Hamburg is a major transport hub in Northern Germany as it hosts the second largest port in Europe and is one of the most affluent cities in European Union with the residents clearly living large, and commanding its fair share of respect across the world as NJOKI CHEGE found out
Germany is a beautiful, spacious country with severe winters punctuated with lovely, sunny summers, so when I was informed that it would be summer last month, I was understandably excited at the opportunity to escape the ‘winter’ Kenya was experiencing.
But my bubble soon burst the moment I landed at the Hamburg Airport, for I came face to face with a biting breeze, literally. I expected the humid air that embraces you the minute you land in Mombasa, making one reach for the bikini and run down the beach. Instead, a sharp, unwelcoming breeze that for a moment, made me doubt if I was at the right destination hit my face.
‘You call this summer?’ was the first question I asked one of our hosts Anna Fenske, who met me at the airport.
Amused, Anna, who was lightly dressed, informed me that this season the summer was a bit disappointing, as it was colder than expected. She, however, gave me hope that the weather would get warmer as the summer progressed. I hoped she was right, but meanwhile, my little sundresses, sunglasses and light tops would have to wait. It was going to be one hell of a ‘summer’, I thought.
GUZZLING CABS
The cold aside, our host led us to the parking lot to get a taxi, which pleasantly turned out to be the latest model of Mercedes Benz E 200 class. Elated at the fact that I was getting VIP treatment, I was surprised to learn that the next cab was also a Benz, so was the next and the next…almost all cabs here were the latest models of Mercedes.
That was when it hit me. I was in the land of the famous automobile brand. Here, the car in front of you is not (maybe never) a Toyota, but the latest model of Mercedes, Volkswagen, Porsche or Audi. Enough eye candy for motor lovers.
The cab driver informed us that Mercedes Benzes are the preferred cars for taxis in Germany. A slow and smooth drive through the German City of Hamburg gave me a glimpse of the obvious — how far ahead these chaps are, and how slowly we are doing in catching up.
Hamburg is the second biggest city in Germany after the capital, Berlin, with a population of 1.7 million. It is the richest city in Germany, with a high population living large in mansions with huge well-manicured compounds and beachfronts. It is a green city, with well-managed woods, flowers, trees, parks and a lot of water as 15 per cent of the total space here is taken by River Elbe (pronounced Elba).
PORT OF HAMBURG
River Elbe is the heartbeat of the city Hamburg. Just to give you a glimpse of how important this river is, River Elbe has put Hamburg on the map by making it the second largest port in Europe. The Port of Hamburg was initially located at the heart of the city, but has now moved to the west of the city. Every year, nearly ten million containers are traded in this port. Each ship that docks here carries about 7,000 containers, with 25 per cent of the ships originating from China.
CURIOUS RATE
While the population in Europe is generally decreasing, it’s a different script in this city as Hamburg continues to grow by one per cent every year. This population growth is attributed to nothing else except the fact that there is an upsurge of immigrants from Africa, Asia and other European countries. Most immigrants come from Russia, Turkey and Afghanistan. Hamburg is also a hotspot for dealing with expensive carpets.
HIGH FLYING
You might also want to note that Hamburg hosts the biggest aircraft industry in the world, with this industry employing over 70,000 Hamburg residents.
But the immense wealth accumulated in this city could be attributed to the port, and this did not start the other day. The history of Hamburg dates to between 800 and 1,200 years ago, when priests from the North wanted to introduce Christianity to Hamburg. Being a port city, the last thing on their minds was Christianity. They were (still are) keen to trade, make money and live large. Of course the priests, did not succeed, and this has remained until today, as the church does not play a very big role in this city.
In the year 1200, the Hanseatic League was formed; it was a league merchant association within the cities of Northern Germany and the Baltic. Trade in the Middle Ages was a dangerous and risky business and the only way for merchants to protect themselves was by travelling together.
This league turned out to be quite successful, but this is not the reason why I am telling this little story. The reason is because most cars in Hamburg bear the ‘HH’ number plate- with one H representing Hamburg and the other Hansa- to serve as a reminder that Hamburg was once part of the giant association- The Hanseatic League.
ELBTUNNEL HAMBURG
Among the notable monuments of Hamburg, is the Elbtunnel Hamburg, simply known as the Hamburg Tunnel. The tunnel, built in 1970, is 3.5 km long, and is built under the surface of river Elbe, approximately 22 metres below the water level. Driving through the tunnel, you can barely feel the difference. The only difference is that there is slow traffic as you approach the tunnel. The tunnel, complete with lighting, direction, pavements and air-conditioning barely feels like 22m below River Elbe.
TOURIST CITY
Believe it or not, Hamburg is actually one of the most visited cities in the world. This is especially so with the summer, when the weather is perfect and everyone is in a good mood.
There are several things to see in Hamburg, from the port of Hamburg, to the huge ships, to the sandy white beaches along the River Elbe.
A guided tour of Hamburg will take you to the city hall and the grand church St Michaelis and of course, the old warehouse district. Besides the exciting sports events that take place in the summer, there are a million and one festivals to attend in a Hamburg summer.
The most striking for me was the St Christopher’s Street Day, the annual European Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) celebration and demonstration held in various cities across Europe for the rights of LGBT people, and against discrimination and exclusion. You can imagine what goes on in such a festival!
