Contact Admin. Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg ; Low Saxon: Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg , [6] is the second-largest city in Germany and 8th largest city in the European Union with a population of over 1. One of Germany's 16 federal states , it is surrounded by Schleswig-Holstein to the north and Lower Saxony to the south. The city's metropolitan region is home to more than five million people. The official name reflects Hamburg's history as a member of the medieval Hanseatic League and a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire.
Before the Unification of Germany , it was a fully sovereign city state , and before formed a civic republic headed constitutionally by a class of hereditary grand burghers or Hanseaten. Beset by disasters such as the Great Fire of Hamburg , North Sea flood of and military conflicts including World War II bombing raids , the city has managed to recover and emerge wealthier after each catastrophe.
Hamburg is Europe's third-largest port. Hamburg is the seat of Germany's oldest stock exchange and the world's oldest merchant bank , Berenberg Bank. The city is a major international and domestic tourist destination. It ranked 18th in the world for livability in Hamburg is a major European science, research, and education hub , with several universities and institutions.
Among its most notable cultural venues are the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle concert halls. It gave birth to movements like Hamburger Schule and paved the way for bands including The Beatles. Hamburg is also known for several theatres and a variety of musical shows. Pauli 's Reeperbahn is among the best-known European entertainment districts. Hamburg is at a sheltered natural harbour on the southern fanning-out of the Jutland Peninsula , between Continental Europe to the south and Scandinavia to the north, with the North Sea to the west and the Baltic Sea to the northeast.
It is on the River Elbe at its confluence with the Alster and Bille. The neighborhoods of Neuenfelde , Cranz , Francop and Finkenwerder are part of the Altes Land old land region, the largest contiguous fruit-producing region in Central Europe.
