The Gateway

Episode 1

Hamburg

Some cities have a port. Hamburg is a port. Its maritime history stretches back 800 years old. The third largest in Europe for container transport and 11th worldwide, it is known locally as the "Gateway to the World". It is conveniently located between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, with 115 kilometres separating the city centre from the river mouth. It is a location for container vessels, shipbuilders and shipyards, but it also a major cruise destination. Each year in Hamburg 12,000 ships import 70 million tonnes of goods here.

The port is the pillar of Hamburg's economy. In the city, around 40,000 people are employed directly in and around the port, which accounts for 176,000 jobs in the whole metropolitan area. It is also the feeder city for the rest of Germany and vast array of cities like Vienna, Budapest and Prague, its transport network branching eastwards as far as Russia.