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A Year of Superlatives for Hamburg

With more than 550 businesses from China, 100 from Japan and 50 from Taiwan, Hamburg is also Germany’s major location for Asia-related expertise 2017 is proving to be a year of superlatives for Hamburg. In January, the Elbphilharmonie, one of the world’s most spectacular concert halls, was inaugurated atop a former port warehouse. For more than 100 years, the Kaispeicher A warehouse was a symbol of Hamburg’s mercantile trade.

Transformed into a temple of culture, it has been reborn as a new icon. Fusing the old brick walls of the port warehouse with the modern glass structure of the concert hall, the Elbphilharmonie is the architectural symbol of Hamburg’s future and a new landmark for the city. And as if the Elbphilharmonie wasn’t enough of a superlative, the European XFEL is now launching a science project that is unrivalled anywhere in the world. With investment twice as high as that of the Elbphilharmonie, this project, in which 11 countries are participating, will create the basis for new discoveries e.g. in the areas of disease processes and energy research. Further research institutes, especially from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft are currently being founded or expanded.
Hamburg is also setting new trends in urban development. With the HafenCity project approaching completion, other new projects have also been developed. Initiatives such as Altona’s new centre, the A7 motorway canopy “Hamburger Deckel” and the HamburgOst project will change Hamburg’s image and improve the cityscape. Hamburg is constantly reinventing itself and continues to be on the rise, attracting more and more people from all over the world. This is creating attractive business opportunities.

World meets business at the waterfront
Located between the North Sea and Baltic Sea, with the Elbe River as its lifeline and the city-state of Hamburg as its heart, the Hamburg Metropolitan Region is one of the most competitive regions in Germany and Europe. The region is highly attractive for international and national companies as it combines economic momentum with a high quality of life. Export-oriented businesses benefit from the broad range of services available in the port of Hamburg.

Ever since Hamburg’s port was established more than 1,000 years ago, cosmopolitanism, open-mindedness and hospitality have been continuously nourished in Hamburg. When this emerging commercial centre joined the Hanseatic League of merchants in the 14th century, Hamburg became the economic centre of the North Sea and Baltic Sea region. It swiftly turned into a true global player and cosmopolitan city.

Since then, Hamburg, the “gateway to the world”, has made a point of keeping its gates open – in both directions. Today, it is one of the most dynamic cities in the EU and continues to attract companies, institutions and professionals from around the world. Some 250,000 citizens from 185 nations have made Hamburg their home and currently work on the banks of the Alster Lake and the Elbe River. More than 100 consular missions represent their interests in Hamburg.

With more than 550 businesses from China, 100 from Japan and 50 from Taiwan, Hamburg is also Germany’s major location for Asia-related expertise. What is more, numerous companies from Central and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the UK and the US coordinate their activities for the German, Austrian, Swiss and Northern European markets from Hamburg.

For more information www.hamburg-economy.de

Image 01 The Elbphilharmonie’s viewing platform, the Plaza