Altstadt (, literally: "

Old town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

"), more precisely Hamburg-Altstadt – as not to be mistaken with

Hamburg-Altona Altona (), also called Hamburg-Altona, is the westernmost Boroughs and quarters of Hamburg#Boroughs, urban borough (''Bezirk'') of the Germany, German States of Germany, city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to ...

-Altstadt – is one of the

inner-city The term ''inner city'' has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Sociologists someti ...

districts of the

Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

History

Wallanlagen varendorf(62)Altona Hamburg Harburg

The area of today's Altstadt had a minor

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

settlement dating from the 9th or 8th century BC. An Ingaevonian settlement at this location was known by the name "

Treva Treva is the historical original name-during the short-lived creation of the Germania, Roman province of Germania-of the actual city of Hamburg in Germany. History Romans reached the Elbe river under Augustus and conquered all the German territ ...

" – a strategic trading node on amber routes during

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

and

Late Antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...

. In the 8th century CE,

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

merchants established what was to become the nucleus of Hamburg: the "

Hammaburg Hamburg was founded in the 9th century as a mission settlement to convert the Saxons. Since the Middle Ages, it has been an important trading center in Europe. The convenient location of the port and its independence as a city and state for centur ...

", then a refuge fort located at today's Domplatz, the site of the former cathedral.Hammaburg - The Legend
, Archäologisches Museum Hamburg, hamburg-guide.de, Retrieved 23 March 2015 Under Frankish rule, a baptistery was installed in 804 and Hammaburg strengthened by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

in 811. Quickly, the place grew to a sizable

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

, declared a bishop's see in 831, an archbishop's see a year later. For the next 600 years, the history of Altstadt was equivalent to the

history of Hamburg Hamburg was founded in the 9th century as a mission settlement to convert the Saxons. Since the Middle Ages, it has been an important trading center in Europe. The convenient location of the port and its independence as a city and state for centur ...

. By the end of the 15th century, the then Hanseatic city-republic and

free Imperial city In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

had accumulated various territorial possessions in its hinterland. Eventually, Hamburg's 13th-century city-walls received a couple of extensions: first in the 1530s, then again in the 1620s to include all of adjacent Neustadt. Regarding the

urban history Urban history is a field of history that examines the historical nature of cities and towns, and the process of urbanization. The approach is often multidisciplinary, crossing boundaries into fields like social history, architectural history, urb ...

of Altstadt, only a few structures prior to the 17th century are left: repeated damming and diverting of the

Alster The Alster () is a right tributary of the Elbe river in Northern Germany. It has its source near Henstedt-Ulzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, flows somewhat southwards through much of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and joins the Elbe in central ...

and its canals, the Great Fire (1842), the bombing in World War II (1941–1945) and modern infrastructure projects (particularly during the 1880s to 1900s, 1920s and 1950s to 1970s) left Hamburg's inner-city with a mainly 19th and 20th-century built environment.

Geography

The Hammaburg, Hamburg's origin, was established on a former

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, John ...

, between the confluences of

and Bille into the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...

Stream. Over the centuries Alster and Bille were impoldered and diverted several times, resulting in an ever different geography. Today, Altstadt is bordered by Alster (i.e. Alsterfleet and

Binnenalster Binnenalster () or Inner Alster Lake is one of two artificial lakes within the city limits of Hamburg, Germany, which are formed by the river Alster (the other being the Außenalster). The main annual festival is the ''Alstervergnügen''. The lak ...

) to the West and North-West, the rail tracks of

Hamburg-Altona link line The Hamburg-Altona link line (german: Hamburg-Altonaer Verbindungsbahn) is a railway line in Hamburg, Germany. It now connects the lines from the north and west of Hamburg and Altona station with Hamburg Hauptbahnhof and the lines to the south ...

and

Hauptbahnhof Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

to the East, and Zollkanal to the South. Districts bordering Hamburg-Altstadt are (starting clockwise in the North-West): Neustadt,

St. Georg St. Georg (Sankt Georg; ) is a central quarter in the borough Hamburg-Mitte of Hamburg, Germany. In 2020 the population was 11,349. History In 1410 the articles 17 and 18 of a contract (''Rezeß'') between the Senate and the citizens were regula ...

Hammerbrook Hammerbrook () is a quarter (''Stadtteil'') in the Hamburg-Mitte borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg in Germany. In 2020, the population was 5,069. Name ''Hamm'', as in the Hamm section of the city that borders it to the east, refer ...

and HafenCity.

Subdivisions

Hamburg-Altstadt has four designated quarters (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''Viertel'', or specifically used in Hamburg: ''Quartier'') for statistical and planning purposes, however not recognized as administrative subdivisions.

Streets and squares

The single most important square in Altstadt is

Rathausmarkt Rathausmarkt (lit. ''City Hall Marketplace'') is the central square of Hamburg, Germany, located in the Altstadt (''old town'') quarter right in front of the Hamburg Rathaus.

, both by location and function. It is the starting point of Alter Wall, Reesendamm/

Ballindamm The Ballindamm is an inner city boulevard of Hamburg, Germany. Located within the Altstadt quarter directly at the Binnenalster, the Ballindamm represents the connection between Jungfernstieg and Glockengießerwall. It is thus located in the hea ...

Mönckebergstraße The Mönckebergstraße (locally also called Mö) is one of the main shopping streets in Hamburg, Germany. Mönckebergstraße is located in Hamburg-Altstadt, running some 800 m in east-west-direction between the Hauptbahnhof at Steintorwall and th ...

and Große Johannisstraße/ Großer Burstah, all important streets in Altstadt. Other important squares in Altstadt include Burchardplatz, Domplatz,

Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz (''Gerhart Hauptmann Square'') is a central square in Altstadt quarter, Hamburg, Germany. The former Pferdemarkt (''Horse Market'') is located at the junction of the streets of Mönckebergstraße, Spitalerstraße and Alster ...

, and Hopfenmarkt. Ballindamm b.jpg,

Grosser Burstah Hamburg.jpg, Großer Burstah Mönckebergstraße Hamburg 2009 556.JPG,

Spitalerstraße Hamburg 2009 318.jpg,

Spitalerstraße Spitalerstraße is a shopping street in the Altstadt quarter, Hamburg, Germany. The street, a pedestrian zone, is one of the central shopping districts of the city and forms a diagonal junction from Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz/Mönckebergstraße boul ...

Hamburg Ferdinandstraße DS954m.jpg, Ferdinandstraße The eastern end of Altstadt is encircled by " Ring 1" (Glockengießerwall, Steintorwall), a 1880s-built

ring road A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...

continuing into Neustadt. Willy-Brandt-Straße is part of

Bundesstraße 4 The Bundesstraße 4 (abbr. B4) is a German federal highway running in a northwesterly to southly direction from the state of Schleswig-Holstein to Bavaria. It provides a direct route for motorists traveling between Hamburg and Nuremberg. The sec ...

, a 1960s-built thoroughfare, crossing Altstadt midway from East to West.

Politics

These are the results of Altstadt in the Hamburg state election:

Culture

Landmarks and cultural heritage

Major landmarks in Altstadt are three of Hamburg's five main-churches (''Hauptkirchen''): St. Jacobi, St. Katharinen and St. Petri; the former St. Nikolai today serves as a memorial against war. The

Hamburg Rathaus Hamburg City Hall (german: link=no, Hamburger Rathaus, ) is the seat of local government of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany. It is the seat of the government of Hamburg and as such, the seat of one of Germany's 16 state parliame ...

is an imposing

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

structure, housing Hamburg's

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

(''Bürgerschaft''). Forming a joint building ensemble back-to-back with the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, it was built after the Great Fire of 1842. Other landmarks include various buildings in the Kontorhaus District (most notably

Chilehaus The Chilehaus (, "Chile House") is a ten-story office building in Hamburg, Germany. It is located in the Kontorhaus District. It is an exceptional example of the 1920s Brick Expressionism style of architecture. This large angular building is locat ...

, Pressehaus and Sprinkenhof), and the

Kunsthalle A kunsthalle is a facility that mounts temporary art exhibitions, similar to an art gallery. It is distinct from an art museum by not having a permanent collection. In the German-speaking regions of Europe, ''Kunsthallen'' are often operated by ...

Museums and cultural institutions

* Museums **

Hamburg Kunsthalle The Hamburger Kunsthalle is the art museum of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany. It is one of the largest art museums in the country. The museum consists of three connected buildings, dating from 1869 (main building), 1921 (Kuppelsaa ...

& Galerie der Gegenwart **

Deichtorhallen The Deichtorhallen in Hamburg, Germany, is one of Europe's largest art centers for contemporary art and photography. The two historical buildings dating from 1911 to 1913 are iconic in style, with their open steel-and-glass structures. Their archi ...

& Haus der Photographie ** Bucerius Kunst Forum ** Chocoversum – Chocolate museum * Music and performing arts venues ** Thalia Theater ** Das Schiff ** Markthalle

References

External links

Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus / UNESCO Official Website
*
Images
on bilderbuch-hamburg.de {{Authority control

Hamburg-Altstadt Altstadt (, literally: "Old town"), more precisely Hamburg-Altstadt – as not to be mistaken with Hamburg-Altona-Altstadt – is one of the inner-city districts of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany. History The area of today's ...

Hamburg-Mitte