Altes Land, the largest contiguous fruit-producing region in Central Europe

28 September 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hamburg Reading Time:  6 minutes

Steinkirchen © Christoph Matthias Siebenborn/cc-by-sa-3.0

Steinkirchen © Christoph Matthias Siebenborn/cc-by-sa-3.0

Altes Land is an area of reclaimed marshland straddling parts of Lower Saxony and Hamburg. The region is situated downstream from Hamburg on the southwestern riverside of the Elbe around the towns of Stade, Buxtehude, Jork and Lühe. In Hamburg it includes the quarters of Neuenfelde, Cranz, Francop and Finkenwerder.   read more…

The Miniature Wonderland in Hamburg

10 July 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hamburg Reading Time:  6 minutes

Las Vegas © FloSch/cc-by-sa-3.0

Las Vegas © FloSch/cc-by-sa-3.0

Miniatur Wunderland (German for miniature wonderland) is a model railway attraction in Hamburg and the largest of its kind in the world, built by the twins Gerrit and Frederik Braun. As of January 2011, the railway consists of 12,000 metres (39,370 ft) of track in HO scale, divided into seven sections: Harz, the fictitious city of Knuffingen, the Alps and Austria, Hamburg, America, Scandinavia, and Switzerland. Of the 6,400 square metres (68,889 sq ft) of floorspace, the model takes 1,150 m2 (12,378 sq ft).   read more…

The Dockland building in Hamburg

1 June 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hamburg, House of the Month Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Dennis Siebert/cc-by-sa-3.0-de

© Dennis Siebert/cc-by-sa-3.0-de

Like a ship sits the six-story office building on a plot of land, 40 meters out over the river Elbe in Hamburg. It can only be reached by a large staircase on the land side, the board is open to the public, and has on top a nearly 500 square meter wide roof terrace with a good view over the harbor and the northern shoreline. It is also a popular photo opportunity due to its distinctive architecture. The roof terrace is not wheelchair and handicapped accessible because it has no publicly accessible lift.   read more…

BIQ, the world’s first building with a bioreactor façade

1 May 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hamburg, House of the Month Reading Time:  11 minutes

© iba-hamburg.de / Splitterwerk, Graz

© iba-hamburg.de / Splitterwerk, Graz

Natural, efficient and unique: the BIQ is setting new standards as the first building in the world to have a bioreactor façade. Microalgae are cultivated in the glass elements that make up its “bio skin”. These are used to produce energy, and can also control light and provide shade. Inside, an innovative living concept is aimed at ensuring maximum design versatility for everyday life, and gives us a glimpse into urban life in the future. With its innovative living concept, futuristic exterior, and “intelligent” algae façade, the BIQ is a highlight of ”The Building Exhibition within the Building Exhibition”.   read more…

The sail training ship USCGC Eagle

1 May 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Tall ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  3 minutes

© USCG - Brown, Telfair H. PA1

© USCG – Brown, Telfair H. PA1

The USCGC Eagle is a 295-foot (90 m) barque used as a training cutter for future officers of the United States Coast Guard. She is the only active commissioned sailing vessel in American military service. She is the seventh U.S. Navy or Coast Guard ship to bear the name in a line dating back to 1792. Each summer, Eagle conducts cruises with cadets from her homeport at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London (Connecticut) and candidates from the Officer Candidate School for periods ranging from a week to two months. These cruises fulfill multiple roles; the primary mission is training the cadets and officer candidates, but the ship also performs a public relations role. Often, Eagle makes calls at foreign ports as a goodwill ambassador.   read more…

The Europa

1 March 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Hamburg, Cruise Ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  6 minutes

MS Europa at Sylt © Elbe1

MS Europa at Sylt © Elbe1

The MS Europa is a cruise ship owned and operated by the German company Hapag-Lloyd. It is the 4th ship to be named Europa in the company’s history. For twelve years in row, the MS Europa was awarded the title “best cruise ship in the world” by Ward-Ranking and Berlitz. Being designed as a luxury ship, all of her cabins are described as suites. There are 204 suites. Out of the 204 suites, 168 have their own private veranda. The largest suites are 915 sq. ft, and the smallest are 291 sq. ft.   read more…

The Sophienterrassen in Hamburg

1 January 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hamburg, House of the Month Reading Time:  3 minutes

© sophienterrassen.de

© sophienterrassen.de

From time immemorial, Harvestehude, lying on the banks of the Alster, has been one of the most privileged residential locations to be offered by Hamburg. Venerable white Wilhelminian style and art nouveau villas in large parks and town houses resembling the London town houses, still distinguish the banks of the Alster today. As it was in this period, the Alster plays a central role as an area for rowing and sailing and numerous sports and social clubs line its banks.   read more…

The HafenCity in Hamburg

13 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hamburg Reading Time:  7 minutes

HafenCity model © MissyWegner - CC-BY-SA-3.0

HafenCity model © MissyWegner – CC-BY-SA-3.0

HafenCity is a quarter in the district of Hamburg-Mitte in Hamburg. It is located on the Elbe river island that was formerly called Kehrwieder and Wandrahm.   read more…

The sail training ship Gorch Fock II

1 September 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Tall ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  6 minutes

Gorch Fock II in Kiel, Germany © ProfessorX

Gorch Fock II in Kiel, Germany © ProfessorX

The Gorch Fock is a tall ship of the German Navy (Deutsche Marine). She is the second ship of that name and a sister ship of the Gorch Fock built in 1933. Both ships are named in honor of the German writer Johann Kinau who wrote under the pseudonym “Gorch Fock” and died in the battle of Jutland/Skagerrak in 1916. The modern-day Gorch Fock was built in 1958 and has since then undertaken 180 cruises (as of 2011), including one tour around the world in 1988. She is sometimes referred to (unofficially) as the Gorch Fock II to distinguish her from her older sister ship.   read more…

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