“ Heimat is da, wo man da ganzen Tag Moin sagt” (or Home is where you say Moin all day long).The classic line about Hamburg…

The last time I was in awed by Skycrapers was when I visited Singapore in the summer of 2023.The skyline they have aren´t just ordinary, they are simply wonderful. Those modern buildings like Esplanade, Marina Bay Sands and the Art Science Museum–I love looking at them, marveling how they were built, beautiful, and total interessant! We say it in German —lebendig! Modernity that is too expensive to digest for a nature lover like me,and very exhausting to understand within the short period of time I´ve spent there. Now that Im here in Germany, I´ve got used to seeing only church towers,or bell towers as the tallest building that looms over almost every German town.It almost looked all the same, with red, orange brick roof tiles.When it comes to German architecture ,things are too Bauhaus–designed as funtional and not really aesthetic. It´s seldom to see modern designs of apartments & buildings .With all due respect to art and conceptual designs, the facades plays an important role.But since most old towns are protected and preserved, modern buildings are either built on outskirts of the city which is also makes every town special.

But when I saw Hamburg–the second largest city here in Germany, a port city (or Hafen) ,my opinion about this city has changed.Here it is different, an aura that I´ve missed.Everything looks fresh, authentic Ahoi scenery.It´s not really only for aesthetic purposes,but most of the modern & old buildings became the city´s identity and landmark.My favourite so far was the Elbphilharmonie and Plaza, the tallest building in Hamburg so far.I can´t get enough of this place.It is just an image of perfection.

 So I went on this architectural journey exploring the city, the old town, the harbour and Speicherstadt and other places.The city has a great public transport system so we didn´t have a problem while taking the metro station, bus, ferry rides and of course–by walking.We tasted countless fish delicacies including the humble “Fisch Brötchen“, Franzbrötchen and drink some local beer.The atmosphere was totally relaxed and “gemütlich“.Pople say “Moin!” and that didn´t really bother us.The rust, red bricks ,brown, golden colours really makes a unique identity of this place.

I am bent on checking out Elbphilharmonie Plaza. It was really fascinating to wait for the bridge to connect again, with all the people waiting to cross over–like a modern scene of Moses trying to part the Red Sea to cross it.The crossover over Mahatma Gandhi Brücke is a scenic experience if you love seeing the bridge separate and fold again if tall ships needs to cross the harbour.

Elbphi plaza is a place where you can anjoy a 360 degrees panoramic views of Hamburg, the Elbe river, and its harbor and the skyline of the city.Inside the plaza, with a fee of only 3 Euros, anyone can access the 82-metre-long, curved escalator that takes visitors up through the old Kaispeicher building. At the top of the escalator, on the 6th floor, a panorama window offers a spectacular view down the river Elbe towards the harbour and docks. The bathroom with killer views is probably the most insane bathroom in Germany!This escalator is called “the Tube” —the world´s first curved escalator that transport you within 2,5 minutes to the viewing platform.

I said I can´t get enough of looking so I made quite different photos from different angle.

If you´re curious about its design and architecture, you can view all details here and you will be more amazed just how incredible this structure and why it deserve to be seen at least once in your life. Even if you don´t stay in the luxurious hotel up there or watch a concert, this place is just enough to see something different from boats, ships and dock cranes that Hamburg is also very known for.

I´ve lost count how far did we go but exploring a new city is really tiring.Maps doesn´t always lead us to where we expected but we managed to have ample coffee breaks, leading us to new found discoveries like the St. Nikolai church, very impressive Neo Gothic church with its ruins and transparent lift that takes you up.Hamburg was heavily bombed during WWII so this church has a gruesome past.It was heavily destroyed during Operation Gomorrah in 1943, still standing proud with its 147.4 meter spire.

Hamburg is a mixture of old and new.A living metamorphosis of design, beauty and heritage.As we explore the Speicherstadt, it looked somewhat so different from the modern buildings near the Elbe river.Over this side, the old harbour, with dock boats and the choco brown reddish color of the walls of Speicherstadt really dominates.Exploring the Miniatur Wunderland is another highlight of our architecture journey.It´s a place where you can see miniatures of famous landmarks, city,nature paradise including the city of Hamburg itself. If you know about architecture and design–then this place will blow your mind how they make those breathtaking scale models-Really insane!

Another favourite of mine was the Dockland-Altona.It´s a strange parallelogram glass structure, totally unique with its 140 steps to the terrace,ship- like eyecatcher lying on the banks of the river that is really interesting.Its actually a prominent business site but it also offers a public viewing platform for visitors and locals.I´ve marveled on this beauty while we are aboard the HADAG ferry takes us to the Fish Market and to the Landungsbrücken vice versa.

We took advange of taking the ferry to explore the sights of Hamburg especially near the harbour because its where really the heart of this city lies.People are all smiles despite the heat, feeling relaxed, eager,& enthusiastic of seeing what is beyond those giant cranes and boats.The fish market and the Oevelgönne Museum Harbor are just one ferry stop away from Dockland, further away we glimpse the laid back shores of the Elbe and seen so many different historic ships and vessels.Compared to the boats I have seen in Prague, these boats really carries the Hamburg character.

It´s time for lunch and we sat at the outdoor restaurant of Ratscherrn Altona.We have this amazing view of the harbour, and of course, the Jungfernstieg.The Jungfernstieg stretches along the southern shore of Hamburg’s Alster Lake. This historic promenade is a focal point in the center of the Hanseatic city. Its name dates back to a Sunday ritual of wealthy Hamburg families in the mid-17th century. Locals and visitors like me just sitting here and enjoying the panorama.

Hamburg has many modern malls and idyllic places for retail teraphy and to cool down.We went to the mall near the Alster lake because there is an active campaign for children to do rock wall climbing which my daughter didn´t wanna miss.For us, it´s a break from all those walking…

Another beautiful sight was Hamburg´s Rathaus or city hall.Kinda reminded me of our times in Vienna .This building is so beautiful, totally rich in details and adorned with scultures,columns and historical facets.This is the seat of the government of Hamburg and it really exudes its Neo-classic Renaissance architecture.

There´s a wedding photoshoot going on so we sneaked in at the back side of the city hall and this inner courtyard with the fountain really took us by surprise.I don’t know if it’s the greenish color of the patina over bronze, or if it’s the beautiful story behind the work of art, but it’s a fact that was mesmerized and amazed by this beautiful fountain.

The monument, which became a tourist attraction in Hamburg, was built in 1895/96 by sculptor Joseph von Kramer, to celebrate the end of a cholera epidemic that devasted the city in 1892, causing over 8,000 deaths.

The fountain has three levels and, on top, the statue of the goddess Hygiea is located (Hygieia, in German), which names the fountain. In Greek Mythology, Hygiea is the goddess of health, cleanliness. It’s from the name that comes the word ‘hygiene’.Interesting in many ways.

This structure reminds me so much of the Holsentor we´ve seen in Lubeck.

The thing about traveling, it leaves you to become a storyteller.I could write about all of this nice things I´ve seen in Hamburg but I actually wanted to share the experiece itself.It is not just being there and taking photos but rather learning about a new place.It’s a lot more interesting getting to know a city as a traveler, finding its History out and the facts of each place, rather than just pass by them and check-in.

Thinking that this beautiful maritime city survived a Cholera pandemic in 1892 really makes this city so special.My architecture journey here was actually very rewarding since I have seen a bit of Hamburg and understand its history.Now it´s time to plan another trip.

At the end of our trip, I still say “Moin Hamburg!”

If you have more time to kill , you would probably like to go on architecture journey with me.

Hundertwasser & Architecture Coma in Vienna

The Blue Church in Bratislava

Take me to the streets of Prague

What´s the Hype in Munich ,Bavaria?

Servus and Hello from Rothenburg an der Tauber

Tschüß!