1936 On the Continent

more than one hotel, as the huge and famous Hotel Atlantik has such a glorious position on the Aussenalster. The Atlantik is the dearest, but the prices in these five hotels are on the average under 12 to 14 marks a day for a room with bath, which is reasonable for their service and appointments.

Hamburg: The Town and Its People
    Hamburg is not a town which is likely to appeal equally to everyone. There are people who do not care for it at all, who find it cold and formal and who miss the so-called beauty spots. There are others who are more enthusiastic about it than any other town in Germany. It has a strongly characteristic life of its own, and the special style of building is influenced by that life.
    Hamburg is typically German and has the generous large-featured lay-out of the big German towns, yet I felt here that I was half-way home. Perhaps this was on account of the sea air or the shape of the clouds or the evening mist which so reminded me of London. The people also have something in their appearance which strikes one as English, and they are considered by their own countrymen to be too reserved or, as they say, too proud. They do not appear so unreservedly friendly as the people of the south and Central Germany, but when you know them better you get the feeling that these Hamburgers may be trusted. The honesty of the Hamburg merchants is no empty phrase, and in spite of the bad times, which have much affected the great harbour town, they have not changed.
    The social similarity with the English is evidenced by the great number of exclusive clubs, often called Gesellschaften or Vereine, and the segregated club life has developed much more strongly here than elsewhere. The leading circles of Hamburg commercial life will not readily admit new elements. The aristocracy of Hamburg are the patricians, the shipping people, the shipbuilders, the export traders and the stockbrokers.
    The great changes in Germany have not left undisturbed the carefully cherished independence of Hamburg, the onetime Burgher Republic. Its self-sufficiency may be reduced politically, but its moral attitude remains the same.
Hamburg: Its Buildings
    Old Hamburg has almost completely disappeared, as a great fire about a hundred years ago destroyed most of it. What remains is most picturesque but is no longer characteristic of the Queen of the North Sea. The Hamburgers, in spite of their conservative principles, are modern people who do not cling to the past: anything that hinders the development of the town must go. During the last few years in particular, a large portion of the town has been pulled down to make room for Neu Hamburg Platz. The notorious Gängeviertel, which lies in one of the oldest parts of the town—curiously called Neustadt—is fast disappearing and in a very short time there will be nothing of it left.
    Two builders are responsible for the new town of Hamburg—Fritz Schuhmacher, who as master builder to the town created the different public buildings, schools and the like, which, in spite of their simplicity, are most impressive; and the once much criticised Fritz Höger whom time has more than justified. The beauty of Hamburg’s new buildings lies principally in his commercial palaces, built of red clinker bricks, which are both appropriate and dignified, and dominate the inner town as their masters dominate the shipping and trade of the world. The most famous of these is the Chile-Haus, one of the so-called counting-houses. Adjoining it are many other houses in the same style, such as the Ballinhaus, Sprinkenhof, Mohlenhof and Montanhof. All these are situated between the harbour and the Old Town.
    The counting houses are landmarks in Hamburg and are the most interesting buildings.
The Wonderful Port of Hamburg
    But for me and, I expect, for most visitors, the town has yet greater delights. First there is the port which, after London, is the largest in Europe. For the tourist it hasan advantage over London in that it is much more compact and easier to see. There are circular tours round the harbour, from which one gets the clearest idea of the modernity and size of this huge port, which unfortunately is not all in use to-day. The so-called Freihafen is interesting as one of the most important gateways to the European markets, through which the products of German industry pass to travel all over the world, and on the other hand, foreign goods from all parts make their way to the Continent via Germany’s