Practical- that is the word I would use to describe city of Hamburg and being one of a practical nature, we were quite compatible. Riding a bike around town allowed for a lot of coverage, but a good walk is a never fail also. I have long wanted to visit Hamburg- I realize that maybe I have a fondness for cities with strong trade history (Amsterdam, London, Hamburg) – something to consider as I work towards the goal to explore the southern hemisphere.
Central Hamburg
Warehouses are an important historical part of trading cities and Speicherstadt is the largest of these districts in Hamburg. Riding around this area, it’s easy to get a sense of the scale of the industry for that time but for a city being so practical, they really loved their statues.
On a morning walk to get coffee, walked by some inspiring graffiti.
I was actually trying to get to the Commerzbibliothek which is located in the Rathaus, but the Commerce library was small a bit too intimate for me to crash in for some photos. Along the way I did manage to sneak a peak into the inside of the overall building and found beautiful gallery spaces and one with a great interior build inside.
Outside of the Rathaus and in the Altstadt area, including the famous Spiegel Headquarters.
As I was walking around, I kept seeing this massive spire in the sky- I felt like I could hardly escape it. St. Nikolai is a relict of a time of much devastation in the city. What makes Hamburg so interesting is that the massive amount of new construction is manifested from so much destruction.
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West Hamburg
We hopped out west to get our bikes and visit the World Press Photo Award exhibit at the Altonaer Museum and this housing in the plaza has a massive amount of asymmetry that caught my eye- some balconies inset, some outset.
In Altona, the Dockland Office building. Another ship like building along a harbor.
We took a wonderful ride around the Außenalster lake. The lake has plenty of large properties that call to a time of the wealthy building their mansions there and oddly this mosque was plopped in between two. Lots of interesting new construction once out of the park areas along the lake.
Hafencity
Many of the places we wanted to visit were close to this area so convenience stayed here and it’s a great area to stay.
Brickwork- Hamburg really nails this. I saw so many examples of creative use of brickwork I could do an entire study on it. I loved this parking lot because of it’s clever trellis to unify with the brick.
The Elbpharmonie has a post of it’s own, but this neighborhood surrounding has lots on it’s own to speak of. We were riding through on the way to a performance, but I’d love to take a slower walk to check in on the details.
On the bike, I wanted to stop all the time, but then we’d never get anywhere. But how much of what we do is about the conclusion versus the journey along the way? Certainly both matter, but there serendipity along the way is worth whatever the time we have to give to it.
Helpful guide: https://virginia-duran.com/2023/04/12/23-spots-you-shouldnt-miss-in-hamburg-if-you-love-architecture/
ofallthespaces 