More Walking Adventures in Hamburg

On Tuesday I left you crossing the Elbe in Hamburg, and mentioned that I was heading up towards the Alster, Hamburg’s second river. Well today we get to explore the Alster as well as one of the many parks. First though where Hamburg began – Hammaburg.

These days it is a rather lovely tiny park shadowed by the headquarters of Germany’s most widely read weekly newspaper – Die Zeit. I was surprised to discover that Die Zeit has only been in publication since 1946; I’d presumed it had been around for centuries.

From the square we headed towards the Hamburger Rathaus. Constructed in the late 19th century after the previous one was destroyed in a fire, this incredible Neo-Renaissance broadcasts the wealth and prosperity that the German Empire was enjoying at the time. We didn’t tour the building but apparently the guided tours are superb. We did however spend quite a while marvelling in the architecture from the central courtyard. Incredible how this was completely unscathed by the allied bombing in World War Two.

A few steps away from the City hall can be found the Alster and its lakes; Hamburg’s second most important river. The Alster flows into the Elbe, but isn’t tidal thanks to a combination of lakes, locks and canals in the city. The lakes were created in the 13th century, and the smaller lake – Binnenalster – with its fountain and promenade (Jungfernstieg) is a lovely place to escape the shopping crowds.

The larger lake is a little bit further north and would take quite a while to get round. So we decided instead to explore more of the centre as like the Elbe the Alster has some fabulous buildings on the waters edge. The Venetian style terraces are known as Alsterarkaden. They were designed in the mid 19th century by Alexis de Chateauneuf, and are considered Hamburg’s oldest and poshest shopping area thanks to its splendid arches and also some stunning ceilings in the Mellin Passage. Personally I think it is best viewed from a distance; close up you’ll discover the arches are in need of tlc and they are also very crowded.

We were now over half way on our walking adventure; obviously time for a brief stop for an ice-cream. We found an incredible ice-cream parlour on the outskirts of Planten un Blomen. It’s a lovely natural corridor between the Alster and Elbe. There are more than 450,000 square metres of manicured flower beds, herb gardens and vast lawns. It was from here I spotted an enormous concrete garden that was to become my adventure on our next visit, and it was also here that we ended our walk.

A wonderful introduction to this fabulous city.