Germany Tours: Hamburg

The exciting seaport is the key stop on our norhern Germany tours.

City State

Together with Berlin and Bremen, Hamburg is one of only three metropolitan areas in Germany that are also a state. Its population of 1.7 million makes it the largest city in the EU that is not the national capital.

History

Germany's principal port city started out as a castle called Hammaburg. Emperor Charlemagne had the fortress erected in 808 AD as a defense against Slavic invaders. Hamburg was officially granted the status of "Imperial Free City" in 1189. Its location near both the North Sea and the Baltic Sea soon made the northern outpost one of Europe's leading ports. Hamburg's rise to prominence was sealed by its trade alliance with Lübeck in 1241, which marked the origin of the Hanseatic League. For the next 400 years this powerful union of trading guilds maintained a stronghold on trade in most of northern Europe. Hamburg continues to cultivate this link to its glorious past even today, often referring to itself, like Lübeck and Bremen, as a "Free and Hansa City". It is the second wealthiest metropolis in the EU after London and a leading media, industrial, commercial and cultural center.

Hamburgers

Was the hamburger invented in Hamburg? According to legend, an immigrant from Hamburg began selling beef patties in New York in the 1850s which soon bore the name of the vendor's hometown. Hence, the sandwich was invented in America by a former resident of Hamburg - who are called, in German, "Hamburger".