Name	Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
German name	Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg
Image photo	Hamburg collage.jpg
State coa	Coat of arms of Hamburg.svg
Coa size	70
Map	Deutschland Lage von Hamburg.svg
Flag	Flag of Hamburg.svg
Area	755
Population	1783975
Pop ref
Pop date	2010-09-30
Pop metro	4300000
Gdp	86.153
Gdp year	2006
Gdp percent	3.9
Website	hamburg.de
Leader title	First Mayor
Leader	Olaf Scholz
Leader party	SPD
Ruling party1	SPD ''
Votes	3
Nuts	DE6
Vorwahl	040
Kfz	HH (1906–1945; again since 1956)MGH (1945); H (1945–1947), HG (1947); BH (1948–1956) |iso regionDE-HH |PLZ20001–21149, 22001–22769
coordinates display	title
Date	August 2010 }}

Hamburg (; , local pronunciation ; Low German/Low Saxon: ''Hamborg'' ) is the second-largest city in Germany and the seventh-largest city in the European Union. The city is home to over 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg Metropolitan Region (including parts of the neighbouring Federal States of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein) has more than 4.3 million inhabitants. The port of Hamburg is the third-largest port in Europe (after the Port of Rotterdam and the Port of Antwerp) and it is among the twenty largest in the world.

Hamburg's official name is the ''Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg'' (German: ''Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg''). It reflects Hamburg's history as a member of the medieval Hanseatic League, as a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire, and also to the fact that Hamburg is a city-state and one of the sixteen States of Germany.

Hamburg is a major transport hub in Northern Germany and is one of the most affluent cities in Europe. It has become a media and industrial centre, with plants and facilities belonging to ''Airbus'', ''Blohm + Voss'' and ''Aurubis''. The radio and television broadcaster ''Norddeutscher Rundfunk'' and publishers such as ''Gruner + Jahr'' and ''Spiegel-Verlag'' are pillars of the important media industry in Hamburg. In total there are more than 120,000 enterprises.

The city is a major tourist destination both for domestic and overseas visitors, receiving about 7.7 million overnight stays in 2008. Hamburg ranked 23rd in the world for livability in 2009, higher in some alternate rankings and in 2010 the city ranked 10th in the world.

Geography

Hamburg is located on the southern point of the Jutland Peninsula, directly between Continental Europe to its south, Scandinavia to its north, the North Sea to its west, and the Baltic Sea to its east. Hamburg is located on the River Elbe at its confluence with the Alster and Bille. The city centre is situated around the Binnenalster ("Inner Alster") and Außenalster ("Outer Alster") both of which were originally formed by impounding the River Alster to create lakes. The island of Neuwerk and two small neighbouring islands Scharhörn und Nigehörn, located in the Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park, are also part of Hamburg.

The neighbourhoods of Neuenfelde, Cranz, Francop and Finkenwerder are part of the ''Altes Land'' region (old land), the biggest contiguous fruit-pruducing region in Central Europe. The neighbourhood of Neugraben-Fischbek has Hamburg's highest elevation, the ''Hasselbrack'' at AMSL.

Climate

Hamburg has an oceanic climate (''Cfb''). Hamburg's climate is influenced by its proximity to the coast and marine air masses that originate over the Atlantic Ocean. Nearby wetlands also enjoy a maritime temperate climate. Snowfall is rare, generally occurring once or twice a year.

The warmest months in Hamburg are June, July, and August, with high temperatures of . The coldest are December, January, and February, with low temperatures of .

History

The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva. But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808. The castle was built on rocky terrain in a marsh between the River Alster and the River Elbe as a defence against Slavic incursion. The castle was named ''Hammaburg'', ''burg'' meaning castle or fort. The origin of the ''Hamma'' term remains uncertain, as does the exact location of the castle.

In 834, Hamburg was designated the seat of a Roman Catholic bishopric, whose first bishop, Ansgar, became known as the Apostle of the North. Two years later, Hamburg was united with Bremen as the bishopric of Hamburg-Bremen. In 1529, the city embraced Lutheranism, and Hamburg subsequently received Protestant refugees from the Netherlands and France and, in the 17th century, Sephardi Jews from Portugal.

Hamburg was destroyed and occupied several times. In 845, a fleet of 600 Viking ships sailed up the River Elbe and destroyed Hamburg which, at that time, was a town of around 500 inhabitants. In 1030, the city was burned down by King Mieszko II Lambert of Poland. Valdemar II of Denmark raided and occupied Hamburg in 1201 and in 1214. The Black Death killed at least 60% of Hamburg's population in 1350. Hamburg had several great fires, the most notable ones in 1284 and 1842. In 1842, about a quarter of the inner city was destroyed in the "Great Fire". This conflagration started on the night of the 4 May 1842 and was extinguished on 8 May. It destroyed three churches, the town hall, and many other buildings, killing 51 people and leaving an estimated 20,000 homeless. Reconstruction took more than 40 years.

In 1189, by imperial charter, Frederick I "Barbarossa" granted Hamburg the status of an Imperial Free City and tax-free access up the Lower Elbe into the North Sea. In 1265, an allegedly forged letter was presented to or by the Rath of Hamburg. This charter, along with Hamburg's proximity to the main trade routes of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, quickly made it a major port in Northern Europe. Its trade alliance with Lübeck in 1241 marks the origin and core of the powerful Hanseatic League of trading cities. On 8 November 1266, a contract between Henry III and Hamburg's traders allowed them to establish a ''hanse'' in London. This was the first time in history that the word ''hanse'' was used for the trading guild of the Hanseatic League. The first description of civil, criminal and procedural law for a city in Germany in the German language, the ''Ordeelbook'' (''Ordeel'': sentence) was written by the solicitor of the senate, ''Jordan von Boitzenburg'', in 1270. On August 10, 1410, civil unrest forced a compromise (German:''Rezeß'', literally meaning: withdrawal). This is considered the first constitution of Hamburg.

Upon the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Free Imperial City of Hamburg was not incorporated into a larger administrative area while retaining special privileges (mediatised), but became a sovereign state with the official title of the ''Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg''. Hamburg was briefly annexed by Napoleon I to the First French Empire (1810–14). Russian forces under General Bennigsen finally freed the city in 1814. Hamburg reassumed its pre-1811 status as a city-state in 1814. The Vienna Congress of 1815 confirmed Hamburg's independence and it became one of 39 sovereign states of the German Confederation (1815–66).

In 1860, the state of Hamburg adopted a republican constitution. Hamburg became a city-state within the North German Confederation (1866–71), the German Empire (1871–1918) and during the period of the Weimar Republic (1919–33). Hamburg experienced its fastest growth during the second half of the 19th century, when its population more than quadrupled to 800,000 as the growth of the city's Atlantic trade helped make it Europe's third-largest port. With Albert Ballin as its director, the Hamburg-America Line became the world's largest transatlantic shipping company at the turn of the century. Shipping companies sailing to South America, Africa, India and East Asia were based in the city. Hamburg was the departure port for most Germans and Eastern Europeans to emigrate to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Trading communities from all over the world established themselves here.

A major outbreak of cholera in 1892 was badly handled by the city government, which still retained an unusual degree of independence for a German city at the time. About 8,600 died in the largest German epidemic of the late 19th century, and the last major cholera epidemic in a major city of the Western world.

Second World War

In the Third Reich, Hamburg was a ''Gau'' from 1934 until 1945. During World War II Hamburg suffered a series of British air raids, which devastated much of the inhabited city as well as harbour areas. On 23 July 1943 a firestorm developed as a result of British firebombing and, spreading from the ''Hauptbahnhof'' (central station) and quickly moving south-east, completely destroyed entire boroughs, such as Hammerbrook, Billbrook or Hamm-south. These densely populated working-class boroughs underwent a dramatic demographic change as a result as thousands of people perished in the flames. While some of the destroyed boroughs have been rebuilt as residential areas after the war, others such as Hammerbrook are nowadays purely commercial areas with almost no residential population. The raids, codenamed Operation Gomorrah by the RAF, killed about 40,000 civilians; the precise number is not known. About 1 million civilians were evacuated in the aftermath of the raids.

At least 42,900 people are thought to have perished in the Neuengamme concentration camp (situated about outside the city in the marshlands), mostly due to epidemics and in the bombing of evacuation vessels at the end of the war.

Postwar history

Hamburg surrendered without a fight to British Forces on 3 May 1945. After World War II, Hamburg was in the British Zone of Occupation and became a state of the then Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. On 16 February 1962, the North Sea flood of that year caused the Elbe to rise to an all-time high, inundating one-fifth of Hamburg and killing more than 300 people. In 1961, the Beatles became famous by playing music in clubs in Hamburg. By that time, Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) had joined the band.

The Inner German Border — only east of Hamburg — separated the city from most of its hinterland and further reduced Hamburg's global trade. After German reunification in 1990, and the accession of some Eastern European and Baltic States into the EU in 2004, the Port of Hamburg has ambitions for regaining its position as the region's largest deep-sea port for container shipping and its major commercial and trading centre.

Demographics

On 31 December 2006 there were 1,754,182 people registered as living in Hamburg (up by 6.2% from 1,652,363 in 1990) in an area of . The population density was . The metropolitan area of the Hamburg region (Hamburg Metropolitan Region) is home to about 4.3 million, living on .

There were 856,132 men and 898,050 women in Hamburg. For every 1,000 males there were 1,049 females. In 2006 there were 16,089 births in Hamburg (of which 33.1% were to unmarried women), 6,921 marriages and 4,583 divorces. In the city, the population was spread out with 15.7% under the age of 18, and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older.

Recent estimates put the number of people with a migrant background at 28% (487.000). European immigrants constitute 70% of the migrant population, while Africans and south Asians make up 6% and 19%, respectively. Immigrants come from 180 different countries, including Turkey, Poland, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Iran or Ghana.

In 1999, there were 910,304 households, of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18; 47.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 1.9.

Religion

In 2007, 30.7% of Hamburg's population belonged to the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church, and 10.2% to the Roman Catholic Church. Two years later, by the end of 2009, 29.9 % of Hamburg's population belonged to the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church, and 10.1% to the Roman Catholic Church. 60 % of the population does not belong to one of these two churches of these - according to an estimate, there are 90,000 Muslims (74% Sunni, 13% Alevi and 8% Shi'ite). However, Alevis do not always identify as Muslims. The remainder of the population consists of members of smaller Christian churches, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Jews, and those unaffiliated with any faith. Hamburg is seat of one of the three bishops of the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church and seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hamburg. There are several mosques, including the Islamic Centre Hamburg and a growing Jewish community.

Government

The city of Hamburg is one of 16 German states, therefore the Mayor of Hamburg's office corresponds more to the role of a minister-president than to the one of a city mayor. As a German state government, it is responsible for public education, correctional institutions and public safety; as a municipality, it is additionally responsible for libraries, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply and welfare services.

Since 1897, the seat of the government has been the Hamburg Rathaus, with the office of the mayor, the meeting room for the Senate and the floor for the Hamburg Parliament. From 2001 until 2010, the mayor of Hamburg was Ole von Beust, who governed in Germany's first state-wide "black-green" coalition, consisting of the conservative CDU and the alternative GAL, which are Hamburg's regional wing of the Alliance '90/The Greens party. Von Beust was briefly succeeded by Christoph Ahlhaus in 2010 but the coalition broke apart on November, 28. 2010. On 7 March 2011 Olaf Scholz (SPD) became mayor.

Boroughs

Hamburg is made up of 7 boroughs (German: ''Bezirke'') and subdivided into 105 quarters (German: ''Stadtteile''). There are also 180 localities (German: ''Ortsteile''). The urban organization is regulated by the Constitution of Hamburg and several laws. Most of the quarters were former independent cities, towns or villages annexed into Hamburg proper. The last large annexation was done through the Greater Hamburg Act of 1937, when the cities Altona, Harburg and Wandsbek were merged into the state of Hamburg. The ''Act of the Constitution and Administration of Hanseatic city of Hamburg'' established Hamburg as a state and a municipality. Some of the boroughs and quarters have been rearranged several times over the years.

Each borough is governed by a Borough Council (German: ''Bezirksversammlung'') and administered by a Municipal Administrator (German: ''Bezirksamtsleiter''). The boroughs of Hamburg are not independent municipalities. The power of borough governments is limited and subordinate to the Senate of Hamburg. The borough administrator is elected by the Borough Council and thereafter requires confirmation and appointment by Hamburgs' Senate. The quarters have no governing bodies of their own.

In 2008 the boroughs of Hamburg were Altona, Bergedorf, Eimsbüttel, Hamburg-Mitte, Hamburg-Nord, Harburg and Wandsbek.

''Altona'' is the westernmost urban borough on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937. Politically, the following quarters are part of Altona: Altona-Altstadt, Altona-Nord, Bahrenfeld, Ottensen, Othmarschen, Groß Flottbek, Osdorf, Lurup, Nienstedten, Blankenese, Iserbrook, Sülldorf, Rissen, Sternschanze.

''Bergedorf'' consists of the quarters Allermöhe, Altengamme, Bergedorf—the city center of the former independent city, Billwerder, Curslack, Kirchwerder, Lohbrügge, Moorfleet, Neuengamme, Ochsenwerder, Reitbrook, Spadenland and Tatenberg.

''Eimsbüttel'' is split into nine quarters: Eidelstedt, Eimsbüttel, Harvestehude, Hoheluft-West, Lokstedt, Niendorf, Rotherbaum, Schnelsen and Stellingen. Located within this borough is former Jewish neighbourhood Grindel.

''Hamburg-Mitte'' ("Hamburg Centre") covers mostly the urban center of the city of Hamburg and consists of the quarters Billbrook, Billstedt, Borgfelde, Finkenwerder, HafenCity, Hamm-Nord, Hamm-Mitte, Hamm-Süd, Hammerbrook, Horn, Kleiner Grasbrook, Neuwerk, Rothenburgsort, St. Georg, St. Pauli, Steinwerder, Veddel, Waltershof and Wilhelmsburg. The quarters Hamburg-Altstadt ("old town") and Neustadt ("new town") are the historical origin of Hamburg.

''Hamburg-Nord'' contains the quarters Alsterdorf, Barmbek-Nord, Barmbek-Süd, Dulsberg, Eppendorf, Fuhlsbüttel, Groß Borstel, Hoheluft-Ost, Hohenfelde, Langenhorn, Ohlsdorf, Uhlenhorst and Winterhude.

''Harburg'' lies on the southern shores of the river Elbe and covers parts of the port of Hamburg, residential and rural areas, and some research institutes. The quarters are Altenwerder, Cranz, Eißendorf, Francop, Gut Moor, Harburg, Hausbruch, Heimfeld, Langenbek, Marmstorf, Moorburg, Neuenfelde, Neugraben-Fischbek, Neuland, Rönneburg, Sinstorf and Wilstorf.

''Wandsbek'' is divided into the quarters Bergstedt, Bramfeld, Duvenstedt, Eilbek, Farmsen-Berne, Hummelsbüttel, Jenfeld, Lemsahl-Mellingstedt, Marienthal, Poppenbüttel, Rahlstedt, Sasel, Steilshoop, Tonndorf, Volksdorf, Wandsbek, Wellingsbüttel and Wohldorf-Ohlstedt.

Cityscape

Architecture

| |- | |} Hamburg has architecturally significant buildings in a wide range of styles. There are, however, only few skyscrapers. On the other hand, churches like St. Nicholas's church, the world's tallest building in the 19th century, are important landmarks. The skyline of Hamburg features the high spires of the principal churches (''Hauptkirchen'') St. Michael's Church (nicknamed “Michel"), St. Peter's Church, St. James's (''St. Jacobi'') and St. Catherine's Church covered with copper plates, and of course the Heinrich-Hertz-Turm, the once publicly accessible radio and television tower.

The many streams, rivers and canals in Hamburg are crossed by over 2300 bridges, more than Amsterdam or Venice. Hamburg has more bridges inside its city limits than any other city in the world. The Köhlbrandbrücke, Freihafen Elbbrücken, and Lombardsbrücke and Kennedybrücke dividing Binnenalster from Aussenalster are important roadways.

The town hall is a richly decorated Neo-Renaissance building finished in 1897. The tower is high. Its façade, long, depicts the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, since Hamburg was, as a Free Imperial City, only under the sovereignty of the emperor. The Chilehaus, a brick stone office building built in 1922 and designed by architect Fritz Höger, is shaped like an ocean liner.

Europe's largest inner-city development (as of 2008), the HafenCity, will house about 10,000 inhabitants and 15,000 workers. The plan includes designs by Rem Koolhaas and Renzo Piano. The Elbe Philharmonic Hall ''(Elbphilharmonie)'', expected to be completed by mid-2012, will house concerts in a building on top of an old warehouse, designed by the Swiss firm ''Herzog & de Meuron''.

The many parks of Hamburg are distributed over the whole city, which makes Hamburg a very verdant city. The biggest parks are the ''Stadtpark'', the Ohlsdorf Cemetery and Planten un Blomen. The ''Stadtpark'', Hamburg's "Central Park", has a great lawn and a huge water tower, which houses one of Europe's biggest planetaria. The park and its buildings were designed by Fritz Schumacher in the 1910s.

Parks and gardens

The ''Alter Botanischer Garten Hamburg'' is a historic botanical garden, located in the ''Planten un Blomen'' park, which now consists primarily of greenhouses. The ''Botanischer Garten Hamburg'' is a modern botanical garden maintained by the University of Hamburg.

Culture and contemporary life

Hamburg offers more than 40 theatres, 60 museums and 100 music venues and clubs. In 2005, more than 18 million people visited concerts, exhibitions, theatres, cinemas, museums, and cultural events. More than 8,552 taxable companies – the average size was 3.16 employees – were engaged in the culture sector, which includes music, performing arts and literature. There are five (5) companies in the creative sector per thousand residents (Berlin 3, London 37). Hamburg has entered the European Green Capital Award scheme, and was awarded the title of European Green Capital for 2011.

Theatres

| |- | |} The state-owned ''Deutsches Schauspielhaus'', the Thalia Theatre, and the ''Kampnagel'' are well-known theatres in Germany and abroad. ''The English Theatre'' near U3 Mundsburg station was established in 1976 and is the oldest professional English-speaking theatre in Germany, and has exclusively English native-speaking actors in its company.

Museums

Hamburg possesses several big museums and galleries showing classical and contemporary art, as for example the Kunsthalle Hamburg with its contemporary art gallery (''Galerie der Gegenwart''), the Museum for Art and Industry (''Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe'') and the Deichtorhallen/House of Photography. The Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg opened in the HafenCity quarter in 2008. There are various specialised museums in Hamburg, such as the Museum of Labour (''Museum der Arbeit''), and several museums of local history, for example the Kiekeberg Open Air Museum (''Freilichtmuseum am Kiekeberg''). Two ''museum ships'' near Landungsbrücken bear witness to the freight ship (''Cap San Diego'') and cargo sailing ship era (''Rickmer Rickmers''). The world's largest model railway museum Miniatur Wunderland with total railway length is also situated near Landungsbrücken in a former warehouse.

''BallinStadt Emigration City'' is dedicated to the millions of Europeans who emigrated from its mass accommodation halls to North and South America between 1850 and 1939. Visitors descending from those overseas emigrants may search for their ancestors at computer terminals.

Music

Hamburg State Opera is a leading opera company. Its orchestra is the Philharmoniker Hamburg. The city's other well-known orchestra is the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra. The main concert venue is the Laeiszhalle, ''Musikhalle Hamburg'', pending completion of the new Elbe Philharmonic Hall. The Laeiszhalle also houses a third orchestra, the Hamburger Symphoniker. György Ligeti and Alfred Schnittke taught at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg.

Since the German premiere of ''Cats'' in 1985, there have always been musicals running in the city, including ''The Phantom of the Opera'', ''The Lion King'', ''Dirty Dancing'', and ''Dance of the Vampires''. This density, the highest in Germany, is partly due to the major musical production company ''Stage Entertainment'' being based in the city.

Hamburg is the birthplace of Johannes Brahms, who spent his formative early years in the city.

Prior to the group's initial recording and subsequent widespread fame, Hamburg provided residency and performing venues for The Beatles from 1960 to 1962. Hamburg has produced a number of pop musicians. Identical twin brothers Bill Kaulitz and Tom Kaulitz from the rock band Tokio Hotel live and maintain a recording studio in Hamburg, where they recorded their second and third albums, Zimmer 483 and Humanoid. Singer Nena also lives in Hamburg. There are German hip hop acts, such as Fünf Sterne deluxe, Samy Deluxe, Beginner and Fettes Brot. There is a substantial alternative and punk scene, which gathers around the Rote Flora, a squatted former theatre located in the Sternschanze. Hamburg is famous for an original kind of German alternative music called ''Hamburger Schule'' ("Hamburg School"), a term used for bands like Tocotronic, Blumfeld, Tomte or Kante.

The city was a major center for heavy metal music in the 1980s. Helloween, Running Wild and Grave Digger started in Hamburg. The industrial rock band KMFDM was also formed in Hamburg, initially as a performance art project. The influences of these and other bands from the area helped establish the subgenre of power metal.

Hamburg has a violent psychotic trance community, with record labels such as Spirit Zone.

Festivals and regular events

Hamburg is noted for several festivals and regular events. Some of them are street festivals, such as the gay pride ''Christopher Street Day'' festival or the Alster fair, held at the ''Binnenalster''. The ''Hamburger DOM'' is a northern Germany's biggest fun fair held three times a year. ''Hafengeburtstag'' is a funfair to honour the birthday of the port of Hamburg with a party and a ship parade. The biker's service in Saint Michael's Church attracts tens of thousands of bikers. Christmas markets in December are held at the Hamburg Rathaus square, among other places. The ''long night of museums'' offers one entrance fee for about 40 museums until midnight. The sixth ''Festival of Cultures'' was held in September 2008, celebrating multi-cultural life. The ''Filmfest Hamburg'' — a film festival originating from the 1950s ''Film Days'' (German: ''Film Tage'') — presents a wide range of films. The ''Hamburg Messe and Congress'' offers a venue for trade shows, such ''hanseboot'', an international boat show, or ''Du und deine Welt'', a large consumer products show. Regular sports events—some open to pro and amateur participants—are the cycling competition Vattenfall Cyclassics, the Hamburg Marathon, the biggest marathon in Germany after Berlin, the tennis tournament Hamburg Masters and equestrian events like the Deutsches Derby. Since 2007, Hamburg has the Dockville music and art festival. It takes place every year in summer in Wilhelmsburg.

Cuisine

Original Hamburg dishes are ''Birnen, Bohnen und Speck'' (Low Saxon ''Birn, Bohn un Speck'', green beans cooked with pears and bacon), ''Aalsuppe'' (Low Saxon ''Oolsupp'') is often mistaken to be German for “eel soup“ (''Aal''/''Ool'' translated ‘eel’), but the name probably comes from the Low Saxon ''allns'' , meaning “all”, “everything and the kitchen sink”, not necessarily eel. Today eel is often included to meet the expectations of unsuspecting diners. There is ''Bratkartoffeln'' (Low Saxon ''Brootkartüffeln'', pan-fried potato slices), ''Finkenwerder Scholle'' (Low Saxon ''Finkwarder Scholl'', pan-fried plaice), ''Pannfisch'' (pan-fried fish), ''Rote Grütze'' (Low Saxon ''Rode Grütt'', related to Danish ''rødgrød'', a type of summer pudding made mostly from berries and usually served with cream, like Danish ''rødgrød med fløde'') and ''Labskaus'' (a mixture of corned beef, mashed potatoes and beetroot, a cousin of the Norwegian ''lapskaus'' and Liverpool's lobscouse, all offshoots off an old-time one-pot meal that used to be the main component of the common sailor's humdrum diet on the high seas).

''Alsterwasser'' is the local name for a "Radler" in Hamburg (a reference to the city's river Alster with its two lakes in the city centre created by impoundment), both a type of shandy, a concoction of equal parts of beer and carbonated lemonade (''Zitronenlimonade''), the lemonade being added to the beer.

There is the curious regional dessert pastry called ''Franzbrötchen''. Looking rather like a flattened croissant, the ''Franzbrötchen'' is somewhat similar in preparation but includes a cinnamon and sugar filling, often with raisins or brown sugar streusel. The name may also reflect to the roll's croissant-like appearance – ''franz'' appears to be a shortening of ''französisch'', meaning "French", which would make a ''Franzbrötchen'' a “French roll.” Ordinary bread rolls tend to be oval-shaped and of the French bread variety. The local name is ''Rundstück'' (“round piece” rather than mainstream German ''Brötchen'', diminutive form of ''Brot'' “bread”), a relative of Denmark's ''rundstykke''. In fact, while by no means identical, the cuisines of Hamburg and Denmark, especially of Copenhagen have a lot in common. This also includes a predilection for open-faced sandwiches of all sorts, especially topped with cold-smoked or pickled fish. The American hamburger seems to have developed from Hamburg's ''Frikadelle'': a pan-fried patty (usually larger and thicker than its American counterpart) made from a mixture of ground beef, soaked stale bread, egg, chopped onion, salt and pepper, usually served with potatoes and vegetables like any other piece of meat, not usually on a bun. The Oxford Dictionary defined a ''Hamburger steak'' in 1802: a sometimes-smoked and -salted piece of meat, that, according to some sources, came from Hamburg to America.

Language

As is typical for Northern Germany, the original language of Hamburg is Low German, usually referred to as ''Hamborger Platt'' (German ''Hamburger Platt'') or ''Hamborgsch''. It is still in use, albeit by a minority and rarely in public. Since large-scale Germanization beginning in earnest within the 18th century, various Low German-colored dialects have developed (contact-varieties of German on Low Saxon substrates). Originally, there was a range of such Missingsch varieties, the best-known being the low-prestige ones of the working classes and the somewhat more bourgeois ''Hanseatendeutsch'' (Hanseatic German), although the term is used in appreciation. All of these are now moribund due to the influences of Standard German used by education and media. However, the former importance of Low German is indicated by several songs, such as the famous sea shanty Hamborger Veermaster, written in the 19th century when Low German was used more frequently.

Tourism

| |- | |- | |}

Tourists play a significant role in the city's economy. In 2007, Hamburg attracted more than 3,985,105 visitors with 7,402,423 overnight stays. The tourism sector employs more than 175,000 people full-time and brings in revenue of €9.3 billion, making the tourism industry a major economic force in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Hamburg has one of the fastest-growing tourism industries in Germany. From 2001 to 2007, the overnight stays in the city increased by 55.2% (Berlin +52.7%, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania +33%).

A typical Hamburg visit includes a tour of the city hall and the grand church St. Michaelis (called the ''Michel''), and visiting the old warehouse district (''Speicherstadt'') and the harbour promenade (''Landungsbrücken''). Sightseeing buses connect these points of interest. As Hamburg is one of the world's largest harbours many visitors take one of the harbour and/or canal boat tours (''Große Hafenrundfahrt'', ''Fleetfahrt'') which start from the ''Landungsbrücken''. Major destinations also include museums.

Many visitors take a walk in the evening around the area of Reeperbahn in the quarter St. Pauli, Europe's largest red light district and home of strip clubs, brothels, bars and nightclubs. The singer and actor Hans Albers is strongly associated with St. Pauli, and wrote the neighbourhood's unofficial anthem, "Auf der Reeperbahn Nachts um Halb Eins" in the 1940s. The Beatles had stints on the Reeperbahn early in their careers. Others prefer the laid-back neighbourhood ''Schanze'' with its street cafés, or a barbecue on one of the beaches along the river Elbe. Hamburg's famous zoo, the Tierpark Hagenbeck, was founded in 1907 by Carl Hagenbeck as the first zoo with moated, barless enclosures.

Some visit Hamburg out of a specific interest, notably one of the musicals, a sports event, a trade show or convention. In 2005, the average visitor spent two nights in Hamburg.

The majority of visitors come from Germany. Most foreigners are European, especially from the United Kingdom (171,000 overnight stays), Switzerland (about 143,000 overnight stays) and Austria (about 137,000 overnight stays). The largest group from outside Europe comes from the United States (129,000 overnight stays).

The cruise terminal is also a draw. The Queen Mary 2 has docked in Hamburg regularly since 2004, and there are six departures planned from 2010 onwards.

English culture

There are several English-speaking communities in Hamburg, such as Caledonian Society of Hamburg, British Club Hamburg, British and Commonwealth Luncheon Club, Professional Women's Forum. American and international English-speaking organisations are The American Club of Hamburg e.V., the American Women's Club, the English Speaking Union, and the German-American Women's Club.

Memorials

A memorial for successful English engineer William Lindley, who reorganized, beginning in 1842, the drinking water and sewage system and thus helped to fight against cholera, is located near Baumwall train station in Vorsetzen street.

In 2009, more than 2,500 "stumbling blocks" ''(Stolpersteine)'' were laid, engraved with the names of deported and murdered citizens. Inserted into the pavement in front of their former houses, the blocks are meant to draw attention to the victims of Nazi persecution.

Economy

The 2007 gross domestic product (GDP) totaled €88.9 billion. The city has the highest GDP in Germany – €50,000 per capita – and a relatively high employment rate, at 88 percent of the working-age population, employed in over 120,000 businesses. In 2007, the average income of employees was €30,937.

Port

The most significant economic unit for Hamburg is the Port of Hamburg, which ranks 3rd only to Rotterdam and Antwerp in Europe and 9th worldwide with transshipments of of cargo and 134 million tons of goods in 2007. After German reunification, Hamburg recovered the eastern portion of its hinterland, becoming by far the fastest-growing port in Europe. International trade is also the reason for the large number of consulates in the city. Although situated up the Elbe, it is considered a sea port due to its ability to handle large ocean-going vessels. Hamburg, along with Seattle and Toulouse, is an important location of the civil aerospace industry. Airbus, which has an assembly plant in Finkenwerder, employs over 13,000 people.

Heavy industry includes the making of steel, aluminium, copper and a number of shipyards such as Blohm + Voss.

Media

Media businesses employ over 70,000 people. The Norddeutscher Rundfunk which includes the television station NDR Fernsehen is based in Hamburg; as are the commercial television station ''Hamburg 1'', the Christian television station ''Bibel TV'' and the civil media outlet ''Tide TV''. There are regional radio stations such as Radio Hamburg. Some of Germany's largest publishing companies, Axel Springer AG, Gruner + Jahr, Bauer Media Group are located in the city. Many national newspapers and magazines such as ''Der Spiegel'' and ''Die Zeit'' are produced in Hamburg, as well as some special-interest newspapers such as ''Financial Times Deutschland''. ''Hamburger Abendblatt'' and ''Hamburger Morgenpost'' are daily regional newspapers with a large circulation. There are music publishers, such as Warner Bros. Records Germany, and ICT firms such as Adobe Systems and Google Germany. Jimdo GmbH, a German web hosting provider, is headquartered in Hamburg. The Internet and telecommunications company HanseNet, which sells DSL Internet access under the Alice brand, has its headquarters in Hamburg.

Hamburg was one of the locations for the film ''Tomorrow Never Dies'' of the James Bond series. The ''Reeperbahn'' street has been location for many sets, including the 1994 Beatles film ''Backbeat''.

Infrastructure

Health systems

Hamburg has 54 hospitals. The University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, with about 1,300 beds, houses a large medical school. There are also smaller private hospitals. On December 31, 2007 there were about 12,600 hospital beds in Hamburg proper. The city had 1,061 day-care centers for children, 3,841 physicians in private practice and 462 pharmacies in 2006.

Transport

| |- | |- | |} Hamburg is a major transportation hub in Germany. Hamburg is connected to four Autobahnen (motorways) and is the most important railway junction on the route to Scandinavia.

Bridges and tunnels connect the northern and southern parts of the city, such as the old Elbe Tunnel (''Alter Elbtunnel'') now a major tourist sight, and the Elbe Tunnel (''Elbtunnel'') the crossing of a motorway.

Hamburg Airport is the oldest airport in Germany still in operation. There is also the smaller Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport, used only as a company airport for Airbus. Some airlines market Lübeck Airport in Lübeck as serving Hamburg.

Hamburg's license plate prefix has been and is again "HH" (Hansestadt Hamburg, English: Hanseatic city of Hamburg) between 1906 and 1945 and again since 1956, rather than just the single-letter normally used for large cities since the federal registration reform in 1956, such as B for Berlin or M for Munich. The prefix "H" is used instead by Hanover since 1956. However, "H" was Hamburg's prefix in the years between 1945–1947.

Public transportation

Public transport by rail, bus and ships is organized by a fare-collection joint venture between transportation companies. Tickets sold by one company in this ''Hamburger Verkehrsverbund'' ("Hamburg transit authority") (HVV) are valid on all other HVV companies' services. The HVV was the first organization of this kind worldwide.

;Rail Nine mass transit rail lines across the city are the backbone of Hamburg public transportation. The Hamburg S-Bahn (heavy railway system) system comprises six lines and the Hamburg U-Bahn three lines. ''U-Bahn'' is short for ''Untergrundbahn'' (underground railway). Approximately of of the subway is underground; most of the tracks are on embankments, viaducts or at ground level. Older residents still speak of the system as ''Hochbahn'' (elevated railway), also because the operating company of the subway is the ''Hamburger Hochbahn''. Another heavy railway system, the AKN railway, connects satellite towns in Schleswig-Holstein to the city. On certain routes, regional trains of Germany's major railway company Deutsche Bahn AG and the regional ''metronom'' trains may be used with a HVV public transport ticket, too. Except at the three bigger stations in the center of Hamburg, such as Hamburg central station, Hamburg Dammtor station, or Hamburg-Altona station, the regional trains hardly stop inside the area of the city. The tram network was shut down in 1978.

;Bus Gaps in the rail network are filled by more than 600 bus routes, plied by single-deck, two-, three- and four-axle diesel buses. Hamburg has no trams or trolley-buses, but has hydrogen-fueled buses operating pilot services. The buses run frequently during working hours, with some buses on some routes arriving as often as every 2 minutes. In suburban areas and on special weekday night lines the intervals can be 30 minutes or longer.

;Ferries There are six ferry lines along the river Elbe, operated by the ''HADAG'' company. While mainly used by Hamburg citizens and dock workers, they can also be used for sightseeing tours.

;Aviation The international airport at Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel, official name "Hamburg Airport" (IATA: HAM, ICAO: EDDH) is the fifth biggest airport in Germany and the oldest airport in Germany, having been established in 1912. It is about 5 miles from the city centre. About 60 airlines provide service to 125 destination airports, including some long distance destinations like New York, Dubai, Toronto and Tehran. Lufthansa is the hub carrier, with the most flights, followed by Air Berlin. Lufthansa operates one of its biggest maintenance facilities at the Hamburg airport.

The second airport in Hamburg is Hamburg-Finkenwerder (IATA: XFW, ICAO: EDHI). It is about 10 km from the city centre and is a nonpublic airport for the Airbus plant. It is the second biggest Airbus plant, after Toulouse, and the third biggest aviation manufacturing plant after Seattle and Toulouse. The Finkenwerder plant houses the final assembly lines for A318, A319, A321 and A380 aircraft.

Utilities

Electricity for Hamburg and Northern Germany is provided by ''Vattenfall Europe'', formerly the state-owned ''Hamburgische Electricitäts-Werke''. Vattenfall Europe operates three nuclear power plants near Hamburg: Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant, Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant and Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant. All are scheduled to be taken out of service. There are also the coal-fired Wedel and Moorburg Power Stations, and the fuel-cell power plant in the HafenCity quarter. ''VERA Klärschlammverbrennung'' uses the biosolids of the Hamburg wastewater treatment plant; the ''Pumpspeicherwerk Geesthacht'' is a pump storage power plant and a biomass power station is ''Müllverwertung Borsigstraße''.

Sport

Hamburg is sometimes called Germany's capital of sport since no other city has more first-league teams and international sports events.

Hamburger SV, one of the most successful teams in Germany, is a football team in the Bundesliga. The HSV is the oldest team of the Bundesliga, playing in the league since its beginning in 1963. HSV is a six-time German champion, a three-time German cup winner and triumphed in the European Cup in 1983, and has played in the group stages of the Champions League twice: in 2000/2001 and in 2006/2007. They play at the Imtech Arena (average attendance in the 06/07 season was 56,100). In addition, FC St. Pauli was a second division football club that came in second place in the 2009/2010 season and qualified to play alongside Hamburger SV in the first division for the first time since the 2001-02 season. St. Pauli's home games take place at the Millerntor-Stadion.

The Hamburg Freezers represent Hamburg in the DEL, the premier ice hockey league in Germany. HSV Handball represents Hamburg in the German handball league. In 2007, HSV Handball won the European Cupwinners Cup. Both teams play in the O2 World Hamburg.

Hamburg is the nation's field hockey capital and dominates the men's as well as the women's Bundesliga. Hamburg host's many top team's such as Uhlenhorster Hockey Club, Harvesterhuder Hockey Club and Club An Der Alster.

The Hamburg Warriors are one of Germany's top lacrosse clubs. The club has grown immensely in the last several years and includes at least one youth team, three men's, and two women's teams. The team participates in the Deutsch Lacrosse Verein. The Hamburg Warriors are part of the Harvestehuder Tennis- und Hockey-Club e.V (HTHC).

There are also the Hamburg Dockers, an Australian rules football club. The FC St. Pauli team dominates women's rugby in Germany. Other first-league teams include VT Aurubis Hamburg (Volleyball), Hamburger Polo Club, and Hamburg Blue Devils (American Football). There are also several minority sports clubs, including four cricket clubs.

The Center Court of the Tennis Am Rothenbaum venue, with a capacity of 13,200 people, is the largest in Germany.

Hamburg also hosts equestrian events at ''Reitstadion Klein Flottbek'' (Deutsches Derby in jumping and dressage) and ''Horner Rennbahn'' (Deutsches Derby flat racing). The Hamburg Marathon is the biggest marathon in Germany after Berlin's. In 2008 23,230 participants were registered. World Cup events in cycling, the UCI ProTour competition Vattenfall Cyclassics, and the triathlon ITU World Cup event ''Hamburg City Man'' are also held in here.

The Imtech Arena (formerly the ''AOL Arena'' or HSH Nordbank Arena and originally ''Volksparkstadion'') was used as a site for the 2006 World Cup. In 2010 UEFA held the final of the UEFA Europa League in the arena.

Education

The school system is managed by the Ministry of Schools and Vocational Training (''Behörde für Schule und Berufsbildung''). The system had approximately 160,000 pupils in 245 primary schools and 195 secondary schools in 2006. There are 33 public libraries in Hamburg proper.

Seventeen universities are located in Hamburg, with about 70,000 university students in total, including 9,000 resident aliens. Six universities are public, including the largest, the University of Hamburg with the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, the University of Music and Theatre, the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and the Hamburg University of Technology. Seven universities are private, like the Bucerius Law School. The city has also smaller private colleges and universities, including many religious and special-purpose institutions, such as the Helmut Schmidt University (formerly the University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg).

International relations

Twin towns—Sister cities

Hamburg has nine twin towns and sister cities around the world. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania became the newest sister city in 2010. {| cellpadding="10" |- style="vertical-align:top;" | Magangue, Colombia, since 1925 St. Petersburg, Russia, (then Soviet Union), since 1957 Marseille, France, since 1958 Shanghai, People's Republic of China, since 1986 Dresden, Germany (then East Germany), since 1987 León, Nicaragua, since 1989 || Osaka, Japan, since 1989 Prague, Czech Republic, since 1990 Chicago, United States, since 1994 São Paulo, Brazil, since 2005 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, since 2010 |}

People from Hamburg

}}

Literature

''Hamburg guide for residents and visitors.'' Hamburg Führer Verlag GmbH, Hamburg, published 12 times p. a.

References

Notes

External links

Hamburg-Wedel-Elbe-Web-Cams

Hamburg-Cruise-Center + Elbphilharmonie Hamburg- Elbe-Harbour-Web-Cams

Category:City-states Category:German state capitals Category:Imperial free cities Category:NUTS 1 statistical regions of the European Union Category:Port cities and towns in Germany Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea Category:Populated places established in the 9th century Category:States of Germany Category:States of the German Confederation Category:States of the German Empire Category:States of the Holy Roman Empire Category:States of the North German Confederation Category:States of the Weimar Republic Category:Turkish communities in Germany Category:Members of the Hanseatic League

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name	Herbert Grönemeyer
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	Herbert Arthur Wiglev Clamor Grönemeyer
birth date	April 12, 1956
origin	Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
instrument	Vocals, Piano, Guitar
genre	Rock, Pop rock, Soft rock, Pop
occupation	Singer, Actor, Composer
years active	1978–present
label	EMI, Co.KG
associated acts	Pop 2000
website	http://www.groenemeyer.de/
notable instruments	}}

Herbert Arthur Wiglev Clamor Grönemeyer (born April 12, 1956) is a German musician and actor, popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He starred as war correspondent Lieutenant Werner in Wolfgang Petersen's movie ''Das Boot'', but later concentrated on his musical career. His fifth album ''4630 Bochum'' (1984) and his 20th album ''Mensch'' (Human) (2002) are the best-selling German-language records of all time.

Early life

Grönemeyer often refers to his personal roots as lying in the German town of Bochum where he spent most of his childhood, youth and early adulthood. Still today, the song ''Bochum'', first released in 1984, is one of his signature songs, especially during live performances. Being born in Göttingen and not in Bochum he has his own explanation: "I was only born in Göttingen because my mother often fainted when she was pregnant with me. She did this every time she turned to her left side, and no one believed her. In Göttingen there was a professor, a specialist, and he didn't believe her either, at which point she lay down, fainted, and brought me into the world. This is why I was born in Göttingen."

Work

Grönemeyer’s interest in music was sparked at the age of eight, when he started to take piano classes. These later formed the basis for his work as a pianist and composer at the local theatre Schauspielhaus Bochum. In 1979, at the City of Cologne Theatre (Schauspielhaus Köln), using his musical talent to great effect, he gave an excellent performance as Lorenzo in the ''The Merchant of Venice''. Although never having attended an acting school he soon appeared in several TV productions. During one of the shootings he met his later wife, the actress Anna Henkel. Additionally, Grönemeyer published an album he had recorded with the jazz formation "Ocean Orchestra" in 1978, a year in which he also composed the music for the film ''Uns reicht das nicht'' by Jürgen Flimm, together with Jens-Peter Ostendorf. His first solo album ''Grönemeyer'', which was published in 1979, was awarded the Golden Lemon for the ugliest album cover of the year. His second album ''Zwo'' was released in 1981. Neither managed to chart. In the same year he starred in Wolfgang Petersen’s successful movie ''Das Boot'' as Lieutenant Werner. For the role of composer Robert Schumann in the German-German coproduction ''Frühlingssinfonie'' (co-starring Nastassja Kinski and Rolf Hoppe), for which he also composed the film score, Grönemeyer spent six months in the GDR. During the early 1980s Grönemeyer put his main focus on his music; the next two albums ''Total egal'' (1982) and ''Gemischte Gefühle'' (1983) flopped and most concerts of the planned tour had to be cancelled.

Grönemeyer first met success as a musician in 1984 with the release of ''Bochum'' which became the best-sold album in Germany that year, particularly supported by the singles "Männer" and "Flugzeuge im Bauch". A year later Grönemeyer appeared in the TV-movie ''Väter und Söhne'', co-starring Julie Christie, Burt Lancaster and Bruno Ganz. In his next albums ''Sprünge'' (1986) and ''Ö'' (1988) he increasingly expressed his political opinion, criticising the government under German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. In 1986 Grönemeyer performed at the Anti-WAAhnsinns Festival against nuclear power and he composed the film score for the TV film ''Sommer in Lesmona'', for which he received the Adolf Grimme Award in gold. The release of his first English album ''What’s all this'' was followed by a tour through Canada, where it had success in the charts. After the Berlin Wall had fallen Grönemeyer released the album ''Luxus'' in which he addressed the feelings in East and West Germany. Having two children together, Felix and Marie, he married his companion Anna Henkel in 1993. In the same year ''Chaos'' was released and became a Top 1 hit record in Germany. More than people saw the following tour. In 1994, Grönemeyer was the first non-English-speaking artist who was invited by MTV to do an unplugged concert. Four years later Grönemeyer moved to London and released ''Bleibt alles anders'' (Everything Remains Different). He also founded his own record label, Grönland Records. In the same year his brother Wilhelm and his wife Anna died of cancer (both dying within 3 days); it took Grönemeyer a year to resume his work. In 2000 he recorded a concert with a philharmonic orchestra and released the DVD ''Stand der Dinge'' (State of Affairs). In August 2002 he released his so far most successful album ''Mensch'' (Human) which was awarded Platinum even before release due to advance orders. The single "Mensch" became Grönemeyer’s first number one hit in Germany and 1.5 million people saw the 2-year tour. In 2004 and 2006 Grönemeyer recorded songs for the Olympic Games in Athens ("Everlasting") and the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany ("Celebrate the Day").

In March 2007 he released his 12th studio album ''12'' which was followed by a stadium tour across German-speaking countries. Smaller concerts took place in September in Amsterdam, Munich, Dresden and London's Royal Albert Hall.

The three re-recorded albums ''What's all this'', ''Luxus'' and ''Chaos'' for the English-speaking market were met with limited sales success. Grönemeyer was scheduled to make his American debut on September 17, 2007 at the Beacon Theater in New York City, but the performance has since been postponed.

In January 2010, Grönemeyer performed the anthem "Komm zur Ruhr" as part of the opening ceremony of the "Ruhr.2010" - The city of Essen being the "European Capital of Culture 2010" on behalf of the entire Ruhr area.

The magazine ''TIME'' awarded him the title of "European Hero" in 2005 for his humanitarian work.

Discography

Studio albums

1979 — ''Grönemeyer ''

1980 — ''Zwo''

1982 — ''Total egal''

1983 — ''Gemischte Gefühle''

1984 — ''4630 Bochum''

1986 — ''Sprünge''

1988 — ''Ö''

1990 — ''Luxus''

1993 — ''Chaos''

1998 — ''Bleibt alles anders''

2002 — ''Mensch''

2007 — ''12''

2011 — ''Schiffsverkehr''

Live albums

1995 — ''Unplugged''

1995 — ''Live''

2000 — ''Stand der Dinge'' (Double DVD/CD)

2003 — ''Mensch live'' (Double DVD)

English albums

1988 — ''What's all this''

1991 — ''Luxus''

1996 — ''Chaos''

Compilations

1992 — ''So gut''

2008 — ''Was muss muss''

Other releases

1978 — ''Ocean Orchestra'' (feat. Grönemeyer as lead vocalist)

1994 — ''Cosmic Chaos'' (Remix album)

2006 — "Zeit, dass sich was dreht" / "Celebrate the day" (Official 2006 FIFA World Cup Anthem) (Maxi CD)

Collaboration with other artists

1985 — "Nackt im Wind" (Single) by Band for Africa (with Nena, Udo Lindenberg, Peter Maffay, Rio Reiser, Wolfgang Niedecken and others)

1991 — ''The Fall of the House of Usher'' as The Herbalist (album by Peter Hammill and Judge Smith)

1996 — "Uebers Meer" (Album: ''Tribute to Rio Reiser'')

2003 — "Taxi Europa" (Album: ''Taxi Europa'') by Stephan Eicher

2004 — "Everlasting" (Album: ''Unity – Athens 2004'') with Youssou N'Dour

2005 — "Einmal nur in unserem Leben" (Album: ''Dreimal Zehn Jahre BAP'') by BAP

2006 — "Grauschleier" (Album: ''26½'') by Fehlfarben

2006 — "Zeit, dass sich was dreht / Celebrate the day / Fetez cette journée" (Single) with Amadou and Marjam

2006 — "Geld 2006 (Internet Warm-Up Version)" song released as a bonus track on rarities compilation "Mon Amour" by Klaus Dinger

2007 — "Einfach sein" (Album: ''Fornika'') by Die Fantastischen Vier

2008 — "Will I Ever Learn" (Album: ''Was muss muss'') with Antony Hegarty

2009 — "Mes Emmerdes" (Album: ''Duos'') with Charles Aznavour

2009 — "Als es mir beschissen geht" (Album: ''Duos'') with Charles Aznavour

Filmography

1976 — ''Die Geisel'' (directed by Peter Zadek)

1978 — ''Von Tag zu Tag'' (directed by Ulrich Stein)

1978 — ''Uns reicht das nicht'' (directed by Juergen Flimm)

1979 — ''Daheim unter Fremden'' (directed by Peter Keglevic)

1981 — ''Das Boot'' (directed by Wolfgang Petersen)

1982 — ''Doktor Faustus'' (directed by Franz Seitz)

1982 — ''Frühlingssinfonie'' (directed by Peter Schamoni)

1984 — ''Die ewigen Gefühle'' (directed by Peter Beauvais)

1985 — ''Väter und Söhne'' (directed by Bernhard Sinkel)

2007 — ''Control'' (directed by Anton Corbijn)

2010 — ''The American'' (directed by Anton Corbijn)

External links

http://www.groenemeyer.de Official site

http://www.groenland.com Grönemeyer's record label

http://www.letzte-version.de Fan site

Herbert Grönemeyer on Europopmusic.eu (English)

Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:German musicians Category:German singers Category:German actors Category:People from Bochum Category:People from Göttingen

cs:Herbert Grönemeyer da:Herbert Grönemeyer de:Herbert Grönemeyer es:Herbert Grönemeyer eo:Herbert Grönemeyer fr:Herbert Grönemeyer fy:Herbert Grönemeyer id:Herbert Grönemeyer it:Herbert Grönemeyer sw:Herbert Grönemeyer hu:Herbert Grönemeyer nl:Herbert Grönemeyer ja:ヘルベルト・グレーネマイヤー no:Herbert Grönemeyer pl:Herbert Grönemeyer pt:Herbert Grönemeyer fi:Herbert Grönemeyer sv:Herbert Grönemeyer tr:Herbert Grönemeyer

thumb|Heinz Strunk in November 2008Heinz Strunk, legal name Mathias Halfpape (born 17 May 1962 in Hamburg) is a German entertainer, author, and member of Studio Braun. Strunk's comedy ranges from goofy prank calls to biting political and cultural satire, often involving music.

Perhaps Strunk's most recognizable piece comes from a Studio Braun album full of prank calls made in and around the city of Hamburg. Strunk, playing on homonyms that the English language does not share with German, calls a store which supplies coal for coal-burning stoves. Using the confusion in the German language between the word for that coal and that of cocaine, he tries to order cocaine from the confused man and hilarity ensues. In another prank call, Strunk calls a pastoral resident of the province of Saxony where some residents have unique accents. Claiming to be from "Sachsenhilfe Hamburg," a fictional organization that would translate to Hamburg's Help for Saxony, he offers free voice classes to help the country residents "correct" their dialect. Again, hilarity ensues. Studio Braun and Strunk have 3 such LPs chock-full of prank phone calls.

Most recently and famously, Strunk released the song "Komputerfreak," which takes a serious look at the washed-up lives and addictive/compulsive personalities of those who spend large amounts of time using computers.

Strunk is the author of the comical memoir "Fleisch ist mein Gemüse," in English, "Meat is my Vegetable."

External links

http://www.heinzstrunk.de (Flash)

Category:1962 births Category:German musicians Category:Living people

de:Heinz Strunk

Giovanni di Lorenzo (born March 9, 1959) is a German-Italian journalist. Editor-in-chief (since 2004) of German nationwide weekly newspaper ''DIE ZEIT'' and former editor-in-chief of Berlin's liberal daily newspaper ''Der Tagesspiegel'' (1999-2004; has since retained the position of publisher). Additionally di Lorenzo is a prominent talk show host for the Radio Bremen show ''3nach9'' airing monthly on NDR.

Biography

Giovanni di Lorenzo was born March 9, 1959 in Stockholm, Sweden to a German mother and an Italian father. He spent his early childhood in Rimini and Rome, Italy. After his parents' separation, he and his mother moved to Hanover, Germany. He is a citizen of both Germany and Italy.

At the age of 15, upon seeing an episode of ''3nach9'' (transl. 3 after 9, named after its regular airing time) on the family’s first black-and-white TV-set, di Lorenzo allegedly announced his wish to someday host the show. Today, after nearly 16 years on the job, di Lorenzo is the longest serving host on ''3nach9''.

In Hanover di Lorenzo attended the Ratsgymnasium and the Tellkampfschule, from which he graduated in 1979. During his senior year of high school, an internship at Hanover's daily newspaper Neue Presse prompted di Lorenzo to pursue a career in journalism. He continued working for Neue Presse until 1982. It was there where he met his future mentor Michael Radtke. His first article was published under the pseudonym ''Hans Lorentz'', because the editor in charge believed his name to be a pen name and felt it sounded too construed.

Di Lorenzo attended Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where he majored in communication studies, modern history, and political science. His Master’s thesis was entitled ''Strategy and Ascent of Private Television in Italy Exemplified by the Networks of Silvio Berlusconi'' (orig.: ''Strategie und Aufstieg des Privatfernsehens in Italien am Beispiel der Networks von Silvio Berlusconi'') and earned him the highest possible grade.

Di Lorenzo is a passionate cook. Learning how to cook, he stated, was an "act of self-defense," as his mother was not particularly talented in the kitchen. After their move to Hanover, di Lorenzo quickly felt the need to emulate his father, who is also a good cook. Because of his demanding work schedule, he now often lacks time to go about his hobby, something he deeply regrets.

Awards

2006 Medienpreis für Sprachkultur - category press

2005 Ischia International Journalism Award

2001 Preis der europäischen Presse - RAI/Radiotelevisione Italiana

2001 Goldene Feder for his work as editor-in-chief of ''Der Tagesspiegel''

2001 München leuchtet

1993 Theodor-Wolff-Preis

1992 Bambi

1986 Adolf-Grimme-Preis

External links

DIE ZEIT online

Der Tagesspiegel online

3nach9 online

Category:German journalists Category:German people of Italian descent Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:German television personalities

de:Giovanni di Lorenzo no:Giovanni di Lorenzo

Udo Lindenberg (born 17 May 1946 in Gronau) is a German rock musician and composer.

Career

Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969 Lindenberg founded his first band ''Free Orbit'' and also appeared as a studio and guest musician (with Michael Naura, Knut Kiesewetter). In 1970 he collaborated as a drummer with jazz-saxophonist Klaus Doldinger in Munich. In 1971, a band founded by Lindenberg, Passport put out its first album, with Lindenberg on drums. He also played drums for the theme music for the German TV series ''Tatort''. The first LP of the Jazz rock group Emergency was released in 1971 but met with little commercial success.

The LP ''Lindenberg'' (also 1971, and sung in English, already with Steffi Stephan on bass) was likewise unsuccessful. In the following year, the fist LP in German was released: ''Daumen im Wind'' (produced by Lindenberg and Thomas Kukuck, who also produced the next 5 albums together), from which the single "Hoch im Norden" became a radio hit in northern Germany. 1973 brought a breakthrough with the album ''Andrea Doria'' and its catchy "Alles klar auf der Andrea Doria" and "Cello". Over 100,000 copies sold, and Lindenberg quickly received the largest record deal of any German-language musician up to that time. Lindenberg was earning a special place in the new German-language music of the 70s: Between internationally-oriented Krautrock and pop music, he found his niche. German-language rock had previously been confined to predominantly political message bands whose music was directed at a narrow audience.

Lindenbergs brash style, everyday subject matter ("Bei Onkel Pö…") and his feel for language were an unprecedented combination in German-language music. His pioneering work helped other artists such as Stefan Waggershausen and Marius Müller-Westernhagen get record deals of their own. In 1973 Lindenberg first went on tour with his Panikorchester (Panic Orchestra).

1976 was one of Udo Lindenberg's most productive years. Besides the LP ''Galaxo Gang'' he also published under the name Das Waldemar Wunderbar Syndicat ''I make you feel good'', a first Best of ''Panik Udo'' and the first in a series of foreign-language publications ''No Panic'', on which Lindenberg translated his songs to English. In the same year (and on another LP: ''Sister King Kong'') with the song "Rock ’n’ Roll Arena in Jena", Lindenberg first mentioned a Panic Orchestra tour in the GDR. In 1976, Lindenberg discovered Ulla Meinecke and produced her first two albums. She was a guest artist and co-author of the 1977 LP ''Panische Nächte'' (''Panic Nights'') and the 1978 ''Dröhnland Symphonie''. On ''Lindenbergs Rock Revue'' (1978) Lindenberg and Horst Königstein "Germanized" rock classics from Little Richard to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and went on a big tour. The Nr.-1-Hit "We Gotta Get out of This Place" was also published with German lyrics.

The subsequent ''Dröhnland-Symphonie''-Tour was staged by Peter Zadek as a big multimedia stage show with a plethora of costumed extras. The result was Lindenbergs first live album ''Livehaftig''. In 1979, ''Der Detektiv'' was the second Rock Revue, in which more international hits such as "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John, "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf, "My Little Town" and "As Time Goes By" (from the film Casablanca) were "Germanized".

One of his most famous songs is Sonderzug nach Pankow (Special train service to Pankow), released as a single on 2 February 1983. It originated from the refusal of eastern German authorities to allow Lindenberg a concert in the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

Lindenberg has worked collaboratively with various local and international recording artists (Eric Burdon, Helen Schneider, David Bowie, Tom Robinson, Keith Forsey, Gianna Nannini, and Nena) on a number of projects. He currently lives in Hamburg in the Hotel Atlantic (for several years now). His somewhat hoarse voice is the result of too much liquor and cigarettes. In 1989 he survived a heart attack. In 2010 he designed two stamps, themed on his songs "Andrea Doria" and "Sonderzug nach Pankow", for the Deutsche Post.

Singles

!Year!!Single!!D!!A!!CH
1981	"Wozu sind Kriege da?"1
1983	"Sonderzug nach Pankow"
1987	"Horizont"
1987	"Der Generalsekretär"
1988	"Ich lieb' dich überhaupt nicht mehr"
1989	"Airport (Dich wiederseh'n ...)"
1991	"Ein Herz kann man nicht reparieren"
1991	"Geh nicht weg"
1991	"Club der Millionäre"
1992	"Panik-Panther"
1999	"You Can't Run Away"2
2003	"Wunder geschehen"3
2005	"Hallo Angie, das merkel ich mir"
2008	"Wenn du durchhängst"

D: Germany, A: Austria, CH: Switzerland

¹Udo Lindenberg & Pascal ²Freundeskreis feat. Udo Lindenberg ³Nena & Friends (Udo Lindenberg, Sasha, Ben, ...)

Albums

!Year!!Album!!D!!A!!CH
1971	''Lindenberg''
1972	''Daumen im Wind''
1973	''Alles klar auf der Andrea Doria''1
1974	''Ball Pompös''1
1975	''Votan Wahnwitz''1
1976	''Galaxo Gang''1
1976	''Sister King Kong''1
1976	''Panik Udo''1
1977	''Panische Nächte''1
1978	''Lindenbergs Rock-Revue''1
1978	''Dröhnland-Symphonie''1
1979	''Livehaftig''1
1979	''Der Detektiv''1
1980	''Panische Zeiten''1
1980	''Meine Panik''1
1981	''Udopia''1
1982	''Keule''1
1982	''Intensivstationen''1
1983	''Odyssee''1
1983	''Lindstärke 10''1
1984	''Götterhämmerung''1
1985	''Sündenknall''1
1985	''Radio Eriwahn präsentiert''1
1987	''Feuerland''1
1987	''Phönix''
1988	''Gänsehaut''
1988	''Hermine''
1988	''Casa Nova''
1991	''Ich will dich haben''
1992	''Gustav''
1992	''Unter die Haut''
1992	''Panik-Panther''
1993	''Benjamin''
1995	''Kosmos''
1996	''Und ewig rauscht die Linde''
1997	''Belcanto''2
1998	''Zeitmaschine''
2000	''Der Exzessor''
2001	''Ich schwöre – Das volle Programm''
2001	''Balladen''
2002	''Atlantic Affairs''
2003	''Der Panikpräsident''
2005	''Absolut''
2008	''Stark wie zwei''

D: Germany, A: Austria, CH: Switzerland

¹ Udo Lindenberg & Panikorchester ² Udo Lindenberg & Das Deutsche Filmorchester Babelsberg

References

External links

Official website

"Udo Lindenberg & more", Art gallery

Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:German musicians Category:German rock singers Category:German-language singers Category:Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Category:Members of the Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia Category:Actors from Hamburg

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