district]]
is a deep water
Harbour off the
North Sea , on the river
Elbe in
Hamburg ,
Germany .
It is named Germany's "Gateway to the World" and is the largest sea-port in Germany and - in terms of
Numbers Of Containers Handled In 2004 - the second-largest in
Europe and ninth-largest worldwide.
In 2004, seven million
Containers were handled in Hamburg.
The harbour covers an area of 73.99 km&
2 (64.80 km&
2 usable), of which 43.31 km&
2 (34.12 km&
2) are land areas.
The location is naturally advantaged by a branching
Elbe , creating an ideal place for a port complex with
Warehousing and transshipment facilities. The extensive
Free Port also enables toll-free shipping.
Since the harbour is located in a distance of 110 kilometres from the mouth of the
Elbe , some
Ship s at times have difficulties accessing the port. Deepening of the river
Elbe in response is very controversial for
Ecological reasons. In part due to cooperation with
Lower Saxony and
Bremen to build a new container port (''
JadeWeserPort '') in the deep waters of
Jadebusen in
Wilhelmshaven , Hamburg withdrew from this plan after a change of government in 2001.
A new city district named
HafenCity is under construction north of the harbour.
The history of the Hamburg harbour is as old as that of Hamburg itself. Founded in 1189 by
Frederick I for its strategic location, it has been
Central Europe 's main port for centuries and enabled Hamburg to develop into a leading trading city with a rich and proud bourgeoisie.
During the second half of the 19th century, Hamburg became Central Europe's main hub for transatlantic passenger and freight travel and from 1871 onward it was Germany's principal port of trade - worldwide. During the division of Germany, Hamburg harbour lost most of its hinterland, but since
Reunification and the
European Enlargement the trade volume is growing strongly again.
