Fotoeins Fotografie

location bifurcation, place vs. home

Posts tagged ‘Hamburg’

Chilehaus, Kontorhausviertel, UNESCO, Weltkulturerbe, World Heritage, Hamburg, Germany, fotoeins.com

Hamburg UNESCO WHS: Kontorhausviertel (Commercial District)

On 5 July 2015, UNESCO awarded World Heritage status to two sites in Hamburg: the Speicherstadt (Warehouse District) and the Kontorhausviertel (Office Building District). In the latter are two important brick buildings: Chilehaus and the Sprinkenhof, representative of the construction in the late 19th- and early 20th-century.

The Chilehaus was built by Fritz Höger for client Henry Sloman from 1922 to 1924 in the Kontorhausviertel as a prime example of German expressionist architecture using hard-fired brick. Höger undertook the project for Hamburg merchant and banker Sloman who made his fortune in importing nitrates from Chile. Built entirely to serve and complement the functions of the warehouses in neighbouring Speicherstadt, the Kontorhausviertel was the first dedicated office- and commercial-district on the European continent.

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Hamburg: Miniatur Wunderland, where tiny rules large

Above/featured: Miniature Hamburg with Heinrich Hertz tower at left, and Dammtor station at lower-centre.

Our family couldn’t afford the purchase of (or the space for) miniature railway sets. Christmas was a special time and with my nose pressed against shop windows, I’d dream of the world of the railroad set.

Hamburg’s Miniature Wonderland is big on wonder, has plenty of extensive miniature sets, and does not skimp on discoveries for people of all ages. Very little on the outside tells anybody passing by that there’s another world inside. Many aren’t fooled nor are they turned away. Miniature Wonderland was voted the most popular of 100 attractions in Germany in 2016, after 40-thousand international visitors were polled by the German National Tourist Board.

Built from 1883 to 1927, Hamburg’s Speicherstadt or Warehouse District was an important place in an increasingly busy port for the storage of dry goods from around the world. The Miniature Wonderland museum opened in the building called Block D on 16 August 2001. The historical Speicherstadt was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.

Miniatur Wunderland, MiWuLa, Miniature Wonderland, Speicherstadt, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Welterbe, Weltkulturerbe, Hamburg, Germany, fotoeins.com

Modelleisenbahn Wunderland (model railway wonderland); Block D, from street-level at Kehrwieder 2-4.

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Easter (Xmas) eggs, Miniatur Wunderland, Speicherstadt, Hamburg, Germany, fotoeins.com

Hamburg: Miniature Wonderland’s Christmas eggs

Above/featured: “Stranded.”

Since 2001, Miniatur Wunderland has been delighting children of all ages in the northern German city of Hamburg with the world’s largest miniature railway set, attracting a total of 12 million visitors so far. After many visits to the city over the last decade, I’ve somehow managed to stay away, but it’s finally high time curiosity wins the day.

The Urban Dictionary describes “easter eggs” as: “hidden items placed in a movie, television show, or otherwise visual media for close watchers”; see also here. Plenty of details in the form of “easter eggs” await visitors at various sections in the museum. With a few shorts weeks before Christmas, the designers have cleverly inserted many Santa Claus and other Christmas- or winter-related figures throughout the entire venue.

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Fotoeins’ Capture of Four Seasons

The seasons help mark the passage of time. While the extreme summer heat or the extreme winter cold may be at times irritating or even hazardous, there is always beauty to be found at any given time of year.

Booked.net ran a campaign “Capture the Seasons” (2012), and Erik Smith kindly nominated me.

SPRING

Altes Rathaus, Obere Bruecke, Geyerswoerthsteg, Bamberg, Germany

Altes Rathaus & Obere Brücke, from Geyerswörthsteg : Bamberg, Germany

I realize it’s spring when an explosion of colours lie in wait wherever I’m traveling. A beautiful set of flowers provided the perfect foreground to the Old Town Hall in Bamberg, Germany. It’s not enough that the Old Town is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but there are beautiful flowers present everywhere in town in springtime.

SUMMER

Goldbekkanal, on the way to Rondeelteich : Hamburg, Germany

A dog, its caretaker, & faithful dragon : Hamburg, Germany

I realize it’s summer when it’s time to hop on a boat to cool off. In Hamburg, you can take a cruise through the city canals and visit some of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in town. Then again, after watching this gentleman canoe down the Goldbekkanal, I believe that this man had a very “exclusive” insight to taking things easy in Hamburg.

AUTUMN

Heckmannhoefe, Berlin, Germany

Gathered on a bench in Heckmannhöfe : Berlin, Germany

I realize it’s autumn/fall when deciduous trees change colours, and the annual cycle continues with leaves falling onto the ground. While walking within the interior courtyards of the Heckmannhöfe in Berlin, I found three giant leaves on the ground and placed them on the bench. The brightly coloured leaves, the brown earthy colour of the bench, and the red-brown bricks on the ground formed a wonderfully representative image of the season.

WINTER

Pariser Platz, Brandenburger Tor, Berlin, Germany

Christmas Eve at Brandenburg Gate : Pariser Platz, Berlin, Germany

I realize it’s winter when Christmas lights are out, and the sights, smells, and sounds of the Weihnachtsmärkte (Christmas markets) in Germany are in full swing. On Christmas Eve 2010 in Berlin, I made my way to a quiet Brandenburg Gate in heavy snowfall and gusty winds. The Christmas tree-lights and the streaks of blowing snow combined to make a great winter picture.

To continue this thread, I’d like to nominate the following people:

•   Debbie of European Travelista
•   Catalin & Maria of 2away
•   Oneika the Traveler
•   Nancie M of Budget Travelers Sandbox
•   Aleah of Solitary Wanderer

Disclosure: No Connection, Unpaid, My Own Opinions. I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein. I made the four photos above between 2008 and 2010. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.