this Hamburg visit wasn’t the most encompassing ever, as I only stayed for a short while in the city, I do want to share a wonderful morning walk I took around the Old Port and Speicherstadt district.
Due to the misty weather conditions, which created some absolutely stunning views, my walk through Hamburg turned out to be an unexpected highlight of the entire trip.
I started my walk right outside Hamburg Hbf, the city’s main railway station, which has a wonderful industrial steampunk vibe from the early 1900s.
Into the city centre
From Hamburg Hbf, the city centre is just a short distance away on foot.
After walking for some 10 to 15 minutes, I found myself standing in front of Hamburg’s iconic Rathaus – the City Hall.
Built in Neo-Renaissance style during the late 19th century, this Hamburg landmark boasts a 112-metre (367 feet) high tower.
The spire of the tower was barely visible due to the dense fog that enveloped the city this early morning.
Nearby, the Venetian-style façades of the Alster Arcade, famous for its upscale stores and restaurants, were also blanketed in fog.
Hamburg maritime history
The city of Hamburg is bisected by many different canals and rivers, of which the River Elbe is by far the largest.
It’s thanks to Hamburg’s location on the Elbe that the city has prospered into a thriving metropolis.
When you walk from Hamburg’s Town Hall towards the River Elbe, you will already cross a few of these smaller canals and rivers, such as the River Alster, which has been partly canalised and transformed into artificial lakes in the centre of Hamburg.
The Elbe, which flows into the North Sea at Cuxhaven some 110 kilometres (68 miles) to the northwest of Hamburg, is navigable by deep-sea vessels on its lower reaches.
As there are many smaller river branches streaming into the Elbe in Hamburg, the city had a favourable location to develop a deep-sea harbour, and the Port of Hamburg was officially founded in 1189 by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.
Already in the days of the Hanseatic League, Hamburg was one of the most important ports of north-western Europe, serving as the primary port for a large part of Central Europe.
The Elbe and its main tributaries, such as the Havel, Spree, and Moldau (Vltava), flow all the way to major Central European cities such as Berlin, Dresden, and Prague.
A view over the Elbe
After a short walk through the city centre of Hamburg, I reached the elevated metro station of Baumwall (Elbphilharmonie) on the banks of the River Elbe.
Here, you can find two of the old harbours of the city, such as the Niederhafen (Lower Port) and Binnenhafen (Inner Port), which have been partly built in the smaller river branches that flow into the Elbe here.
Unlike the Old Port on the northern river bank, many of the modern-day port facilities in Hamburg are now located on the southern side of the River Elbe, where you can find large container terminals.
Hamburg remains a major container port, ranking as the third largest in Europe (after Rotterdam and Antwerp) and the 20th largest in the world.
The Old Port nowadays seems to be mostly used by sailing ships, yachts, and tourist boats offering various harbour cruises and ferry connections to points along the Elbe, and North Sea islands such as Heligoland.
Nonetheless, the view over the Old Port was still wonderful, as a thick layer of mist blanketed the old sail ships in port.
There is always something slightly mysterious about mist rolling in from the sea, especially so in port cities when it is combined with the sounds of ships’ fog horns and the screeching of gulls.
Exploring the Old Port
If you take a walk through the Old Port of Hamburg, you’ll find a couple of interesting historic sights to see.
On my walk, I came across the old Hafenpolizeiwache – the Harbour Police Station – as well as some beautiful old port cranes on the Kaiserkai (Emperor’s Quay).
Speicherstadt
By far the most beautiful and interesting part of the Old Port of Hamburg – and probably the city in its entirety – is the Speicherstadt district.
Speicherstadt literally means “City of Warehouses,” with its name being derived from the German verb “speichern” (to store).
The history of this district can be traced back to the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, after which the Free City of Hamburg was forced to join the Prussian-led North German Federation, although it gained an opt-out from the Zollverein (German Customs Union).
This however became untenable, and Hamburg was increasingly pressured by the Prussians in Berlin to join the Zollverein, which it was eventually more or less forced to do after the external tariffs of the Customs Union were raised.
Hamburg managed to negotiate an agreement in 1881 in which it would finally join the Customs Union but was allowed to designate a Free Port district where the tariffs would not apply.
This Hamburg district eventually became known as Speicherstadt.
The Speicherstadt warehouses in Hamburg were built between 1883 and 1927 as a means for the shipping barons to temporarily store goods before loading them onto barges or ships for transport to their eventual destination, all without needing to pay customs duties.
Almost all of the Speicherstadt warehouses are beautiful Neo-Gothic red-brick buildings, creating a uniform, industrial landscape.
Nowadays, the Speicherstadt area is part of Hamburg’s trendy HafenCity (Harbour City) neighbourhood, with many of the old warehouses repurposed as office buildings or luxury apartments.
A walk across Speicherstadt
Speicherstadt is a delightful area to explore by foot, where each quay, bridge, or road presents a new and even more beautiful view of the magnificent red-brick architecture.
The district of Speicherstadt is bordered by the Zollkanal (Customs’ Canal) to its north and the Elbe to its south.
As you might expect from the name of the canal, it served as the old boundary between the City of Hamburg and the Free Port.
The beautiful Brooksbrücke (Brooks Bridge) across this canal is one of Hamburg’s oldest bridges.
The four statues on this bridge depict Hammonia (a female representation of Hamburg and symbol of the city), Europa (symbolising Hamburg’s trade links with the continent), Saint Ansgar (an Archbishop of Hamburg known as the Apostle of the North), and Barbarossa (the port’s founder).
Within Speicherstadt, visitors can discover some of Hamburg’s best museums and attractions, including the Speicherstadt Museum, German Customs Museum, Spice Museum, and my personal favourite, Miniatur Wunderland, which is a vast model railway exhibition.
Kontorhausviertel
To the north of Speicherstadt lies another historic neighbourhood of Hamburg, known as the Kontorhausviertel, which translates to the Office Building District.
Similar to Speicherstadt, the Kontorhaus District boasts stunning brick architecture dating back to the early 20th century, known as Brick Expressionism.
Both the Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District of Hamburg have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, acknowledging their early Modernist brick-clad architecture and cohesive functionality.
As you might have already gathered from its name, the district was home to the offices of Hamburg’s merchants and industry barons.
The Chilehaus (Chile House), Miramarhaus (Miramar House) and Sprinkenhof are arguably the three most impressive buildings in the Kontorhausviertel.
Coffee stop
Since I had already been walking across Hamburg for quite some time in the chilly autumn temperatures, it was time for a coffee break.
I ended up sitting at Rösterei Coffeum, where both the coffee and the views over the Gothic-style brick church of St. Jacobi (Saint James) were good.
Altona railway station
As I had an onward train to catch, there was no time left for further sightseeing around Hamburg after my coffee.
Despite the fact that my train would call at Hamburg Hbf, I opted to board it instead at the railway terminus of Altona, where it would commence its journey.
Even though my visit to lovely Hamburg had come to an end, I knew that the real holiday fun was only about to begin.
Conclusion
The vibrant port city of Hamburg is a fantastic destination to visit, particularly if you are interested in early modernist and industrial architecture.
It’s an absolute pleasure to stroll along the quays and bridges of the Old Port of Hamburg and admire the fine brick architecture of Speicherstadt and the Kontorhausviertel.
Of course, there is a lot more to see and do in Hamburg besides these historic districts, but that will have to be saved for another visit!
Trip report index
This article is part of the ‘Wonderful Greek Island Escape: My Trip to the Cyclades‘ trip report, which consists of the following chapters:
1. A Misty Morning Walk Around the Old Port of Hamburg (current chapter)
2. Review: EuroCity Train ‘Berliner’ Hamburg to Berlin and Prague
3. Back to Germany: From Prague to Frankfurt by Train
4. From Frankfurt to Athens: A Flight Into the Greek Sun
5. Greek Ferry Guide: How to Reach the Western Cyclades
6. Review: Speedrunner Ferry Piraeus to Serifos and Sifnos
7. Sifnos Travel Guide: Explore the Best Sights and Beaches
8. Review: Simeon Rooms & Apartments, Sifnos
** rest of the chapters to follow soon **
