Hamburg City and the long axis of history

Elbphilharmonie - the new landmark

Since its opening in 2017, the new landmark Elbphilharmonie, a Philharmonic Hall, crowns Europe's largest inner-city development project and is located right next to the Speicherstadt. The Speicherstadt, which has been a listed building since 1991 and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built in 1883 on the Elbe islands in front of the old town. For this purpose, the residential areas Kehrwieder and Wandrahm were demolished and about 20,000 people were forcibly resettled. Today it belongs to the new city planning project on the Großer Grasbrook and with the HafenCity to the district Hamburg-Mitte.

History of the Hamburg Speicherstadt

Historical records mention that before the siege of the Vikings and the destruction of the trading place in 845, there was a small harbour on the Elbe River with a 120-metre-long wooden jetty through which the inhabitants carried out their long-distance trade. 100 years after the destruction by the Danish Vikings, the jetty and the Hammaburg were rebuilt. The first port facilities on Nikolaifleet existed as early as 1188. On 7 May 1189, the town secured itself the privilege of duty-free travel on the Lower Elbe to the North Sea with harbour rights. 

We leave the Speicherstadt, cross the Fleets at the Binnenhafen, the origin of Hamburg harbour and take a look at the Nikolaifleet and Deichstrasse.

Deichstraße is a street in the centre of Hamburg, directly on Nikolaifleet, and is the last preserved ensemble of Old Hamburg town houses in the city. Therefore, it has a historical value and an important tourist significance. The historic Cremon 33-36 warehouse in the Cremon quarter on the other side of the Nikolaifleet preserves a relic of the old Hamburg.

The street is for the most part a pedestrian zone and forms a link between the district around the town hall and the Speicherstadt or HafenCity. From here we are only a stone's throw away from the Nikolaikirche, which we will visit next.

From the Nikolai Church to the Town Hall Square

Constructions of the former main church began in 1195 in the form of a chapel. However, the neo-Gothic church was not completed until 1874, and after the air raids of the Second World War, only the almost 150-metre-high tower of the Nikolai Church now stands as a memorial. Did you know that the church was the tallest building in the world until 1877? From the viewing platform at a height of 76 metres you have an all-round panoramic view over the Hanseatic city.

Next to the the Nikolaikirche the Trostbrücke leads over the Nikolaifleet past the former stock exchange building to today's Hamburg town hall. The Trostbrücke is one of the oldest bridges in Hamburg and connected the old town with the innermost part of the harbour. At the end of the 15th century it was a meeting place for day labourers waiting for employers there. In 1599 it was replaced by the first stone arched bridge in the Hanseatic city. After a collapse and damage caused by the Hamburg fire that destroyed large parts of the old town between 5 May and 8 May 1842, it was rebuilt in 1881/1882 and is still intact today. 

The old Hamburg town hall was located at Trostbrücke until the Great Fire and, together with the stock exchange, the Hamburg bank and the lower court, formed Hamburg's political and economic centre. After the fire, the new town hall was built at the back of the New Stock Exchange on the small Alsterlake. The New Stock Exchange was the only building in the area that survived. The magnificent building in the style of the neo-Renaissance on the Binnenalster impresses with the combination of Italian and North German Renaissance elements.

Hamburg City Centre

If one is led from the town hall market with the crowds of people to the Mönckebergstrasse, it is difficult not to fall for commerce. 12,500 passers-by per hour rush past all the others who try to pause for a moment and let their gaze rest on the historic breakthrough between the station and the town hall. The 800-metre-long street, popularly known as the "breakthrough", was created by the redevelopment of the eastern old town after the cholera epidemic and was a heavily used tram line until 1978. Our tour ends here in the centre of the city.

Important information about your online booking - Hamburg City Walk

* Weather in Hamburg may change on a dime. 
* City tour tickets are tied to the date and time.
* Please arrive 15 minutes before tour start at the meeting point.
* No compensation for delays or non-commencement of the tour.
* The tour takes place in any weather
* The Organizer reserves the right to cancel the tour if participation is too low. In this case, the ticket price will be refunded.
* Tickets must be printed out after online booking and submitted to the Organizer upon entry into paper form.
* The online prices are only valid when booking online via HTI Hamburgtourist.info. 

We also offer this guided walk for groups at individual times, or different languages.