Museum for Hamburg History, Hamburg

The Hamburg Museum brings more than 1,200 years of the city’s history together under one roof. Even the museum building is worth a look. Designed by architect Fritz Schumacher, it provides an impressive setting for a collection that began largely with artifacts preserved by the Society of Hamburg History, founded in 1839.

Inside, you can follow Hamburg’s development from the Middle Ages through its rise as an important member of the Hanseatic League. Given the city’s close relationship with the water, maritime history naturally plays a major role. Exhibits explore Hamburg’s port and shipping traditions, as well as the pirates who operated in northern European waters during the 14th and 15th centuries.

Other sections focus on the people who shaped the city. You can learn about Hamburg’s Jewish community and discover the stories of local residents who left Germany to begin new lives in America.

As you explore, look for the reconstructed period rooms, which show how Hamburg residents lived during different centuries. Another favorite, especially with families, is the museum’s large miniature railway, with trains moving through a detailed model landscape.

Be sure to spend some time in the museum’s glass-covered courtyard as well. Here you will find an impressive survivor from old Hamburg: the former portal of Saint Petri Church. Built in 1604, the stone gateway was damaged during the Great Fire of 1842 but was fortunately preserved. It was later incorporated into the museum courtyard, where you can still see it today.

Together, these exhibits offer a broad picture of Hamburg-not simply as a port and trading city, but also as a place shaped throughout centuries by merchants, sailors, immigrants, families, and everyday life.