ST201905

MY CITY

Howlonghaveyoulivedin thecity?
I’velivedinHamburgforsixyears.I grewupjust
outsidethecityandasa childwevisiteda lot.Once
I finishedschool,I movedtoHamburgtostudy.

Telluswhatmakesyourcityunique.
Hamburgisa historicportcity,andit’sfullof
contrasts;inHafenCityyou’llfindoldmerchants’
warehousesnexttothecurvedwindowsofouriconic
concerthall,Elbphilharmonie.Theposhboroughof
Rotherbaumisjusta walkawayfromtheSternschanze
quarter,wherethehistoricalbuildingRoteFlorahas
beenoccupiedbysquatterssince1989.

What’sit likein May?
Mostlywarmwithplentyoflight,althoughtherewill
possibly(OK,probably)bea fewrainydays.Hamburg
isknownforitsschietwetter(crappyweather)!Because
wegeta lotofrainandwind,assoonasthefirstrays
ofsunshinepokethrough,we’reluredoutsidetothe
squaresinfrontofthecafésandrestaurants.

Whattimeofdaydoyoumostenjoyandwhy?
I workmostlyonmyown,whichI reallyenjoy,butI do
lovetheearlyevening,whenI gooutandmeetfriends
fora latecoffeeora wine,breadandcheesedateinthe
parkandappreciatetheconversationaftera quietday.

What’sthenaturelike?
Waterdominatesthecity.It’sdividedintothenorth
sideoftheElbe(themajorpart)andthesouth(the
harbourandthelivelydistrictofWilhelmsburg).On
thenorthsidewehavea 20-hectarelakecalledAlster,
andfromthismanysmallcanalsf lowthroughthecity.

Where’syourfavouriteoutdoorspace?
Hamburgisa verygreencity,withmorethan250,000
treesandmanygreenspaces.MyfavouriteisPark
Fiction– a smallvibranturbanareawithgreenhills,a
basketballcourtandplasticpalmtrees.

Tellusaboutthelightandcoloursofyourcity.
Themostbeautifullightisbytheharbourinthereally
earlymorningwhenthefirstraysofsunhitthewater.

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• There’s no better way to get to the heart

of a city than through the people who live

there. Every month we ask someone,

clearly in love with their city, to take us on

a personal tour and tell us what makes it

so special. You may feel inspired to visit

one day or to rediscover the charms of a

city closer to you, but for now just sit back,

relax and enjoy some vicarious travel.

1 The neo-Gothic

brick architecture of

Speicherstadt, the

warehouse district

(and the biggest of its

kind in the world) is

nowa UNESCOworld

heritagesite.

(^2) A glimpse of news
magazine Der
Spiegel’s officesfrom
theOberbaumbridge.
(^3) A glass or two of
wine in Weinladen,
StPauli.Well,when
in Hamburg...
(^4) The sunny frontage
ofcafeBalzundBalz,a
favouritewithlocals.
(^5) Binnenalster, the
manmade lake within
Hamburg’s city walls
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