Hotel Hamburg harbor
The Port of Hamburg is Germany's largest seaport and one of the most important container harbors in the world.
The port of Hamburg was founded on 7 May 1189 by the Counts of Schaünburg near the hopfenmarket today. Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa granted an open letter for the duty-free treatment for the ships from the city to the North Sea.
In 1321, the city on the Elbe in the Hanseatic port of Hamburg took its swinging-term development.
In 1529, the first deepening of the river Elbe happened between Brunsbüttel and the port of Hamburg. The trade flourished and the ships got bigger.
Since 1872, one year after the founding of the second German Reich, Harburg and Hamburg harbor were connected to each other. The hinterland opened for trade and the site of the Hamburg harbor stretched out. Since 1911 the Old Elbe Tunnel has provideed a further connection to other Elbe sides.
The Hamburg harbour experienced its heaviest setback during the Nazi reign. In the 2nd world war 80% of the harbour installations were destroyed.
The reconstruction of the Hamburg harbor reached a provisional climax in 1974: The Köhlbrandbrücke –a bridge- and the new Elbe tunnel were inaugurated then.
