Germany Lubeck
Standing
on an island surrounded by canals in the estuary of
the Trave River the city of Lubeck was founded twice,
originally in 1143 and then again in 1159 by the Saxon
king, Henry the Lion, after the first settlement had
burned down. The city grew with astonishing speed
and within 100 years it had become the principal member
of the powerful Hanseatic Leaugue. Today though the
city is no longer a major economic power its magnificent
churches and civic buildings stand as testament to
its former glory and the street layout of the Old
Town still follows Henry the Lions original plan.
In 1987, UNESCO designated the Old Town a World Heritage
Site.
Hamburg
Germany's second larges city, Hamburg was founded in the
9th century by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne.
In 1159 the city was granted free trade rights and
Hamburg soon became an important port and a leading
member of the Hanseatic League . A fire in 1842 destroyed
much of the city and the bombing raids of World War
II again brought mass destruction, but the city's
wealth always allowed it to recover quickly. Today,
Hamburg is Germany's largest seaport and the media
capital of the country.
Hamburg
Port
Established
during the 12th century, Hamburg's port ensured
that for hundreds of years the city was one of the
wealthiest in the world. In the 1880s the establishment
of a free port where cargoes are exempt from custom
formalities led to the construction of the Speicherstadt,
the larges self contained warehouse complex in the
world. Today, the port is still one of the largest
in Europe , covering an area of 75sq km (29 sq miles).
Hamburg
: Kunsthalle
First
opened to the public in 1869 the Hamburg Kunsthalle
soon achieved worldwide recognition. The gallery's
first director, Alfred Lichtwark, rediscovered some
of the great Hamburg painters of the Medieval and
Romantic periods, and nearly all of the 19th century
artist Phillip Otto Runge's works are now on display
here. The gallery expanded rapidly, forcing it to
change premises in 1919. in 2937, a Nazi crackdown
on degenerate art resulted in the destruction of
the modern department, but this has been rebuilt to
become one of the best collections of contemporary
art in Germany . To house it, a four storey cubic
extension with an underground link to the main gallery
was opened in 1997. |
