Our last major outing of 2014 was a visit to the Port of Hamburg (Hamburg Hafen) with Monika and Matthias, primarily to visit the Altonaer Fischmarkt (fish market), which meant getting up very early on a Sunday. Oh well . . . . I suppose one has to make sacrifices occasionally!
Obviously, the market on a Sunday morning is not confined to selling fish. Actually, the fish market itself is in the domed building you can (just about) see at the far end of the open-air market. Elsewhere, you can buy everything from clothes to fresh fruit and vegetables to souveniers of Hamburg. In fact, you can buy ridiculous amount of fruit and veg for just a Euro!
When you’re in the Hamburg Hafen, there is always plenty to see. The port was founded in May 1189 by Frederick I, and sits astride the River Elbe, about 110 kilometres from the sea. It covers an area of 74 square kilometres, and is one of the world’s largest and busiest seaports – the largest in Germany, third largest in Europe as a whole after Rotterdam and Antwerp, and 15th largest worldwide.
From Landungsbrücken, which overlooks most of the port and is the main attraction for tourists in the summer months, you can go on one of the many river cruises that will take you on a round trip of the the port.
There are also plenty of water taxis to take you across the river to Finkenwerder – home to Airbus SE, who have their own airport there – and to other destinations up and down the river. I can travel on these at any time, at no additional cost, because I have a public transport pass from from HVV (Hamburger Verkehrsverbund) that covers me night and day for all of Greater Hamburg.
Landungsbrücken is also home to many restaurants and souvenier shops, most of which are located on floating pontoons tethered to the dock. You can sit down for a meal or just have a cup of coffee (or something stronger), whilst listening to music and watching the boats go up and down.
We generally try and visit the port at least once every year. Other attractions in the port area include the Hamburg Dungeon (loosely based on the London Dungeon), the Miniatur Wunderland – the largest model railway and miniature airport in the World, and the Elbphilharmonie – one of the largest and most acoustically advanced concert halls in the World (it should be – it came in several years late and way over budget!).
The Elbphilharmonie is the strange looking building you can see in the background, in the picture of the Rickmer Rickmers, above. The foundation stone was laid in April 2007, and construction was scheduled to be finished by 2010 at an estimated cost of €241 million. Construction work officially ended in October 2016, having cost a whopping €866 million!