Central Hamburg (Mitte)

Mitte is Hamburg’s city centre and its chief district. If you visit Hamburg, this area will be the focus of much of your attention. The centre of Hamburg is divided into several neighbourhoods. The main ones are Altstadt and Neustadt — in other words, the old town and the new town. Both are clearly identified on both sides of the canals and of the Binnenalster lake.

Hamburg’s origins date back to the ninth century, when a settlement began to develop around the primitive castle. Throughout the Middle Ages, the town evolved and, thanks to the trade it undertook as part of the Hanseatic League, a large, prosperous town grew up; this is what is now known as the Altstadt.

The Second World War left the city devastated: over 70% of the centre was lost in the bombings. This explains why the Altstadt we see today is modern, as it was rebuilt during the post-war period. Despite the devastation, a few old buildings are still preserved, such as the Town Hall, the Church of St. Michael, and the Church of St. Nicholas, (which was destroyed during the war, and the remains are now a viewing-point).

In fact, in this area you can take a tour of the Nikolai neighbourhood, where a number of information boards and podcasts talk about Hamburg’s historic milestones. This will help you understand much of the city’s heritage, as this was once the city’s business hub. The tour has 14 stages, and begins at the Town Hall.

From the Altstadt to the Neustadt

The Town Hall square (Rathausmarkt) marks the dividing line between the Altstadt and the Neustadt. The nerve centre of Hamburg, the Town Hall, opened in 1897, and is a fine example of Hanseatic architecture. It has 647 rooms! Not far away are streets such as Moenckebergstrasse and Spitalerstrasse, designed to show off the city’s powerful financial status.

Neustadt, the new part of the city, lies between the Alster canals with their beautiful arches and arcades, luxury shops, and imposing residential buildings. Hanseatic architecture is now giving way to a contemporary, Renaissance style. The exclusive nature of the city is accentuated by the Binnenalster urban lake.

A green belt encloses Neustadt to the north-west. Planten un Blomen park is a splendid natural space to which Hamburg’s inhabitants are frequent visitors. The park has the biggest Japanese garden in Europe as well as a light and water show.

Another interesting neighbourhood in Mitte is Sankt Pauli, on the edge of the city centre. No one should leave Hamburg without a stroll around this controversial neighbourhood. A red-light district, which is also music-loving, cultural, contentious, noisy, rebellious, football-mad, and still a stronghold of Beatlemania.

The main artery of Sankt Pauli is the Reeperbahn avenue, dotted with bars and nightclubs with all-day, non-stop music. Its September festival saturates the area with live music and dozens of concerts.

The old city, the new city, and alternative Hamburg.