Biddle (CG 34) - Naval Cruise Book

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Hamburg Hamburg, with its 2,000,000 population, is the country ' s most important seaport and the largest city in Northern Germany. Free Hanseatic Hamburg is an ancient city republic dating the ninth century. Once a stronghold of Charlemagne, it was the seat of a bishopric as early as 831 and has been a free city-state and port since Emperor Barbarossa ' s charter of incorporation in 1189- Today Hamburg is one of the ten states which make up the German Federal Republic. The state has an area of 288 square miles and is laced by waterways and adorned with trees. Hamburg is a great world port, and a city of industry, learning, art, music, gardens and an exciting night life. Hamburg ' s historic city center survived the Great Fire of 1842 and finally the Second World War. Although much has been destroyed there, there still exist a few magnificent merchant houses and important churches. St. Nicholas, which has a Neo-Gothic sandstone steeple, is 482 feet high; the third largest steeple in Germany. The steeple and foundation survived the bombings of World War II. St. Michael ' s is the most important baroque ecclesiastical structure in North Germany. Other historic points include the Town Hall, a Renaissance structure with a high vaulted ceiling, the Court of Honour and Stock Exchange, the first in Europe, the 110-foot Bismarck monument, medieval Guild Houses; and the ancient warehouses and old walks and courtyards near the Grosan- eumarkt. Hamburg is studded with beautiful new buildings, including the Chilehaus and Sprinkenhbf office blocks, the Municipal Opera House and the Television Tower with a rotating restaurant high above the city. Hamburg is a city of great cultural opportunities with; over 20 theatres and many museums and a shopper ' s paradise with many stores and antique shops. Opera, theater, concerts, and the lighter amusements flourish in this, the night-life capital of Germany. Cabarets, variety shows, dance bars and beer halls are found around the Central Station and at St. Pauli. Dining in Hamburg can be either very German or continental, depending on your mood. Sea foods are fresh and abundant. The Hamburg eel soup is a sweet and sour blend of one hundred different ingredients. Although devoted to progress, as shown by itis resurrection from the 1943 bombings, Hamburg is very concerned for the preservation: of its ancient monuments, customs, and hospitality.