VI European Masters Water Polo Championships Hamburg 4 -9 July ...

The City on the Waterfront
Hamburg is the second-largest metropolis in Germany after Berlin and
the most populous non-capital city in the European Union. The city is
home to approximately 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg metropolitan
area (including parts of the neighbouring Federal States of Lower
Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein) has more than 4.3 million inhabitants.
Hamburg is a “City on the Waterfront”, located in the northern part of
Germany, the North Sea to its west and the Baltic to its east. In Hamburg,
the rivers Alster and Bille meet the River Elbe. The central city
area is situated around two lakes, Binnenalster and Außenalster, a paradise
for yachting and boating, and a popular meeting point for recreation
and jogging. The many waterways in Hamburg are crossed by
almost 2500 bridges, more than those of Amsterdam and Venice combined.
The island of Neuwerk is also part of Hamburg, located in the
Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park.
The official name “Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg” makes reference
to Hamburg's history as a member of the medieval Hanseatic
League and a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire. Hamburg
takes its name from the first permanent building on the site, the castle
Hammaburg ordered to be built by Emperor Charlemagne in 808. Today,
Hamburg is a city-state and one of the 16 Federal States of Germany.
Hamburg is modern, friendly and cosmopolitan, and at once a city full
of contrasts: on the one hand, the colourful St. Pauli quarter with the
Reeperbahn, the most sinful mile in the world, on the other, the
wealthy and well-kept district Blankenese with its numerous villas and
romantically beautiful views from the Elbhang (Elbe escarpment) and
the lower beaches of the river. Each corner of Hamburg looks different,
but nevertheless everything fits together harmoniously.
Every year, about 13,000 seagoing vessels from all over the world enter
the port of Hamburg, which ranks second in Europe only to Rotterdam.
From the cruise terminal and the Landungsbrücken (piers) to the modern
container harbour, it smells of freedom and faraway countries here.
With a tour in a river launch or a visit to one of the museum ships, visitors
can experience directly why Hamburg is also called "The Gateway
to World". Every Sunday morning from 5 o’clock to 9.30, visitors can
buy goods from all over the world at Hamburg's traditional Fish Market.
The historic centre of the harbour is the Speicherstadt district, a beautiful
warehouse complex built at the end of the 19th century. Coffee, tea and
spices were stored here. Today the Speicherstadt is home to several museums
and exhibitions. Against this imposing backdrop, Europe's largest
inner city development – the HafenCity – is being built on former port
ground. The Elbphilharmonie is scheduled to house its first concerts in
2012 in a spectacular building on top of an old warehouse.
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