HAMBURG-AMERIKA 



3804 



HAMBURG-AMERIKA 



Hamburg, Germany. Plan of the central portion of the city, including the 

 business quarter and the principal docks 



Around the outer Alster are sub- 

 urbs, among them Harvestehude, 

 Uhlenhorst, Roterbaum, Eilbeck, 

 and Borgfelde. The chief church is 

 S. Nicholas, with its lofty spire ; it 

 is a modern building in the Gothic 

 style, beautifully decorated. S. 

 Michael's is a very laTge building of 

 the 18th century, also with a lofty 

 tower. S. Peter's was rebuilt in the 

 original style in 1844-49 ; it has 

 some interesting glass. S. Cath- 

 erine's and S. James's are the only 

 old churches, the chief reason for 

 this being the fire of 1842. 



Of secular buildings the chief is 

 the immense Rathaus (town hall). 

 Built in 1886-95, this is in the Re- 

 naissance style. It has a great hall 

 and some other large rooms, and is 

 beautifully decorated ; beneath it 

 are some remarkable vaults. Near 

 it is the exchange. The Johanneum 

 houses the city library and a col- 

 lection of antiquities. Other build- 

 ings include the customs house, 

 law courts, and post office. There 

 is an art gallery ancJ several mu- 

 seums, and botanical and zoological 

 gardens. Chief of the educational 

 establishments is the new univer- 

 sity. Of the squares may be men- 

 tioned the hop market and the 

 goose market, while the city has 

 many public memorials, notably 

 the Hansa Fountain. It has a town 

 and other theatres. Hamburg has 

 a city railway and an extensive 

 service of electric tramways. There 

 is a meteorological station, and a 

 general hospital at Eppendorf. 



Before the Great War Hamburg 

 was one of the greatest ports in the 

 world. On the Elbe is an enormous 

 extent of docks and harbours 

 mainly constructed since 1888, 



when Hamburg entered the Zoll- 

 verein. The great part forms the 

 free port, which receives goods for 

 transit trade, those not liable to 

 import duties. Huge granaries and 

 emigrant sheds are features. The 

 island of Wilhelmsburg, which here 

 divides the Elbe into two branches, 

 is utilised for docks, etc. 



Until 1914 it was a centre for 

 importing coal, oil, and indeed 

 almost all that Germany needed, 

 while it exported, not only her 

 manufactures, but those of Aus- 

 tria. A great number of emigrants 

 sailed from here. The war com- 

 pletely paralysed the port's trade, 

 but after the armistice it revived, 

 and in 1920 no fewer than 4,880 

 vessels entered Hamburg. 



Of the manufactures shipbuild- 

 ing is perhaps the chief, there being 

 enormous yards here. Beer and 

 spirits, tobacco and cigars, chemi- 

 cals and furniture are among the 

 many articles produced. There are 

 many flour mills and works for 

 making other articles of food. 



Hamburg grew up around a fort- 

 ress built by Charlemagne to pro- 

 tect the frontiers of his empire. It 

 was also important as a centre of 

 Christianity, as a bishopric was 

 established there, also in the 9th 

 century. This became an arch- 

 bishopric, and the archbishops held 

 a high place among German 

 ecclesiastics. After the break-up of 

 the Carolingian empire the city 

 passed under the rule of the count 

 of Holstein, but it was within the 

 limits of the medieval empire. The 

 emperors granted privileges to the 

 city, which about 1200 began to 

 be an important commercial centre. 

 It was one of the first members of 



the Hanseatic League. In 1510 it 

 was made a free city, although the 

 king of Denmark did not formally 

 give up his claim to be its over- 

 lord until 1768. 



The city was governed by a 

 council, and in the Middle Ages 

 there was constant friction between 

 the various authorities. In 1529 

 the citizens accepted the reformed 

 teaching. Hamburg was fairly 

 prosperous in the 17th century, but 

 its greatness dates really from the 

 industrial revolution. It became 

 one of the chief ports for trade 

 with America, and the invention of 

 steam gave a great impetus to its 

 trade. In Nov., 1918, there was 

 rioting in the city. 



The little state of which Ham- 

 burg is the capital is a republic 

 within the German Reich. It is 

 governed by a house of burgesses 

 consisting 'of 160 members, to 

 which an executive of 18 members 

 is responsible. The existing con- 

 stitution dates from March, 1919. 

 The area of the state is 160 sq. m., 

 and the pop. is 1,050,000. Outside 

 the city of Hamburg the territory 

 consists of several small detached 

 portions in Holstein and Hanover, 

 and islands in the Elbe. The only 

 towns are Bergedorf and Cux- 

 haven with Ritzebutte!. In 1815 

 the state joined the German Bund, 

 and in 1866 the N. German Con- 

 federation. In 1871 it entered the 

 German Empire, within which it 

 remained after 1918, when the con- 

 stitution was made somewhat more 

 democratic. See Hanseatic League ; 

 consult also The Hansa Towns, 

 H. Zimmern, 1889 ; Chronicles of 

 Three Free Cities, Hamburg, Bre- 

 men, and Lubeck, W. King, 1914. 

 Hamburg- Amerika. German 

 steamship line. It was established 

 in 1847 to run cargo boats between 

 Hamburg and New York. Its size 

 increased 

 rapidly after 

 the union of 

 Germany in 

 1871 and 

 especially 

 later under 

 the control 

 of Albert 

 Ballin, until 

 in 1914 it 

 was said to 





Hamburg- Amenka 

 Steamship Line 

 flag, blue and white 

 with yellow shield 



be the largest steamship company 

 in the world. It had services from 

 Hamburg to Dover, but its main 

 operations were in the American 

 trade, its steamers going regularly, 

 not only to New York and the ports 

 of N. America, but also to those of S. 

 America, Central America, and the 

 W. Indies. -Its headquarters were 

 at Hamburg. The Great War inter- 

 rupted operations, but they recom- 

 menced again after the armistice. 



