In September 2013 we went on a boat trip on the Alster river – sadly not on the St. Georg, which is Germany’s oldest steam boat, but the other Alster cruise boats are nice too. All the boat trips leave from the Jungfernstieg pier, and during the spring, summer and autumn there are many trips each day, some operated during the hours of darkness (we’ve not done any of those yet, but I expect we will . . . . ).
You get to see a lot of Hamburg from the boat, including the Rathaus (town hall) which is the seat of local government for the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, one of Germany’s sixteen state parliaments. The Rathaus is in the Altstadt (literally translated: Old City) district in the city center, near Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (Hamburg’s main railway station). The Rathaus was completed in 1897, having been rebuilt after it was destroyed in the great fire of 1842.
The Rathaus is one of the few buildings of historic interest in Hamburg that survived the Allied bombing campaign. The tower (pictured centre) is 112 metres high with 436 steps. The church tower you can see to the left of the picture is St. Peter’s. The street connecting the the Rathaus to the Hauptbahnhof is Mönckebergstraße, one of Hamburg’s busiest shopping streets.
The photograph above was taken from the boat as it was crossing the Binnenalster (translation: Inner Alster Lake), one of two artificial lakes on the Alster river, the other being the Außenalster (you can figure that one out yourself!). The Binnenalster is so called because it was inside the city walls, which no longer exist. It was originally created as a reservoir to supply water to a mill. Now it is the home of several rowing and sailing clubs.
A lot of companies have their corporate headquarters overlooking the Binnenalster, including Hapag Lloyd. There are also a number of first class hotels here. The area around the Binnenalster hosts the annual Alstervergnügen (English: Alster enjoyment), a street fair that takes place every September.
The Alster cruise boats take you under many bridges. In fact, Hamburg has more road, rail and footbridges than any other city in Europe (2,496 in 2004 according to a report by the Department for Roads, Bridges and Waterways), and is sometimes called the “Venice of the North”. Hamburg has three major rivers: the Alster, the Bille, and of course the Elbe, which connects Hamburg to the North Sea. It also has many canals.
If you’ve got a couple of million euros to spare, you might be able to purchase a riverside residence like the one below – just one of many we saw on our trip. Most of them are tucked away in quiet backwaters, and many have their own private moorings.
Gastronomy is an important part of Hamburg culture. This floating restaurant offers a chance to relax and watch the boats going up and down the river while you eat and enjoy a beer or a glass of wine. Some of the river cruises include a stop at a riverside restaurant.
We've not visited one of these floating restaurants ourselves - yet - but it's on our to-do list. The trouble is that there are so many things on our to-do list already that it's difficult to find time for them all!
One of the best things about Hamburg is that it is a very green city, with numerous parks and wooded areas. In fact, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that you’re in one of Europe’s biggest cities!
Hamburg’s Ministry for Urban Development and Environment has spent millions over the years maintaining its trees. In 2011 – Hamburg’s year as European Green Capital – the Hamburg Senate released two million euros for planting trees. Hamburg citizens also made significant financial contributions, thanks to the successful "My tree – My city" campaign.