Metropolis & Port

Hamburg - a city on the waterkant

HafenCity, Elbphilharmonie (more http://www.ueberseequartier.de ), Museum, Ballinstadt, Cruises, Musicals: Hamburg is getting more and more attractive for tourists.

Hamburg is one of Germany's most beautiful cities. As an international port, media centre, cultural stronghold and sporting venue, it offers a variety of entertainment and attractions that is second to none. It is also Germany's greenest city. Parks and green spaces, waterways and woods cover almost half the area within Hamburg's city boundaries. The magic is in the mix, and that is what has been attracting increasing numbers of visitors to this city on the River Elbe for many years. Hamburg registered more than seven million overnight stays in 2006, with a final spurt taking it into the top ten most popular city destinations in Europe. However, it already has a strong fan base: the Hanseatic city has a population of 1.7 million and visitors come in their droves to its musicals, ballet, opera, theatre, film festivals and street festivals as well as to major sporting events and its many other attractions.

Hamburg is a city built on and around water. The harbour, the canals and the central Alster Lake have given this metropolis a unique maritime flair. Hamburg's dockyards are also among only a few in the world with a genuine "handson" feel. Visitors can sample the atmosphere of a great port at first hand and even explore the busy dock basins by boarding one of the tour boats which ply the Elbe from the landing stages, usually stopping off at the historic warehouse area at the same time.

Hamburg is one of the most culturally diverse cities in Europe as well. Large theatres and orchestras, a vibrant collection of museums and occasional guest appearances by international stars attract culture buffs from all over the world to this city on the River Elbe.

The Überseequartier – urban living and working in the heart of HafenCity

The concept
Since mid-2007, Hamburg’s city centre has been sprawling out to the Elbe River: with the Überseequartier. It will be one of the most prominent locations in HafenCity and, at the same time, extend Hamburg’s city centre to the Elbe – enlarging the area by around 7.9 hectares. Along the 750-metre-long Überseeboulevard, which leads from the Speicherstadt to the banks of the Elbe, a new city district featuring unique architecture is growing. Over roughly 286,000 square metres of gross building area (GBA) in total and with 16 buildings, the Überseequartier brings together living, working and adventure to create an exciting new urban centre. Highly diverse with dense building development, the Überseequartier is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2013/2014.

The Überseequartier experience
HafenCity offers something for everyone and every taste: the restaurant scene awaits guests with culinary surprises, and (international) retail shops as well as innovative brands lure residents and visitors alike to the Überseequartier. Various cultural and free-time facilities, such as the planned Science Center, enhance the diverse range of activities on offer. The district’s proximity to the Elbe and cruise ship terminal create a unique maritime flair in the Überseequartier.

Outstanding infrastructure and connections
The Überseequartier is breaking records: with around 3,400 parking spaces, the district’s underground car park is the largest in Germany. Thanks to the U4 metro, which will start operation in 2012 and feature the stop “Überseequartier”, this new city district will be directly connected to Hamburg’s underground railway network. But already today, three bus lines take visitors to and through the Überseequartier.

A strong partnership
The project is being realised by the consortium of investors comprising Groß & Partner Grundstücksentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, ING Real Estate Germany GmbH and SNS Property Finance B.V. Groß & Partner is one of Germany’s leading independent project developers and has been working on the design of important and ambitious urban projects for more than 20 years. The integrated property group ING Real Estate, with focus on development, financing and investment management of high-quality property, is one of the world’s biggest property companies. The Netherlands-based financing company SNS Property Finance is active on an international level and stands out thanks to its excellent knowledge of the financing and property markets.

Curious?
Daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the exception of Mondays, interested parties and individuals can find information centred round the Überseequartier and the progression of its construction at the InfoPavillon in Osakaallee. Spanning 170 square metres, the exhibition area lets residents and visitors dive into the world of experience that the Überseequartier offers. Photo series and numerous visualisations provide a view into the future of this fascinating and diverse building project. Models show the dimensions and shapes of the buildings being constructed between the Elbe and Magdeburger Hafen.

For more information, visit: www.ueberseequartier.de