GERMANY: Bright Lights in The Big Cities (Part I) of Heidelberg, Hannover and Hamburg

There are a lot of famous big cities in Germany.

So for no particular reason, I’ll start with the letter H for Heidelberg, Hannover and Hamburg

Heidelberg is known as the "City of Romanticism" because it was a popular destination for poets and philosophers in the early 1800’s. 

These poets and artists were inspired by the red-sandstone Renaissance castle on Königstuhl hill, the Baroque Old Town, and the hills surrounding the river Neckar.

Heidelberg

Heidelberg's old town (Altstadt) was left mostly intact after World War II, which gives it a mix of different architectural styles, some that date back to the 17th century. 

Karl Theodor Bridge (also called The Old Bridge) opened in 1788 and crosses the Neckar River. At the end of WWII it was bombed by German troops to stop the Allied forces from entering the city. The current bridge is an exact replica of the old bridge.

Beside the bridge gate is the Brückenaffe (Bridge Monkey). It dates back to the 15th century. The monkey is said to symbolize that neither those living in the city, nor those living outside of it, are better than each other. It does this by holding a mirror for people to look over their shoulder as they cross the bridge to remind themselves where they’ve come from.

The impressive Heidelberg Castle on the hillside dominates the city.

From the top there are great views of the Neckar River and the Old Town.

The first Heidelberg Castle structure was built in 1214 and expanded to two castles in 1294. Over time, it was damaged by war, fires, and lightning strikes (TWICE!) before being rebuilt.  

It is a mix of Gothic and Renaissance architecture.

Within Heidelberg castle is the Barrel Building. As in, wine barrels. It was a matter of pride and competition as to who had the biggest barrel.

But that isn't the biggest one! This other one holds the record for the biggest wine barrel and can hold up to 220,000 litres of wine. Our guide told us that they used whatever grapes were harvested, mixing them all together. Needles to say, it tasted terrible. They gave it to the soldiers as part of their salary.

When I was a little girl, many, many years ago, my family visited the castle and my father took this picture of us beside this same barrel. 

HANNOVER

This beautiful building looks like a palace, but, it is the New Town Hall. Its size and architecture make it look historical and majestic, as if it was from the time when Hannover was a kingdom. But it was actually opened in 1913.

The Opera House has statues of famous poets and composers.

I was quite surprised to see a statue of Shakespeare. Personally, I struggle with the language in Shakespeare’s plays, and English is my first (and sadly, only) language! I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for people who’s first language is not English.

What used to be a grand city was turned into ruins during World War II. Hannover was bombed and 90% of the city was destroyed. After WW2 the half-timbered house remains were collected from all over the city and put together to create a small substitute of the old town Hannover used to have.

Most of the rest of the centre was rebuilt in the fashion of the fifties.

The Aegidien Church was built in the 12th century and was one of the largest worship places in Hannover. In 1943 it was destroyed by Allied bombs.

The church has never been rebuilt and its blackened shell has been left standing as a monument to the horrors of war. 

These are Stumbling Stones, which we have also seen in other German and European cities.  They are in front of homes or businesses where  Jewish people disappeared and were murdered by the Nazis.

 We also found some urban surfers.

HAMBURG

 Hamburg is Germany's second largest city and is home to Europe's second largest commercial harbor. The city gained its economic prosperity as a port on the River Elbe, which flows into the North Sea.

Since its been a while, some cocktail party trivia: the city is centered around water with 2,496 bridges, more than any other city in the world. (Surprisingly, Venice has 440 and Amsterdam has 1,612.)

I think the city’s townhall (Rathaus) is gorgeous. Construction started in 1886 and the new city hall was inaugurated in 1897.

Built in a period of wealth and prosperity the look of the new Townhall was intended to express this wealth with a whopping 647 rooms.

I love all the details and can't imagine the time, patience and eyesight required. 

Another piece of cocktail trivia: In 1971 a room in the tower was accidentally discovered during a search for a document that fell behind a filing cabinet. So who knows, maybe there are even more rooms than the currently counted 647 rooms.

The Elbphilharmonie complex houses three concert halls, the Plaza, a luxury hotel, a restaurant and 45 luxury apartments!

Completed in 2014, construction was originally estimated to cost about €200 million. It came in a little over budget, at just €870 million!

The Plaza is publicly accessible with a 360° panoramic view of the city inclduing great views of the harbour. 

Hamburg has a historic tunnel under the Elbe River. The tunnel opened in 1911 as a shortcut for dock workers to travel from the Landungsbrücken piers to their homes on the southern banks of the Elbe. 

Hamburg is known for its vibrant music scene and is especially linked with the early days of The Beatles, who performed in various clubs around the Reeperbahn in St. Pauli before they were internationally famous.

Their contract.

Less famous than the Beetles, Hamburg also hosted us.

Surprisingly, no autographs were requested of us, and, none were given.