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Located on the Elbe River, 75 miles (120 kilometers) inland from the North Sea, Hamburg has long been Germany's greatest harbor city. It serves the largest ocean liners and sends cargoes on canal and river barges to the interior. Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and is also one of the country's 16 Lander, or states, with an area of 292 square miles (756 square kilometers). The Altstadt (Old Town), a former medieval settlement, forms the center of Hamburg. Its boundaries include the harbor and several roads that follow the outline of the old fortifications. The layout of the Altstadt can be seen in the canals that connect the Alster River with the Elbe's docks. Two major fires in 1842 and 1906 and bombing during World War II destroyed many of the older structures. The canals carry traffic from the main stream to the warehouses. The Alster was dammed during the 18th century and forms a lake at its southern end. Two bridges, the Lombardsbrucke and the Kennedybrucke, divide the lake into the Binnenalster (Inner Alster) and the Aussenalster (Outer Alster).
The Deichstrasse is a historic street of merchants' buildings that date from the 17th century. Many were restored to their original condition after the great fire of 1842. Reminders of the city's 1,000-year history are five rebuilt churches: the Katharinen, Jacobi, Michaelis, Petri, and Nickolai. South of the Binnenalster is the Rathaus, or city hall. It was built in the late 1800s in neo-Renaissance style. During the prosperous period of 1890-1910, many large, elegant homes were built around the Aussenalster. Many now house consulates of various countries. The 1920s and 1930s were also an architectural boom time, known especially for the revival of traditional north German red brick. Modern style is represented by the Congress Centrum Hamburg, a vast exhibition and conference center, and the Television Tower. Hamburg is known for its excellent museums especially the Kunsthalle, an art gallery featuring works from the late Middle Ages to the present. The Altonaer Museum specializes in north German subjects. Since its founding in 1839 the Museum of Hamburg History has grown from covering only Hamburg's history to providing information on all German emigrants who left the country through the harbor from 1850 to 1914. There is a museum of decorative arts and crafts, and visitors can also enjoy the Museum fur Volkerkunde (Ethnology Museum) and the Oevelgonne Museumshafen (Harbor Museum). The composers Felix Mendelssohn and Johannes Brahms were born in Hamburg, and the city has long maintained a musical tradition. The State Opera dates from 1678 and is the site for classical and modern opera and ballet. There are three fine orchestras as well as smaller groups specializing in a variety of musical styles. The neobaroque Musikhalle was built in 1904-08 and is a center of the city's musical offerings. Several theaters, including the German Theater, offer plays and dramatic presentations. Hagenbeck Zoo, founded in 1907, was the first zoo in the world to house animals in open-air pens. Planten un Blomen is a large park famous for its many rare trees and shrubs. Alsterpark offers a fine view of the skyline of Hamburg. The Hirschpark and the Jenischpark are both on the Elbe. The Stadtpark, north of the Alster, includes a planetarium and many miles of footpaths. The University of Hamburg was founded in 1919 and is one of the largest in Germany. In 1982 the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg opened to provide higher education in technological subjects. Several state schools specialize in the arts and music. More than 200 research centers in fields from oceanography to economics are located in the city.
Among Hamburg's many industries are the production of machinery, electrical equipment, vegetable and mineral oils, cigarettes, and chemicals. Most of the country's copper resources are treated here, and the Norddeutsche Affinerie is Europe's second largest copper plant. Steel making and shipbuilding employ many workers, but the latter has declined because of Japanese and Korean competition. Major exports from the city-state are machinery, electrotechnical products, processed petroleum and lubricants, copper, and pharmaceuticals. Since 1960 it has been the site for large trade fairs. The Ubersee-Zentrum is the world's largest roofed warehouse. After Berlin it is Germany's top newspaper and periodical publishing center, an industry based in the city since the 17th century. Daily newspapers include the Hamburger Abendblatt, the Hamburger Morgenpost, and the Bild-Zeitung. More than 15,000 ships from all over the world sail through its harbor. The German rail network as well as international lines pass through the main train station. Buses and subways provide local public transportation. A tunnel that is part of the Stockholm-Lisbon highway was opened in 1977 to route long-distance travel away from the central city. It has been a major air-traffic center since before World War II.
Hamburg was founded by Charlemagne, who built a fortress here in 808 for protection against the Slavs. In 811 he founded a church on the Elbe. This was the beginning of the Christianization of Northern Europe. In spite of repeated looting and burning by Danes and Slavs, the early Christians rebuilt the town many times. An archbishop was installed in 834. Hamburg's commercial growth began in the 12th century. Frederick I granted franchises to the city, including fishing rights on the Elbe. Early in the 13th century Lubeck and Hamburg formed the Hanseatic League. Other towns soon joined the federation. The league became powerful enough to protect its land and sea trade from pirates and other marauders (see Hanseatic League). In 1510 Maximilian I proclaimed Hamburg a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire. Local and coastal commerce flourished. When Napoleon won the battle of Lubeck in 1810, Hamburg was occupied by French troops. There were looting and heavy taxation, and the population shrank from 100,000 to about 55,000. After occupation, the city gradually returned to its former prosperity. In 1842 fire destroyed much of the business district. Because Hamburg's harbor is ice-free all year and because it had the finest equipment, the port grew. Its exports and imports were vast in variety and quantity. The harbor teemed with activity. In World War II mass bombings destroyed three fourths of Hamburg. The population fell to less than half. After the war Hamburg recovered swiftly. In the 1960s a large business district, City-Nord, was built and became a symbol of Hamburg's commercial rebirth. The population peaked in 1965 at 1,850,000 but has been slowly decreasing since then. The constitution of 1952 places legislative authority in the Burgerschaft (State Parliament), which is composed of 120 members elected to four-year terms. The Burgerschaft elects the Senat, which represents the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg in its dealings with the other German states. Population (1989 estimate), 1,593,600.
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