Travel: Hang out in Hamburg - Germany’s second largest city combines sophisticated elegance with edgy

Germany’s second largest city combines sophisticated elegance with an edgy alternative scene

HANGING OUT IN HAMBURG

If the world worships Berlin, how come Germans love hanging out in Hamburg? After a long weekend in Germany’s second largest city, I can see why.

Forget fairy tale castles, lederhosen, and bierkellers. More Scandinavian than Teutonic, this prosperous port (Europe’s third largest) combines sophisticated elegance with an edgy alternative scene. A “city-state” with its own local government and parliament, Hamburg’s proudly independent status stems from participating in the Hanseatic League, a customs union between Northern European port cities dating back to 1358. After German unification in 1871, Hamburg retained an unconventional, liberal personality exemplified by its architecture.

The new Elbphilharmonie opera house, Hamburg. Pic: Contributed

Devastated by allied bombing during The Second World War, Hamburg’s architectural phoenix rose to embrace a panoply of styles encompassing Art Nouveau to postmodern. Like dowager duchesses getting down with the kids at a warehouse rave, this urban concoction of classical, grunge and glass shouldn’t work but it does.

I’m staying at the Five Star Fontenay Hotel, an architectural new kid on the old block. Overlooking Lake Alster in Hamburg’s well-heeled Rothenbaum area, this curvaceous contemporary hotel comprises three pirouetting structures celebrating ravishing vistas at every opportunity. The city skyline takes centre stage (alongside lip-smacking dishes) at Lakeside, Fontenay’s upscale seventh floor Michelin starred restaurant, and the glamorous Spa featuring a rooftop infinity pool.

In my room, floor to ceiling windows showcase lakeside vistas and, via the gift of bedside touch pads, conceal them with silent gliding curtains. Similar luxurious teccy flourishes in the underfloor heated bathroom mean I can, should the mood take me, shower with disco and light show. With Scandi-style interiors, original artwork and complimentary mini bar, I’m tempted to stay put. But Dammtor station and Stephansplatz U-Bahn are but a ten-minute walk away making Hamburg’s attractions easily accessible.

Even more convenient is the Hop On-Hop Off bus stop opposite the Fontenay. Hamburg’s a sizeable city so a city bus tour makes sense. Once geographically oriented, I hop off to explore major sites including the neo-Renaissance City Hall, the baroque gem which is St Michael’s church and the ruins of St Nicolai, now a memorial and Second World War museum.

Established on the River Elbe, the port city of Hamburg has water running through its veins with a waterfront and web of canals, waterways and lakes crisscrossed by over 2,500 bridges. Pic: Andreas Vallbracht

Next stop; Kunsthalle gallery. Some say starving artists head for Berlin while successful ones fetch up in Hamburg. True or not, Hamburg’s Kunsthalle boasts one of Germany’s most important art collections. Eight centuries of artistic history are housed in three striking buildings and special exhibitions are regularly hosted. ‘Art for a New Age,’ a major retrospective celebrating the 250th anniversary of romantic landscape artist, Caspar David Friedrich, opens in December 2023.

Alternative culture is alive and kicking in St Pauli. Known locally as the Kiez (German for “hood”), flamboyant St Pauli is live music central. Strobe lit clubs play everything from techno to jazz but the enormous concrete former Second World War anti-aircraft bunker turned music venue wins first prize for most imaginatively recycled building. This landmark overlooks an iconic fun fair and the Millerntor football stadium, home to St Pauli FC, whose supporters identify strongly with progressive politics. Street art, flea markets, funky cafes and independent shops selling ingeniously recycled clothes and furniture (where else could I find oil barrels refurbished as coffee tables!), give this vibrant neighbourhood its idiosyncratic edge.

St Pauli is also home to the Reeperhahn’s notorious red-light district where the fledgeling Beatles played during the early 60s. John Lennon said, ‘I was born in Liverpool but I grew up in Hamburg.’ I bet he did! Historically, sailors ‘grew up’ while in port and naughty neon goings on in the Riepherbahn over shadowed Hamburg’s more mainstream cultural offerings. Today, the Rieperbahn may be a shadow of its seedy former self, but the Beatles heritage lives on in Stefanie Hempel’s themed tour punctuated with Fab Four classics knocked out on her little ukulele.

A stone’s throw from St Pauli is Landungsbrücken Pier where I board one of the many pleasure boats offering harbour tours. Aboard the Kleine Anna, German tourists laughing their Birkenstocks off suggest the captain’s commentary is hilarious. It must be the way he tells them because my translation app keeps mainly to the facts.

With its many waterways, Hamburg offers multiple opportunities for water sports. Pic: Contributed

I learn Hamburg, established on the River Elbe, has water running through its veins. A web of canals, waterways and lakes crisscrossed by over 2,500 bridges, I can see why it’s known as The Venice of the North. Having navigated vast docks, towering cranes and skyscraper sized container ships, Kleine Anna cruises past Hamburg’s big production numbers including Elbphilharmonie, a shiny whacky new opera house and Speicherstadt, the impressive red brick warehouse district and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Speicherstadt is also home to Miniatur Wonderland, the world’s largest model railway. Unless you grew up with a Hornby train set, model railways may seem deeply uncool. Not this one. Voted Germany’s number one attraction, booking is essential for the world’s largest train set with a superiority complex. Offering a round-the-world tour in miniature, computer-controlled trains, buses, fire engines and aircraft (taking off and landing!) interact with thousands of model people acting out action packed Lilliputian scenes from Las Vegas to Norway. I leave with my jaw dropped and wishing real life worked like Miniatur Wunderland clockwork.

When it comes to cuisine, Hamburg historically hoovered up the world’s signature dishes and repackaged them as its own. While Franzbrötchen, a flaky cinnamon pastry is a culinary reminder of Hamburg’s brief occupation by Napoleon’s troops, labskaus, comprising minced meat, potatoes, pickled beetroot and eggs, was dish of the day forhttps://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/travel/review-naantali-spa-hotel-finland-make-like-a-moomin-in-this-laid-back-resort-scotland-on-sunday-travel-4207601 17th-century sailors. From pioneering chefs reimagining French haute cuisine, Nordic specialities and Portuguese tapas to scoffing hangover busting Fischbrötch en (fish rolls) at Hamburg’s Sunday morning fish market, I’m spoiled for choice.

Remember when nobody, not even students, would touch sickly German Rieslings? Now, crammed with fruity flavour and dry as the Atacama Desert, they’re stars in Germany’s gastronomic constellation. I learn this valuable lesson wine tasting at Mutterland, an eco-minded delicatessen and restaurant specialising in regionally sourced, seasonal products. Sustainably packaged and beautifully presented, Mutterland proves there’s more to local gastronomy than sausage, beer and sauerkraut.

Floor to ceiling windows showcase lakeside vistas from the rooms at the Fontenay Hotel, Hamburg. Pic: Contributed

Like much of Hamburg, Mutterland welcomes dogs. Fun canine fact - for every hound in Hamburg there are approximately 36 trees. Green in both senses of the word, just under half this pooch paradise comprises glorious parks, lakes, nature reserves and wooded areas. With extensive cycle paths, electric mobility and an eco-friendly programme of urban regeneration, no wonder Hamburg was voted 2011 ‘European Green Capital’. When you can sunbathe on city beaches, kayak across lakes and stroll along picturesque riverbanks, who wouldn’t want to hang out in Hamburg?

HAMBURG FACTS

www.thefontenay.com.

Hamburg is only a one hour forty five minute-flight from Edinburgh.

A Hamburg CARD offers unlimited travel on public transport and discount on city cruises, bus tours and entrance fees. www.hamburg-card.de