Town Hall (Rathaus), Hamburg

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Hamburg's Town Hall is a vast building, with 647 rooms and a tower that is well over a hundred meters high. It was clearly built with the intention of expressing the power, wealth and liberty of this free Hanseatic city. It's been attended by some of the greatest people on the planet, like Emperor Haile Selassie, the Shah of Iran and Queen Elizabeth II - a God, a ruthless dictator and a world famous head of state (not necessarily in that order).

The Rathaus was borne of a fire in the 19th century. It took 44 years to rebuilding at great expense. But luckily for Hamburg, it was one of the few buildings that made it through the Allied bombing relatively unscathed.

Hamburg's most impressive building is, in my opinion, its grand city hall (Rathaus). When I visited, on a Friday in June, there was a large market in the area in front of the city hall, with stalls selling quintessentially German foods such as Rostbratwurst and Spaetzle. The town hall is situated opposite a war memorial remembering those young men of Hamburg who died during World War One.

Hamburg's city hall is a very impressive building with many statues and ornaments, emphazising the importance and rich history of this city.

But what I liked best of the city hall was the sculpture of a boy?/man?, licking a spoon. He looks like he's not noticing anything which goes on around him, all that matters is the good dough he's tasting.

The sculpture is on the wall in the inner yard, where you can also see
the Cholera fountain. This fountain was to tell the citizens how important clean water was and still is.

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Rathaus is the townhall of Hamburg as it houses the City Council. It’s only 15 minutes away from Hauptbahnhof but if you come from far like us you can use the subway.

It’s a nice neo-renaissance building that worth some pics with your camera because of its elegant facade. The Rathaus was built in 1886 as the old one had burnt down in 1842.

There are about 600 rooms (!) and although most of the rooms are used for official purposes you can visit some of them when there isn’t any festivity. There are guided tours (in german and english) 10.00-15.00(fri-sun till 13.00) and the entrance fee is 2 euros (only 1 with the hamburg card).

As we were there in the evening we couldnt get inside so we preferred to check the surrounded area,.The square in front of the Rathaus houses some restaurants (always busy, that’s a good sign) and the side streets are full of high class stores (dedicated to women), these stores are great for window shopping but very dangerous for your money. We preferred to take some pictures near the water where some nice swans were taking their bath.

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The home of the City Council and Senate. This imposing Neo-Renaissance building made of sandstones is with no doubt an attraction one can enjoy. A splendid and impressive architecture which difinitely draw one's attention especially if you are new to the place.

The Town Hall of Hamburg had burnt down completely in 1842. This new city hall was built between 1886-1897 and its facade is elaborately decorated with emperor statues.

This area is also a topnotch address for shopping.

At the Rathauspassage there is an information bureau and church info counter, connecting the Jungfernstieg U-Bahn stop with the Rathausmarkt.

Hamburg features one of Europe's largest and most lavishly decorated Town Halls. The Baroque Rathaus with the massive spire dominates the surrounding area and provides a bit of a challenge to a photographer (without a wide angle lens) trying to fit it all into one picture.

The building is fairly new, having been rebuilt after the fire in the mid-19th century. And, just to prove that there is nothing more permanent than something that is temporary, the city council spent 55 years in temporary accommodation while waiting for the new Town Hall to be constructed.

At over 600 rooms it was probably worth the wait!

There are guided tours in both German and English, which cover the most significant ones, including the Emperor Hall and the Great Hall. The tour takes about 40 minutes.

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The seat of Hamburg’s government is a huge neo-renaissance building close to Alster and Jungfernstieg and Mönckebergstraße shopping mall. The square in front of the city hall can be considered the heart of the town.

Remember that the Hanseatic City of Hamburg is a Federal State of its own and the Mayor is ranking like a Prime Minister.

Hamburg city hall is the most solemn and magnificent building. One is owed by its gorgeous architecture. It is something you cannot miss in Hamburg. They have a nice typically German restaurant in the basement.