I'll admit Hamburg was not on my radar whatsoever, and thinking about traveling to Germany has a heavy emotional side to it given the history of the Holocaust. That said, after being asked to write an article about Hamburg I found out some jaw dropping Jewish historic information that truly surprised me. I thought I knew about Jewish history in Europe, but was actually missing a huge piece of the puzzle, which is Hamburg! Now I would love to visit Hamburg and experience the rich Jewish history, and I just read it is a recommended destination for modern architecture buffs, which is also a huge interest of mine. In the meantime, I'll keep on reading this post, which talks about the 30 Jewish heritage sites in Hamburg, who knew? Additionally, Hamburg is an international tourist destination spot, because of its beautiful location on the sea in Northern Germany, with many attractive harbor areas and a famous and historic port. Ah yes, and it is close to my beloved Sweden, so maybe I could visit on the way to that Swedish summer on the lake........ Okay, lets learn some more, shall we?
First, lets learn a little bit about the Jewish history of Hamburg: The Jewish Community in Hamburg, began with the arrival of Sephardim from Spain, as they were expelled from their home country in 1492, and came through stopovers in Portugal, Amsterdam and Antwerp arriving around 1577. They were followed by Jews from the Netherlands and Poland. In the 17th century, Jews were not allowed to live in the city, and those who were working there lived in neighboring towns called 'AHW Communities', abbreviations for Altona, Hamburg, and Wandsbek. Today Hamburg has of course expanded, and Altona and Wandsback are neighborhoods within the city.
In Hamburg there was no Jewish ghetto. In the 18th century, the city's Jews gathered in two neighborhoods. The first was Neuestadt (the new city) outside the walls, and the newer is Rotterbaum, also called "Little Jerusalem", which today it is part of the Grindel district. Until the Holocaust, 70% of Hamburg's 21,000 Jews lived in Rotterbaum, and there were many synagogues, and 39 Jewish schools and Talmudei Torah. Sadly only a few of them remain because of the great destruction and the burning of synagogues on Kristallnacht and the passage of time. That said, there are 30 Jewish heritage sights that one can visit, including a Jewish cemetary that is the burial site of a very large number of great Rabbis and scholars, so certainly worth a visit.
Above: Speicherstadt (city of warehouses) built around 1880
Now a little about the city itself: Hamburg is a large and important port city. From 1880 large warehouses were built near the port for storing import and export products. The area is called Speicherstadt (City of Warehouses). The warehouses are built in a neo-Gothic style with red bricks, with openings towards the streets and towards the canals. Most of them were destroyed in World War II by Allied bombing, and rebuilt. Today they serve as a commercial center and office buildings, and recently the area is becoming a shopping center and a residential area. The area is loved by tourists who enjoy wandering among the ancient and beautiful buildings, crossing the many bridges, and enjoying the view of the canals. The neighborhood has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Hamburg is also a great city for higher education. Students like to come and study in this city and experience its diverse culture. Students and working professionals prefer to come to this metropolitan city to experience a combination of modern-day facilities and lifestyles along with getting the taste of a rustic and rich culture. Below I've outlined some of the reasons why people might prefer to study and work in this beautiful city.
1. Education In Hamburg Is Affordable
Europe is famous for providing affordable education to all. Even in Hamburg, this practice is followed. In fact, even within Europe, Hamburg stands out as one of the top cities that provides affordable education to all students who seek to learn here. The city is home to many universities offering high-quality education and employing only the most experienced teachers and professors for students to learn from. Students can also take the help of external agencies to keep up with the many assignments and papers that they will have to write. A good TopEssayWriting service can help students in this aspect by connecting them to writers within the company who can help them write any kind of essay for a nominal fee, or at least help them with an outline if they run into trouble completing an assignment on time. Of course, no student can depend on such services and expect to succeed ultimately, but as an emergency solution, and used like a tutor, maybe?
Above: The Elbphilharmonie Symphony Hall and multi purpose building brings life to the harbor and is a new city symbol
2. You Can Have A Good Quality Of Life
Hamburg has a rich culture and heritage. It is proud of it and showcases its culture in many ways for the city's residents and visitors to enjoy. In 2017, Hamburg was ranked in the 10th position by The Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Cities Livability Index report. The city was able to achieve these accolades because of its many canals and winding waterways, well-maintained historical sites and cultural programs that are often conducted in the city.
On the banks of the Alba River for example is the Elbphilharmonie, a state-of-the-art concert building, (above) which became Hamburg's new emblem. The first 6 floors are built of red bricks similar to the warehouse buildings in the area. Above them is a 20-story steel and glass tower, whose roof looks like a crown, or to me billowing sails, which makes the whole building look like a giant ship? Inside are 3 concert halls, a luxury hotel, and luxury apartments and offices. The ninth floor is open to the public, and has an open terrace that surrounds the building, from which we can overlook the harbor and the rooftops of the new city Hafen City
3. Hamburg Is A Business Hub
When a city thrives with many educational institutions, it should be no surprise that it becomes a business hub. Due to advancements in technology, the city was able to attract many businesses, and many students who complete their education in the city fall in love with the atmosphere and choose to stay and open their own businesses in the city.
Being a technological hub, Hamburg has many opportunities and tools to help people start different types of businesses. For example, there are tools for academic or tech writers to make a business writing and live from that. The city also has many high-paying employment opportunities for graduates in a wide ranges or areas.
A Few Concluding Thoughts
Beyond the reasons highlighted in the article above, there are many more attractions that Hamburg can offer. If you want to study and work in this gorgeous city, that also has rich Jewish history, and beautiful harbor areas to enjoy in your downtime, do lots of research and find the opportunities available in your field of interest. The city of Hamburg is definitely an exciting choice for students, working professionals and tourists like me who want to see it all, including the amazing modern architecture!
