The second largest city in Germany and the eight largest cities in the European Union are known to be Hamburg. Over 1.8 million people are in the city and about 4.3 million people are in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, this region includes the Federal States of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. This state is the home of the third largest port in Europe which is the port of Hamburg and is also the eight largest ports in the globe.

The official name of Hamburg is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, this is because it mirrors exactly Hamburg’s history and past as it was a member of the Hanseatic League in the medieval times and was a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire.

In northern Germany, Hamburg is one of the major transportation hubs and is known to be one of the richer cities all over Europe. Because of the economy of Hamburg that is why the state has become wealthy as it is today, becoming the center for media and industrial careers, with large named companies putting up facilities and plants in the state just simply means the region is up and coming. From big names of Airbus, Blohm + Voss and Aurubis to the well known people from the media industry plus more than 120,000 enterprises have helped in having Hamburg become a major tourist destination and a leading industrial partner for Germany and the entire world.

History

The name Hamburg was taken from the fortress built by the order of Emperor Charlemagne in 808AD. This fortress was built in a marsh between River Alster and river Elbe; this was actually a defense plan against the Slavic incursion. The castle was names Hammaburg, burg means fortress, up until today the meaning of Hamma is uncertain as well as the exact location of the castle as well.

In 834, the state was delegated to be the seat of a Roman Catholic bishopric. After two years, Hamburg was united with Bremen having it as Hamburg-Bremen. The state was destroyed and occupied a lot of times. In 845 Vikings destroyed Hamburg, in 1030 the city was burned down by the Polish King Mieszko II Lambert. In 1201 and 1214, the city was raided by Valdemar II of Denmark and in 1350 the Black Death came upon them killing a minimum of 60% in total of the population. Aside from these great fires has also affected the city of Hamburg and in total it at least took almost forty years for the city to be reconstructed.

When the Holy Roman Empire came to an end in 1806, the Free Imperial City of Hamburg became a sovereign state and was titled to be officially named Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. In 1810-1814 Hamburg was briefly taken by Napoleon I to the First French Empire. Russian Forces freed Hamburg in 1814 led by General Bennigsen. Hamburg resumed its city state status in 1814 and the Vienna Congress in 1815 officially confirmed Hamburg’s independence and it becoming one of the thirty nine sovereign states of the German Confederation. In 1860, the state became a republican constitution, became a city state of the North German Confederation in 1866-1871, the German Empire in 1871-1918 and the Weimar Republic in 1919-1933.

Geography

Hamburg is located in the southern point of the Jutland Peninsula, Continental Europe in its south, and Scandinavia in its north, the North Sea to its west and the Baltic Sea to its east. It can also be located in the River Elbe which flows together with the River Alster and River Bille. The central city area is found in the Binnenalster or the inner Alster and the Außenalster or the outer Alster originally from the river Alster but now maintained as lakes.

Government

As it is one of the sixteen states of Germany, the mayor of the city will also be known for the role of minster-president. They correspond more to this role since as the German state government is responsible for public education, correctional institutions and public safety; as a municipality, it is additionally responsible for libraries, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply and welfare services.

Since 1897, the government has been the Hamburg Rathaus with the office of the mayor, the Senate meeting room and the floor for the Hamburg parliament.

Economy

One of the cities in Germany with the highest Gross Domestic Product and a relatively high employment rate is what Hamburg is known for.

The most significant edge for Hamburg’s economy is the Port of Hamburg which is ranking second all over Europe and ninth all over the world. This has been the fastest growing port in Europe since after the German reunification and duly because of international trade has helped a lot for Hamburg’s rising economy. Aside from this, civil aerospace industry and heavy industry dealing will the making of steel, aluminum and copper are some of the factors that helped increased Hamburg’s economy state for years and up until the present.

Tourism

This has been highly noted to have played a huge role in the state’s economy. Because of its rich background, culture and modernistic approach, Hamburg has welcomed people may it be locals or from all over to its region to boast of the rich history, local culture, sightseeing, festivals and events. From laid back neighborhoods to panoramic views of the regions infrastructures, surely there is something in Hamburg that anyone would love and enjoy.