Executive summary by darmansjah
Hamburg Step into the
Future with New Urban Design
IN MARCH 1910, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin convinced the
citizens of Hamburg that they needed to make room for the wave of the future:
the airship. By the next year, the city had opened one of the world’s first
airports. This spirit of openness to new ideas is a defining quality of
Hamburg, which has welcomed outsiders since it was a major trading post in the
13th century. “In other German cities you can expect people will
speak English, but in Hamburg you can also expect them to help you,’ says
relocation expert Brigitaa Moeller.
North of the port, downtown is built around two artificial
lakes, a network of canals, and some 2,300 bridges. Blanketed in trees and
parks, Hamburg is one of Europe’s greenest cities. And the former warehouse
district is being transformed into an ubermodern places to live, work, and
play.
Day One
Morning Portside amble.
The North Sea wind can be brisk, even in the summer, so a
seater comes in handy. To get a sense of the port, start in HafenCity, now Europe’s largest
construction project, where warehouse are becoming apartments, cafes, and a
flagship glass concert hall designed by Herzog & de Meuron: the
Elbphilharmonie. It won’t open until 2017, but you can stick your head-alice in
Wonderland style-into a miniature version of the building to test the
acoustics. Head a few blocks east and take the pedestrian bridge across
Brooktorhafen canal to the International
Maritime Museum Hamburg. Divided into nine “decks,” the museum spans 3,000
years of maritime history. Among its oldest items: a primitive boat carved from
a 1,400-year-old tree trunk that was discovered in the Elbe River. From here,
walk along the area’s canals to another architectural wonder: the triangular Chilehaus. Buit by a merchant who made
a fortune in Chile, it exemplifies a 1920s style known as brick expressionism.
Afternoon Ferry land
At the Landungsbrucken subway station, take a stairwell deep
into the Old Elbe Tunnel. On
weekends, the hundred-year-old underground link between the city and the
shipyards closes to traffic, allowing pedestrians to walk or bike through.
(Rent bikes from one of the 70 rental points for the bright red StadtRAD public
bikes). Look for the 1911 tile friezes of ,among other things, rats scurrying
over a pair of boots. Once back on the city side, skip organized boat tours and
hop on public fery 62 to crisscross
the Elbe River, cruising alongside giant cargo ships or the Queen Elizabeth in
season, passing a Cold War-era submarine. Get off at the Altona Fischmarkt stop
to peruse Stilwerk, eight floors of
furniture and design shops with a decidedly northern European aesthetic. Grab a
quick meal at one of the fish restaurants along Grosse Elbstrasse leading to
the fish market. Hummer Pedersen
serves seafood fresh from the port; the cold-appetizer trio makes a good
sampler.
Evening Dishy plates
At the Michelin-starred Landhaus
Scherrer, the Old World service and family atmosphere are in stark contrast
to the racy charger plates portraying a model posed among fruits and
vegetables. (A local artis produces a new version each season). The restaurant
deftly creates dishes such as beets four ways, including a shot glass of foamy
crimson soup. In the middle price range is Parlament,
a relatively young restaurant in the cellar of the Rathaus, the historic town
hall. The location imposes a gravitas that modernization has luckily not
erased. Order pannfisch (fried fish
fillets), a simple local specialty, or try the Salt Meadow lamb, raised in the
salty marshlands north of the city. To check off a tourist “must,” go to the St.Paull red-light district to stroll
past the seedy clubs of the Reeperbahn, where the Beatles honed their signature
sound.
Day Two
Morning Art stroll
Have breakfast at the branch of Mutterland near the Hamburg hauptbahnhof, the main train station.
Former flight attendant and Hamburg native Marge Ziegler produces the jams.
“Making and eating jam is typical German,” she says. “There’s no country where
they eat so much of it.” Two flavors are specific t o Hamburg: Moin Moin
Hamburg (“hello, Hamburg”), a blend of the exotic fruits that come through the
port; and Hamburger Kirsch, a riff on Black Forest cake made wit hnative
cherries and chocolate liqueur. Besides local jams, this emporium of all things
German caries artisanal whiskeys with cartoon labels and single-source
chocolates. This is a good launching point for the museums along the Kunstmelle (‘art mile”). Start at the
imposing Kuntshalle. Although the collection runs from Old Masters to
contemporary-from Rembrandt to Andreas Gursky-its forte is modern German art,
such as Swiss/German painter Paul Klee’s gleaming” The golden Fish” (1925).
Head south, parallel to the railroadtracks, to the Deichtorhallen, Europe’s largest exhibition center for contemporary
art and photography.
Afternoon Native goods
Although Hamburg claims no paternity of the hamburger, the
patty of minced meat called a frikadelle
is aclose relative. (It is usually served with tomato sauce, no bun). There is
no dispute, however, over Hamburg’s ownership of the franzvrotchen ,a buttery pastry weighed down with just caramelized
sugar and cinnamon. Try one from the Dat
Backhus chain. (Choose the branch at Speersort street to see the preserved
base of a tower, which may or may not be Hamburg’s first building, dating back
to A.D. 800). Another native is designer Jil
Sander, who has built her international reputation on a minimalist vision
of simple lines and a restricted color palette-and has credited her city with
honing this vision. Visit her shop along Neuer Wall to see the spring and
summer collection-her first since regaining her label after an eight-year
absence-which features puffed-out sleeves on shirts and dresses.
Evening Auf Wiedersehen
To sample the signature northern German dish labskaus,
purportedly a favorite of sailors since the 1800s, visit the Old Commercial Room (established in
1795). The mess of potatoes, corned beef, onions, and beets looks unappealing,
but topped with an egg and acoompanied by pickles, it comes together in a rich,
a satisfying meal. Cold War buffs should ask to sit at former chancellor Helmut
Schmidt’s favorite table. Say goodbye to Hamburg wit ha drink and an almost
panoramic view of the city and harbor from the bar on the top floor of the Empire Riverside Hotel. Or opt for one
more shot of high culture with an evening at the Staatsoper Hamburg. The current venue opened in 1955 – all gleaming
glass and marble – carrying on a tradition of public opera begun in the city in
1678, when merchants opened a theater for opera despite objections by the
city’s religious leaders, who decried its secular nature.
Around the world in
80 gardens: from Arpil 26 to October 13, Hamburg will host the International Garden Show on
Wihelmsburg island on the Elber River. The 250 acres of gardens will be divided
into seven areas, including wanderlust, foreign languages, and customs. The Elbjazz Festival (May 24-25) will
feature 50 concerts on ten stages in the port district, with the option to hop
from concert to concert by boat.
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