Speicherstadt, Hamburg: Bridges, Canals and Warehouses, Hamburg, Germany

Hamburg is a city of water. Sitting at the point where the River Elbe widens into the sea, it is full of lakes and canals. And bridges: Hamburg has more bridges than any other city in the world (apparently more than Amsterdam, Venice and London combined!). One of the best places to see the water and to explore Hamburg’s maritime history is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Speicherstadt. This was once the warehouse district, but is now a place where tourists can enjoy eye-catching architecture, museums, and more….

You might not immediately identify the buildings of Speicherstadt (literally “warehouse city”) as warehouses. The architecture is startling, a sea of neo-Gothic red brick, adorned with turrets, gables and arches. The uniformity of style is due to the fact that the whole area was purpose built as a freeport in 1881. (An interesting snippet of history: Hamburg was an independent city state until 1815, and was granted a permanent customs-free area after it joined the German Federation.)

It is not just the architecture of the area that is remarkable. Islands in the river have created a series of canals, criss-crossed by metal bridges. Some of the bridges are grand, like the Brooksbrücke, with statues on each corner. Some are small and functional and, inevitably, some are covered with lovers’ padlocks. Then there is the Kibbelsteg Bridge, with its quirky art installation - “Public Face” - which smiles or frowns depending on where you are standing. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).