Hamburg is a beautiful city with landmarks that are worth exploring. But it can be hard to find the landmarks you want to see and even harder to figure out how to get there.
We’ve created this list of landmarks in Hamburg so you can easily explore some of the most famous landmarks in Hamburg without getting lost or wasting time on transportation. These landmarks include St. Michael’s Church, The Elbe Philharmonic Hall, and Alster Lake Park.
Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany and one of its most popular tourist destinations. The landmarks in Hamburg are many, but this article will focus on famous landmarks you should visit during a trip to Hamburg.
Most Famous Landmarks in Hamburg
1. Planten un Blomen
Address: Marseiller Promenade, 20355 Hamburg, Germany
Planten un Blomen is a park in Hamburg, Germany, with many plants and flowers. It is called “Pflanzen und Blumen” in Low German or “Plants and Flowers” in English.
Planten un Blomen is a park in Hamburg that has many different attractions. You can find gardens, ponds, and statues made by famous artists.
It also offers a lot of walking space. It is one of the best parks in Germany that is open year-round, and the entrance is free, but it can be crowded on lovely days.
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2. Miniatur Wunderland
Address: Kehrwieder 2/Block D, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
The world’s most significant model railway and airport attraction, Miniatur Wunderland (German for “miniature wonderland”), is located in the historic Speicherstadt district of the city. In the H0 scale, the railway has 15,715 m (51,558 ft) of track in nine parts: Harz Mountains, the Fictitious Town of Knuffingen, Alps and Austria, Hamburg, North America, Scandinavia, and Switzerland. The model occupies 1,499 m2 (16,135 sq ft) within the structure of the exhibition hall.
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3. Treppenviertel Blankenese
Address: Am Hang 9, 22587 Hamburg, Germany
Treppenviertel Blankenese is a suburban area in the Altona borough of Hamburg, Germany; it was formerly an independent municipality in Holstein. Today, it is one of Hamburg’s wealthiest neighborhoods, with a population of 13,637 as of 2020.
The suburb comprises two districts, which the River Elbe separated: Blankenese and Vollensen.
They are connected by four bridges: Am Treppenteich (gate), Richard-Wagner-Brücke (bridge), Wöhrder Brücke (bridge), and the A7 motorway bridge in Altona.
Blankenese is known for its wealthy residents and its luxurious villas. It was developed as a small town near Hamburg. The upper class of Hamburg has long dominated Blankenese, known for its nineteenth-century mansion-lined streets.
The city hall or Town Hall of Hamburg is called “Rathaus,” located on Rathausmarkt Square in the old town center (Altstadt). The first record of a Hamburg town hall dates from 1216.
The building was destroyed by fire in 1642, and an even larger structure was built to replace it, the latter becoming one of Hamburg’s landmarks.
A large clock with a giant white face and Roman numerals hang over the street side of the Rathaus.
Treppenviertel Blankenese is a small town in the Altona borough of Hamburg that was formerly an independent municipality. It’s located on the right bank of the Elbe River, next to Hamburg.
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4. Alter Elbtunnel
Address: Bei den St. Pauli-Landungsbrücken, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
The Alter Elbtunnel was a railway tunnel constructed by the Hamburg-Altonaer Stadt- und Vorortbahn, a private company, from 1911 to 1913. It is one of the historical landmarks in Hamburg.
It is 354 meters (1,161 ft) long and was built to connect the railroad tracks in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld (at that time called Altona-Bahrenfeld) and Hamburg-Billstedt. It is located between the Jungfernstieg and the Fuhlsbüttler Bridge.
It was abandoned after four years of service when it became clear that electrification of the Hamburg S-Bahn (Hamburg public transport system) would not take place.
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5. Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
Address: Platz d. Deutschen Einheit 4, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
The Elbphilharmonie is a legendary concert hall in Hamburg, Germany. It is one of the city’s most famous tourist sites and is regarded as one of Hamburg’s landmarks.
The new transparent building resembles a hoisted sail, water wave, iceberg, or quartz crystal resting atop an old brick warehouse (Kaispeicher A) near the historical Speicherstadt.
The project was a product of a private initiative by Alexander Gérard and his wife, Jana Marko, an art historian. They asked the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron to design it. Then the city of Hamburg decided to take over the project.
The Elbphilharmonie is a building in Hamburg. It is a mix of apartments and offices. The building has a height of 108 meters. The opening date was January 11th, 2017. The first concert was with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and a charity concert.
This is one of Hamburg’s most well-known sights. It’s located near Planten un Blomen Park and Hafen City, just a short walk from Schlumpfhausen.
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6. Hamburger Kunsthalle
Address: Glockengießerwall 5, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
The Hamburg Kunsthalle is a museum in Hamburg, Germany. It opened in September 1958 and consisted of three interconnected buildings. The Hamburg Kunsthalle is among the best museums many people know about because it’s located in the heart of Hamburg and has cultural landmarks.
The building has been known for its landmarks since it opened in 1958. There are three interconnected buildings inside the Hamburg Kunsthalle.
The first one was built to house the collection of modern art, followed by an extension for interactive media exhibitions, interactive installations, and film projections. The third building houses the world-renowned Benno Roscher shoe design study and temporary exhibitions.
The Hamburg Kunsthalle is known for being one of the landmarks in Germany. The museum features prominent landmarks, including modern art, interactive media exhibits, and world-renowned exhibitions.
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7. St. Nikolai Memorial
Address: Willy-Brandt-Straße 60, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
The Lutheran St. Nicholas’ Church was one of the city’s five main churches in the Lutheran Hauptkirchen and among the historical landmarks in Hamburg. The original chapel, a wooden structure, was finished in 1195. A brick church was erected on its ruins in 1842.
The church received a complete makeover in 1874 and was the world’s tallest building for two years. English architect George Gilbert Scott created it. The bombing of Hamburg during World War II destroyed much of the church. Only its crypt, location, and huge-spired tower, which remained essentially hollow save for a massive set of bells, survived.
The church’s ruins are still significant for historical reasons, serving as a memorial and a notable architectural relic. When Hamburgers talk about the Nikolaikirche, they usually mean this church rather than the new Hauptkirche dedicated to Saint Nicholas in Harvestehude. The ruins of the ancient church are Germany’s second-tallest building.
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8. International Maritime Museum
Address: Koreastraße 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
The International Maritime Museum (NMM) is a historic museum designed by British architect David Chipperfield. The museum brings together three centuries of German maritime history, from the age of sail to the end of the Cold War era. It contains more than 150 models of ships, some two thousand paintings, and sculptures, and projects films about seafaring.
Landmark exhibitions are dedicated to revealing the secrets of the sea. The International Maritime Museum also has one of the largest collections of ship models in Europe.
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9. Chilehaus
Address: Fischertwiete 2A, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
The Chilehaus is a 10-story office building in Hamburg, Germany. It’s in the Kontorhaus District. It is an excellent example of Brick Expressionist architecture from the 1920s, with a brick facade. Architect Fritz Höger created it, taking up 6,000 m2 (1.5 acres) of land.
This landmark was built to resemble a ship and is 143 m (469 ft) high, or 44 levels, including the restaurant and penthouse at the top. It’s considered to be one of Hamburg’s finest landmarks because it’s an example of the German Expressionism style.
Construction on the Chilehaus began on April 2, 1922, and opened on July 1, 1923. The name of the building comes from its original purpose: the storage and assembly of goods imported from and exported to Chile and Australia.
A highlight of the Chilehaus is a restaurant on the top floor, with a large outdoor terrace that provides panoramic views of Hamburg’s port and skyline.
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10. Museum for Hamburg History
Address: Holstenwall 24, 20355 Hamburg, Germany
The Museum for Hamburgian History is dedicated to the history of Hamburg, Germany’s second-largest city. The museum was founded in 1908 and moved to its current location in 1922, although it dates back to 1839, when it was established as an affiliate organization.
The Planten un Blomen park is near the museum in the city’s heart. The museum is frequently mentioned in Hamburg tourist guides and brochures.
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11. Martin Luther Statue
Address: Engl. Planke, 20459 Hamburg, Germany
The Martin Luther Statue commemorates the life of Martin Luther, a German religious reformer and a founder of Protestantism. The statue is at a plaza on the corner of Rödingsmarkt and Domplatz. It was erected in 1868 to mark the 400th anniversary of his birth.
The statue is 7 meters tall and marks one of two landmarks from this period. The only other landmark from this period in present-day Germany is Wittenberg. The Hamburg statute marks the significance of Hamburg for Lutheranism due to its position as part of the Hanseatic League.
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12. Denkmal für die Gefallenen beider Weltkriege
Address: Schleusenbrücke 1, 20354 Hamburg, Germany
The Denkmal für die Gefallenen beider Weltkriege (Memorial to the Fallen of Both World Wars) is a national and war memorial in Hamburg, Germany. It was constructed between 1929 and 1932 and was dedicated on 16 November 1933.
It consists of an obelisk surrounded by several figures representing the Wehrmacht, the Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe. The plaza also has a representation of the date of 1943.
The symbolism for this monument comes from Fritz Schumacher’s original design, which placed German national heroes side-by-side with their enemies from World War I and World War II to remind Hamburg citizens of their responsibility for peace, even during the war.
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13. Flakturm IV G-Tower
Address: Neuhöfer Str. 7, 21107 Hamburg, Germany
Flaktürme were above-ground anti-aircraft gun blockhouse fortresses constructed by Nazi Germany. Berlin (3), Hamburg (2), and Vienna (3) had flak tower installations throughout World War II. The Flakturm in Remagen, built between 1936 and 1940, was one of many examples constructed throughout Germany.
Single-purpose flak towers were erected at strategic German outposts such as Angers in France and Heligoland in Germany. The Luftwaffe utilized the structures to defend against Allied strategic air attacks on these regions throughout World War II.
Most of the Luftwaffe flak towers were constructed in this period to augment antiaircraft weaponry already in place. Flak Tower (G-tower) was one of 6 built during World War II, and two remain today; they are landmarks due to their size–the Flakturm is among the tallest structures in Hamburg.
The G-Tower has approximately 30 floors and a roof height of 85 meters, the same height as the tower. The top two floors are not accessible to people because they are used for technical equipment.
Today it’s a museum with many artifacts from World War II on display, such as uniforms and anti-aircraft weapons. They had a circular floor plan, and the outer walls were up to 3 m (9.8 ft) thick at the base, tapering toward the top.
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14. Rathausmarkt
Address: Rathausmarkt, 20095 Hamburg Germany
The Rathausmarkt is a central square in the old town of Hamburg, Germany. It lies directly next to the Hamburg Rathaus (city hall) and features many landmarks, including churches, shops, historic houses, and an obelisk.
The market emerged after the Great Fire of 1842 when the city hall was built. The Am Markt Square was created in 1868. Since then, many landmarks have arisen around it, including St. Jacobi and St Pauli churches, shops, and historical houses. Most landmarks were destroyed during World War II but rebuilt after the war.
Hamburg’s landmarks are essential to the city’s history and play an important role in its identity. These landmarks represent a wide range of things about Hamburg, from its heritage to its natural beauty.
Although certain architectural monuments were destroyed in World War II, they have been rebuilt and serve as symbols for visitors about what makes this region so unique.
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