Hamburg

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and its principal port, Hamburg is also the largest city in the European Union which is not a national capital, with a population of 1.8 million, and the second busiest port after Rotterdam. A large part of the port is a fenced-in duty-free area.

Hamburg is situated on the southern tip of Jutland Peninsula, geographically centered (a) between Continental Europe and Scandinavia and (b) between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The City of Hamburg lies at the junction of the river Elbe with the rivers Alster and Bille and the city centre is beautifully set around two lakes, the Binnenalster ("Inner Alster") and the Aussenalster ("Outer Alster").

Hamburg began with a castle established by Charlemange in 808 AD called the Hammaburg. The settlement of Hamburg soon became established as a city. In 1189 it recieved a charter allowing it to trade freely along the Elbe. Hamburg soon grew into one of North Europe's biggest ports, and also a refuge for European Protestants. Hamburg's large harbour and waterways mean it is sometimes considered the closest city in Germany to Venice.

In its life, Hamburg has also seen much destruction, with the first being by Vikings in the 9th century. The following century it was burnt down by Obotrites (North-East Germans), then 50 years later by forces of a Polish king. It had a Great Fire in 1284 and again in 1842 (interesting - both numbers have the same digits). In the 19th century, it was captured by Napolean then besieged by his enemies. A quarter of Hamburg's historic buildings were destroyed in the 1842 Great Fire. Then during World War II, devestating air-raids killed 50,000 people and destroyed half of the city centre, mostly in one night.

As a consequence, although much of Hamburg's old architecture no longer survives many of the city's significant historic buildings do and the modern city today is a popular German tourist destination as well as an industrial port.