60 Fun Facts About Hamburg

Where does Hamburg rank among German cities by population?

With over 1.9 million people it trails only Berlin, and its metro region tops 5 million.

On which river does the Port of Hamburg lie?

Despite sitting 110 km from the North Sea, it counts as a seaport because it handles ocean-going ships.

Which two other German cities share Hamburg's status as a city-state?

It is bordered by Schleswig-Holstein to the north and Lower Saxony to the south.

Where did the Port of Hamburg rank among Europe's container ports in 2024?

Only Rotterdam and Antwerp-Bruges handled more containers in 2024; the port is nicknamed Germany's Gateway to the World.

Which emperor ordered the castle built in 808 that gave Hamburg its name?

The Hammaburg stood on rocky ground in a marsh between the Alster and Elbe as a defence against Slavic incursions.

Who is Hamburg's first bishop, known as the Apostle of the North?

He arrived in 834, and two years later Hamburg was linked with Bremen as a joint bishopric.

How many Viking ships reportedly sailed up the Elbe to destroy Hamburg in 845?

The town then had only about 500 inhabitants; Poles and Danes sacked it again in later centuries.

Which emperor granted Hamburg Free Imperial City status in 1189?

The charter included tax-free passage down the Lower Elbe, and 7 May 1189 is still celebrated as the port's birthday.

Hamburg's 1241 alliance with which city is seen as founding the Hanseatic League?

In 1266 Henry III of England let Hamburg's merchants set up a 'hanse' in London, the first recorded use of the word.

What is the Matthiae-Mahl, first held in Hamburg in 1356?

It was a feast for Hanseatic cities on the first day of medieval spring and is still held every year.

What fraction of Hamburg's inner city was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1842?

It burned from 4 to 8 May, killed 51 people and left 20,000 homeless; the insurance losses gave rise to the reinsurance industry.

Where did the Great Fire of 1842 start?

Dry weather and shifting winds spread it fast, and collapsed buildings kept fireboats out of the canals.

Which epidemic killed about 8,600 people in Hamburg in 1892?

It was the last major cholera outbreak in a big Western city, and the independent-minded city government handled it badly.

What was the RAF codename for the July 1943 firebombing of Hamburg?

The firestorm spread from the main station and killed at least 42,600 civilians; a million more were evacuated.

Which occupying power's zone included Hamburg after its surrender on 3 May 1945?

The city gave up three days after Hitler's death and became a West German state in 1949.

How many people died in Hamburg in the North Sea flood of February 1962?

Police senator Helmut Schmidt overstepped his legal powers to call in the Bundeswehr, making his national reputation.

Which two future German chancellors were born in Hamburg?

Olaf Scholz was the city's mayor before becoming chancellor, and the airport is named after Schmidt.

Roughly how many bridges cross Hamburg's rivers and canals?

That is more than London, Amsterdam and Venice put together — the most of any city in the world.

Which Hamburg concert hall, opened in 2017, sits like a glass sail on an old warehouse?

Herzog & de Meuron designed it on top of Kaispeicher A; costs ballooned from about €200 million to €870 million.

What was the final cost of building Hamburg's new sail-shaped concert hall?

The 2007 estimate was €241 million; locals nicknamed the hall Elphi anyway.

The Speicherstadt warehouses stand on foundations of what?

Built from 1883 to 1927 as a customs-free zone, it is the world's largest warehouse district on timber piles.

When were the Speicherstadt and Kontorhausviertel made UNESCO World Heritage Sites?

The Kontorhaus district includes the ship-shaped brick Chilehaus of 1922.

The 1922 Chilehaus office building is famously shaped like what?

Fritz Höger's brick expressionist masterpiece points its prow toward the harbour.

What does the name Reeperbahn literally mean?

Rope-makers worked here after leaving the crowded Neustadt in the 1620s; today it is nicknamed 'die sündige Meile'.

In which Hamburg district is the Reeperbahn?

It draws 25 to 30 million visitors a year and hosts Europe's largest club festival every September.

Which Große Freiheit venue did the Beatles play first on arriving in August 1960?

They arrived early on 17 August 1960 and slept on the club's red leather seats.

Which Hamburg photographer inspired the Beatles' mop-top haircut?

She was engaged to bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, who left the band to study art in Hamburg and died there in 1962.

Which famous St. Pauli music venue opened on Friday 13 April 1962?

It closed on New Year's Eve 1969, and its building burned down in 1987.

Which composer, born in Hamburg in 1833, grew up poor in the Gängeviertel?

Mendelssohn was also born in Hamburg, in 1809, before his family fled to Berlin in disguise.

Which musical's 1986 German premiere began Hamburg's unbroken run of musical theatre?

Producer Stage Entertainment is based in the city, giving Hamburg Germany's highest density of musicals.

Which subgenre did Hamburg bands like Helloween and Gamma Ray help establish?

Running Wild and Grave Digger also started in the city in the 1980s.

What is Alsterwasser, named after Hamburg's river?

It is the local name for a shandy, equal parts beer and Zitronenlimonade.

What is a Franzbrötchen?

It is a Hamburg breakfast staple, sometimes filled with raisins or brown-sugar streusel.

Hamburg's Aalsuppe is often mistaken for a dish of what?

The name probably comes from Low Saxon 'allns', meaning everything, though eel is now often added to satisfy tourists.

Which pan-fried patty from Hamburg may be the ancestor of the American hamburger?

It mixes ground beef, soaked bread, egg and onion and is served with potatoes rather than on a bun.

Which northern German dish of corned beef, potato and onion is a Hamburg speciality?

Beetroot, gherkins and herring often join it on the plate; the name is shared with the Liverpool 'scouse'.

Which club did Hamburger SV beat 1-0 in Athens to win the 1983 European Cup?

HSV also went 36 Bundesliga games unbeaten in 1982-83, a record until Bayern broke it in 2013.

Why is Hamburger SV nicknamed 'der Dinosaurier'?

HSV was the only original Bundesliga club never relegated until it finally went down in 2018.

Which unofficial emblem did FC St. Pauli's fans adopt in the 1980s?

Legend says a punk singer nailed a Jolly Roger to a broomstick and brought it to the Millerntor.

What is the name of FC St. Pauli's home ground?

HSV play across town at the Volksparkstadion, which hosted 2006 World Cup games and the 2010 Europa League final.

What did Hamburg voters reject in a November 2015 referendum?

51.7 percent voted against, citing the cost to public funds, even though partner city Kiel voted in favour.

What is Miniatur Wunderland, one of Germany's most visited attractions?

Twin brothers Frederik and Gerrit Braun founded it in the Speicherstadt; it now runs around 1,230 digitally controlled trains.

What innovation made Tierpark Hagenbeck, opened in 1907, a landmark in zoo design?

Carl Hagenbeck patented his 'panorama' idea in 1896; the collection began with his fishmonger father's animals in 1863.

How do pedestrians and cars reach the Old Elbe Tunnel, opened in 1911?

Six lifts on each side drop 24 metres to twin tubes 426 metres long, built under compressed air beneath the river.

What distinction does Hamburg's Fuhlsbüttel airfield, opened in 1911, hold?

Since 2016 it has been named after Helmut Schmidt; Airbus uses a separate field at Finkenwerder.

Which World War II battleship was Blohm+Voss's most famous product?

The Hamburg yard, founded in 1877, also built the ill-fated cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff.

What is the nickname of St. Michael's Church, whose copper spire guides ships up the Elbe?

Hamburg has five churches over 100 metres, more than any other city in the world.

Which Hamburg church was briefly the tallest building in the world in the 19th century?

Its ruined tower now stands as a memorial to the 1943 bombing.

How many rooms does Hamburg's Rathaus have, according to the official count?

One tower room was only found by accident in 1971 while someone hunted for a document behind a filing cabinet.

Which weekly news magazine, founded in 1947, is published in Hamburg?

Die Zeit, Gruner + Jahr and the broadcaster NDR are also based in the city.

What are the letters on Hamburg's vehicle licence plates?

They stand for Hansestadt Hamburg; big cities usually get one letter, like B for Berlin.

Which fair, held three times a year on the Heiligengeistfeld, is Germany's biggest?

Spring, summer and winter editions make it the longest-running fair in the country.

What is Planten un Blomen?

The Low German name means Plants and Flowers; the 47-hectare park sits right in the city centre.

Which country administered Hamburg's Altona district from 1640 to 1864?

Altona was under the Danish monarchy for over two centuries and remained an independent city until 1937.

Which aerospace company runs a huge assembly plant at Hamburg-Finkenwerder, employing over 13,000?

Hamburg ranks with Seattle and Toulouse as a civil aerospace centre thanks to the Airbus plant at Finkenwerder.

How many boroughs (Bezirke) has Hamburg been divided into since the March 2008 reform?

The seven boroughs are Hamburg-Mitte, Altona, Eimsbüttel, Hamburg-Nord, Wandsbek, Bergedorf and Harburg.

Which country's diaspora in Hamburg, around 50,000 strong, is the largest of its kind in Europe?

Hamburg's Afghan community began arriving in the 1970s and nearly doubled after 2015.

Which architect designed Hamburg's brick-expressionist Chilehaus of 1922?

Fritz Höger designed the Chilehaus, part of the UNESCO-listed Kontorhausviertel.

Which international meeting brought violent clashes to Hamburg's Sternschanze area in July 2017?

The G20 summit of 7–8 July 2017 saw cars burned and barricades around the Rote Flora squat.

Which sport is Hamburg said to be the German capital of, dominating both national leagues?

As of 2025 Hamburg clubs made up five of the twelve men's field hockey Bundesliga teams.