Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg, Germany, from 27 to 30 July -- Chuck was visiting the Hamburg Ship Research Institute and Kathi went along to see some of the sites. We were there during a few days of particularly beautiful weather.
The research institute, like so many of the places Chuck goes to in his work, was fascinating and staffed by very interesting people -- doing interesting research.
The city is one of those heavily bombed during the war, though there is little to make one aware of that now -- it is a bustling city of business, part of the vibrant economy of post-war Germany. The traditional, and still important, heart of the city is its very large and very active port.
Despite the effects of the war, there are still many large and architecturally interesting (and beautiful) buildings in Hamburg. The first picture is of a statue of St. Michael the archangel slaying the devil on the front of the large church bearing his name -- said to be "the most beautiful Lutheran church". We took the opportunity to take a boat tour on the canals and in the harbor and also took a sightseeing bus tour about the town.
Hamburg's waterfront area contains a very large number of 18th and 19th century warehouses -- very large, multifloor buildings which were, in their day, at the heart of Hamburg's wealth. Today, they are no longer used for that function and are slowly becoming offices, restaurants, stores and other attractions. One of these is the Miniature Wonderland, which was very highly recommended to us as a "not to be missed" stop. Of course, we visited it (along with a very large number of other people; it's very popular). It contains an absolutly enormous display of HO scale model railroad track running
through dozens of scenes, including locations all over Europe as well as the US. The guidebook informed us that there are 15 kilometers of track (that's 10 miles of model railroad track!); more than 1000 trains; about 1/2 million miniature lights; 250,000 human figures and 250,000 trees. It is operated by 60 computers and is the largest model railroad in the world. A picture of the control center is nearby.
The plaza around our hotel was the site of the Duckstein festival -- an annual street festival sponsored by a German beer. As soon as we went out the hotel door we were in the midst of food stalls serving ethnic foods from all over the world, the typical variety of stalls hawking merchandise, street performers and a stage with musical performances each night. It was all very European and very festive.
A high point of the city's buildings is the Rathaus, the castle-like city hall, more modern than it looks, having been built in 1887 to replace its predecessor destroyed in an 1842 fire. It contains 647 rooms -- more than Buckingham Palace, the guides are quick to point out.
A very moving site (and sight) is the tower of St. Nikolai Church. The church was destroyed in the World War II bombing and it was decided to leave the tower, which had survived, standing as a memorial against war. The very ornate tower, rising from the barren site of the church, is very moving and is visible from much of the city. This, among other things, can be seen in our photos at: http://chuck.smugmug.com/gallery/1741715
The research institute, like so many of the places Chuck goes to in his work, was fascinating and staffed by very interesting people -- doing interesting research.
The city is one of those heavily bombed during the war, though there is little to make one aware of that now -- it is a bustling city of business, part of the vibrant economy of post-war Germany. The traditional, and still important, heart of the city is its very large and very active port.
Despite the effects of the war, there are still many large and architecturally interesting (and beautiful) buildings in Hamburg. The first picture is of a statue of St. Michael the archangel slaying the devil on the front of the large church bearing his name -- said to be "the most beautiful Lutheran church". We took the opportunity to take a boat tour on the canals and in the harbor and also took a sightseeing bus tour about the town.
Hamburg's waterfront area contains a very large number of 18th and 19th century warehouses -- very large, multifloor buildings which were, in their day, at the heart of Hamburg's wealth. Today, they are no longer used for that function and are slowly becoming offices, restaurants, stores and other attractions. One of these is the Miniature Wonderland, which was very highly recommended to us as a "not to be missed" stop. Of course, we visited it (along with a very large number of other people; it's very popular). It contains an absolutly enormous display of HO scale model railroad track running
through dozens of scenes, including locations all over Europe as well as the US. The guidebook informed us that there are 15 kilometers of track (that's 10 miles of model railroad track!); more than 1000 trains; about 1/2 million miniature lights; 250,000 human figures and 250,000 trees. It is operated by 60 computers and is the largest model railroad in the world. A picture of the control center is nearby.The plaza around our hotel was the site of the Duckstein festival -- an annual street festival sponsored by a German beer. As soon as we went out the hotel door we were in the midst of food stalls serving ethnic foods from all over the world, the typical variety of stalls hawking merchandise, street performers and a stage with musical performances each night. It was all very European and very festive.
A high point of the city's buildings is the Rathaus, the castle-like city hall, more modern than it looks, having been built in 1887 to replace its predecessor destroyed in an 1842 fire. It contains 647 rooms -- more than Buckingham Palace, the guides are quick to point out.
A very moving site (and sight) is the tower of St. Nikolai Church. The church was destroyed in the World War II bombing and it was decided to leave the tower, which had survived, standing as a memorial against war. The very ornate tower, rising from the barren site of the church, is very moving and is visible from much of the city. This, among other things, can be seen in our photos at: http://chuck.smugmug.com/gallery/1741715
posted by Chuck and Kathi Calvano @ 6:13 PM
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