Hamburg is located on the Elbe River in northern Germany and is the country’s largest
port and commercial centre.1 Hamburg’s history begins in 825 AD with the construction of Hammaburg, a moated castle
in this region. By the eleventh century, Hamburg’s role grew in commerce with the
establishment of trading businesses. Hamburg’s economic importance continued to grow
in the thirteenth century, owed to the development of the “Hanse” (an association
of merchants).2
Hamburg evolved into a more “modern” city in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
with the establishment of a stock exchange in 1558 and the Bank of Hamburg in 1619. By the end of the seventeenth century, Hamburg had 70,000 inhabitants and was the
largest city in Germany after Cologne.3 In 1770, it was acknowledged as an immediate imperial city, having no overlord other than the Kaiser (emperor) of Germany.
From 1810-1815, the Napoleonic Wars overthrew the old order in Germany and Hamburg was annexed to
Napoleon’s French empire. Once the empire fell, Hamburg became a member state of the
German Confederation.4 The city further prospered when trade was extended to newly opened territories in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. By the end of the nineteenth century, the population
increased from 130,000 to 700,000.5
During the First and Second World Wars, production, development, and all progress
was halted but soon continued in the aftermath of WWII. Today, Hamburg’s thriving
business and cultural life makes it one of the most vibrant cities in the world.6