Hamburg

Hamburg: history & character

Hamburg, founded by Charlemagne in 808 as an outpost against the eastern Slavs, has been a free Hanseatic city for a thousand years — its port, second only to Rotterdam in Europe, remains the heart of a 1.9 million-strong metropolis. A city-state in its own right within federal Germany, Hamburg combines a thriving business centre with a visceral attachment to water: over 2,500 bridges (more than Venice, Amsterdam and London combined), the Alster lake in the very heart of the city, and 7 km of elegant shoreline. For dog owners, Hamburg is a blessing: 14% of its surface is parks and gardens, 56 official Hundeauslaufzonen spread across 104 districts, urban sandy beaches along the Elbe, and a relaxed port culture where dog and coffee go hand in hand. The Hamburg Hundegesetz requires leashes in public outside designated zones, but Hamburgers enforce it with the pragmatism that forged their Hanseatic reputation.