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Hamburg Facts
Visitors to Hamburg are immediately struck by the visual tension of the citys contrasts. Post modern glass and steel facades, the patrician mansions of epochs past, baroque churches, historical residential quarters and a 278 meter TV tower all contribute to the city's look. The mercantile glory of the 19th century has been preserved in important classical buildings along the Inner Alster. Also worthy of note is the characteristic red brick building style which became popular after the turn of the century. Former blue-collar residential districts - clustered around the Stadtpark - are now coveted homes.
In the downtown area, the status-conscious air of municipal buildings and offices set the tone. Hamburg's famous renaissance-style Rathaus celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1997. Although little is left to remind us of the city's oldest core, visitors exploring Hamburg on foot will travel through time from the present to the ancient past. Speicherstadt, the port's historical warehouse district, is a prime example. Here, Hamburgs newest shipping houses have been built almost side by side with the old.
Culture has always been writ large in Hamburg. The cultural tradition in the Hanseatic city dates back to medieval times. Poets such as Klopstock, Lessing and Heinrich Heine, as well as world-famous composers including Handel and Mahler, have left their mark on Hanseatic cultural history. Gustav Gründgens made theatrical history with his legendary dramatisation of Faust, and the Beatles celebrated their breakthrough in the Starclub. From Plattdüütsch to John Neumeier's ballet, you'll find just about everything at Hamburg's stages. Besides three state theatres, the Hamburgische Staatsoper, founded in 1678, the Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Thalia Theater, over 40 private theatres, 50 museums and a total of 313 theatres, concert halls, music halls and cabaret venues attract audiences with a colourful cultural offering. Hamburg is the third most important city for musicals in the world after New York and London. "Cats" ran for almost 15 years, making it the longest-running musical in Germany; this kind of success continues with productions such as "The Lion King", "Mamma Mia" and "The Fearless Vampire Killers".
Large-scale sporting events are traditionally at home in Hamburg and are celebrated like local festivals - derbies, tennis, hockey tournaments, beach volleyball, German national league soccer, marathons, and HEW Cyclassics (cycling classics) are permanent fixtures here. Recently new events with world-cup status have been added, such as the Holsten City Man Triathlon, the Otto World Cup in the judo Super-A tournament or the Jever Blade Challenge in skating. Not to be forgotten are the new top attractions HSV handball and Hamburg Freezers ice hockey. The new Color Line Arena is often truly full to the brim.
Figures also confirm that Hamburg is a city of sport lovers: according to findings by the sport information service Sport-Informationsdienst, Hamburg has the most sport fans and is as a result the number-one city for sport. In the 2002/2003 season, the Hanseatic city can expect 1.49 million fans, who have bought tickets for regular league matches of the Hamburg German national league teams and professional teams. Thus Hamburg is significantly ahead of Munich (1.32 million), Dortmund (1.15 million) and Berlin (1.13 million).
Sport lovers in Hamburg will have every reason to celebrate in the future, too: 2004 is the year that the Special Olympics and the national Games for the Deaf are coming to the Hanseatic city, as well as the world's largest rowing regatta and, of course, the soccer World Cup in 2006!
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