Hamburg is Germany’s second-largest economic center, Germany’s most busy port, and a significant industrial metropolis. Today Hamburg is an attractive, contemporary city and cultural center, internationally renowned for its opera, theatre, magazines and libraries, radio, television, and film studios.
Connected to the North Sea by the Elbe River, Hamburg is the major port city in northern Germany crossed by hundreds of canals, and also contains large areas of parkland. Near its core, Inner Alster lake is dotted with boats and surrounded by cafes. The city’s central Jungfernstieg boulevard connects the Neustadt (new town) with the Altstadt (old town), home to landmarks like 18th-century St. Michael’s Church.
