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Hamburg

City in GermanyAt the base of the Jutland peninsula in northern Germany, Hamburg stands on the River Elbe where the Alster and Bille rivers join it. From the city, the Elbe estuary runs about 110 km out to the North Sea.

What it's known for

Hamburg is a great port city, and the Port of Hamburg is the largest in Germany. It is also one of Germany's three city-states, along with Berlin and Bremen, and a centre for media such as Der Spiegel and Die Zeit and for industry such as Airbus.

Fun facts

  1. The city is named after the Hammaburg, a castle built on the site in 808 on the orders of Emperor Charlemagne; 'burg' means castle or fort.
  2. Around 2,500 bridges cross Hamburg's rivers and canals, more than in any other city in Europe.
  3. Before they were famous, the Beatles played in the music clubs of Hamburg's St. Pauli district between 1960 and 1962.

Finding it on the globe

Follow the Elbe inland from the North Sea to where its wide estuary ends: Hamburg is there, at the base of the peninsula that leads up to Denmark, north-west of Berlin.

Sources: Wikipedia: Hamburg, Wikipedia: The Beatles in Hamburg