Built from 1906 to 1910, the 420-meter-long Landungsbrucken building features two towers of differing heights, as well as a number of bridge-shaped passageways and copper domes. Several piers lead out to floating pontoons in the middle of The River Elbe. These were once used as mooring points for the steamers that frequented the city, and later by HAPAG liners, but they are now used primarily by sightseeing boats. Large ships now dock elsewhere in Hamburg Harbor.
Hamburg’s famed pier runs parallel to The River Elbe along a 700-meter stretch. It was initially erected in 1839 but has since seen many renovations due to fire and war. Today, restaurants, souvenir shops and kiosks line the pier.
The photo below shows Landungsbrucken from The River Elbe.
The larger tower at Landungsbrucken indicates the water level as well as the time, and its ship’s bell tolls every half hour.
Landungsbrucken and its surroundings were heavily damaged during the war, and rebuilt from 1953 to 1955.
A complete modernization of Landungsbrucken was undertaken in 1999.
A new look for a new year! I was taken aback when your website loaded. I thought I had made an error!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for the new year from both of us! We are still recovering from Greece, which was not what we expected. I doubt we ever will go back. Calvin ate something bad, which gave him a very sour impression of Greece, and half the people on holiday were drunk half the time. We heard inebriated Germans and Brits roam the halls all night at our hotel. We got very little sleep. Much of our holiday was a disaster. We should have stayed home.
Wishing you a happy 2009!
Edythe
And a very Happy New Year to you and Calvin!
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for you that Greece did not meet your expectations. Perhaps it was the wrong time of year for Mykonos, what with all the Christmas revelers. Next year, try Rome, which I am told is wonderful at Christmas.
Andrew