The Speicherstadt

If you ask a Hamburger what is so special about the Speicherstadt, you will often get the answer: "the light". That only sounds strange until you have discovered this unique world for yourself - and the best time to do so is in the evening when the sun goes down. Because the sun bathes the brick buildings in a golden light, reflects on the water of the canals that run through the Speicherstadt, and gives this district a unique atmosphere. But it's not just the eyes that get their money's worth in the Speicherstadt, the other senses also get their money's worth: the screeching of the seagulls gives you a dose of wanderlust and the scent of spices and cocoa that clings to the old walls takes you back to the time of trade with exotic countries.

In order for the Speicherstadt to grow and prosper, many people had to leave their homes. Around 20,000 dock workers and their families were relocated from 1888 onwards to make room for the warehouses that can still be admired here today. The reason for this action: Hamburg had been incorporated into the so-called "Reich Customs Area" and the city needed space to store goods until they could be resold. Row after row of these warehouses was built, many of them lovingly decorated with bay windows, turrets and battlements. The goods then came to the buildings through the narrow waterways and were transported inside using winches and through the loading hatches: coffee and tea, rubber and tobacco, carpets from the Orient and many other treasures were among them. Today the Speicherstadt is a listed building and is a UN World Heritage Site.

Figures, Data and Facts

• Largest contiguous monument ensemble in Hamburg
• Listed as a historical monument since 1991
• UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015
• Built between 1883 and 1927
• The storage facilities are built on around 3.5 million wooden piles up to 12 metres deep.

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