Last Updated on December 18, 2016 by Fiona Maclean
Hamburg – City of Culture and Cake:
I was invited by the lovely people at cometohamburg.com to visit the city so I could write about its many attractions. It’s a wealthy and powerful place with a strong sense of identity that’s not trading on its past to justify the present. In my first post, I looked at Hamburg’s maritime heritage which ranges from the extraordinary port area to the world class International Maritime Museum with a fish roll (Fischbrötchen) or two thrown in for good measure. But in this post I will be looking at some of the city’s cultural attractions as well as focussing on….cake…
One of the highlights of my trip was a visit to the stunning Elbphilharmonie, a brand new concert hall sitting on the River Elb in the HafenCity (Harbour City) quarter of Hamburg. It hadn’t yet opened for concerts when I was there but there was access to the Plaza area via the stylishly contemporary Westin Hotel for some fantastic views of the city and to get a sense of the building’s interior.
I’m sure this Hokusai wave of a building will become a tourist magnet and a symbol of the modern Hamburg, redefining the city in the world’s eyes just as The Guggenheim Museum has reframed Bilbao.
I wasn’t going to be denied my classical music fix so I visited the elegant Laeiszhalle to hear the fantastic Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie (German Chamber Philharmonic) play an enthralling programme of Mozart, Schoenberg and Beethoven. I do hope this more traditional setting for classical music keeps its audience as the hall is designed for those sounds.
For art lovers, the Kunsthalle is a must see. It is a major international gallery with a wide-ranging collection.
I loved the extraordinary early romantic landscapes of Caspar David Friedrich as well as some exquisite Munch paintings. There was a fascinating Surrealism exhibition when I visited with many items from the collection of top British surrealist Roland Penrose. For contemporary gallery lovers, Helium Cowboy and Vera Munro are also well worth a visit.
After a hard day of cultural consumption a trip to the scenic Speicherstadt Unesco world heritage site for a cup of coffee at the Speicherstadt Kaffeerösterei is just the ticket. You can see and smell the coffee beans being roasted
Hamburg residents are known affectionately as Fischköppe (fish heads) but they are clearly also passionate about their cakes and the apple and cherry cakes at the Kaffeerösterei are well worth the trip.
For a feel of the old Hamburg head to Fred’s Schlemmereck; it’s a bar in the bohemian St. Pauli district (where the Beatles used to play) which you can just imagine full of old sea-salts supping on their beers. It’s also the spiritual home of the St. Pauli chapter of the Turbojugend, fans of the Scandinavian death punk band Turbonegro, but don’t let that put you off visiting – they are quite friendly!
My final Hamburg cake experience was at the buzzy Heimatküche restaurant in the 25 Hours hotel. I was invited there for dinner and had a warming bowl of Chestnut cream soup, an excellent plate of fish and chips with homemade tartare sauce as well as great bread and butter and a fresh citrusy glass of 2015 Schwanberg Grüner Veltleiner, Weinkellerei Aignet, Kremstal, Austria.
But the highlight for me was a slice of ring cake with plums and walnut ice-cream. Delicious! Hamburg is really worth a visit and makes a refreshing change from the usual destinations. It’s a working city that is self-confident, friendly, easy to get around and with lots for the visitor to experience.
Thinking of visiting? Why not pin this post for later…
Fact Box: Adrian York stayed at the Mövenpick Hotel in Hamburg. A stylishly redeveloped water tower dating from 1865 with a great breakfast and a metro station over the road!
Mövenpick Hotel Hamburg.Sternschanze 6 | 20357 Hamburg | Germany
+49 40 334411 0 | hotel.hamburg@movenpick.com
You had me at cake! I have never visited Germany which is terrible because I’m not too far away in the UK. Hamburg looks great and I would definitely be interested in going after reading about some of the great architectural places in your post. I like the cultural heritage and also modern innovation of cities. This looks perfect. Thanks for the trip inspiration!
I didn’t know much about Hamburg and it’s great to learn about both the cultural history and the coffee! Two of my favorite things. Plus that cake looks delicious. Looks like a perfect way to spend a day exploring the area.
I do love how you’ve mixed in the great culture of Hamburg with cake. After all, one needs to sustain one’s visits with good food! The recent architectural renaissance is a great thing for this port town as well. Hamburg has much to celebrate.
OH MY GOSH! That cake looks delicious. Hamburg looks like a really cool weekend getaways. I love the architecture there!
Hamburg is such a lovely city! I was contemplating moving there for grad school, but I couldn’t find any that had my specific major. Love this round up! All the buildings are just stunning!
I lived in Germany for 3 years but unfortunately never made it to Hamburg. I love how modern it looks but that it’s still very much into it’s cultural heritage. It’d love to visit it one day.
That plum cake looks amazing! I’ve had the pleasure to visit Hamburg a couple of times over the last few years, but now I have another reason to go back again.
Sounds like you had a good trip. I’ve been hearing about that new awesome concerthall. I want to go see it when it opens. I’ve also heard great things about the food in Hamburg. Looks like you found some of that at the hotel.
Hamburg is one of my favorite place in Germany. I am not able to visit it till now but hope to visit it soon. The city is very beautiful with lot of cultural heritage 🙂
After reading last week about the Maritime Museum, now I’m even more convinced to visit Hamburg. Seeing those nicely architectured buildings would be amazing for photography.
Look forward to reading more!