Hamburg
With a population of over 1.85 million people, Hamburg is not only the second-biggest city in Germany after Berlin but also the seventh-largest city in the world overall and the largest non-capital city in the European Union. The urban region around Hamburg has a population of about 2.5 million people, and it is included in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, which has a total population of more than 5.1 million people. The River Elbe and its two branches, the River Alster and the River Bille, are also located inside the city's borders. Hamburg is one of the 16 federated states that make up Germany. It is bounded to the north by Schleswig-Holstein and to the south by Lower Saxony.
The city's official name recalls Hamburg's past as both a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire and a member of the mediaeval Hanseatic League. Prior to the unification of Germany in 1871, it existed as a completely autonomous city state. Subsequently, prior to 1919, it constituted a civic republic that was constitutionally led by a class of hereditary great burghers or Hanseaten. In spite of being struck by calamities such as the Great Fire of Hamburg and the North Sea flood of 1962, as well as by military battles such as the bombing attacks during World War II, the city has managed to rebuild and emerge richer after each calamity.
After Rotterdam and Antwerp, Hamburg is considered to be Europe's third biggest port. The city is home to the regional broadcasting powerhouse NDR, the printing and publishing company Gruner + Jahr, and the publications Die Zeit and Der Spiegel. The oldest stock market in Germany as well as the oldest commercial bank in the world, the Berenberg Bank, are both headquartered in Hamburg. Multinational corporations Airbus, Blohm + Voss, Aurubis, Beiersdorf, and Unilever all have substantial facilities in the city and are involved in various aspects of the media, commercial, and industrial sectors. In addition, Hamburg is a significant European centre for science, research, and education, and it is home to a number of prestigious universities and organisations. According to the results of the 2019 Mercer Quality of Life Survey, the city has a very good quality of living and was placed 19th overall.
Hamburg plays host to professionals in global economics and international law, including consular and diplomatic missions such as the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the EU-LAC Foundation, and the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, as well as multilateral international political conferences and summits such as the Europe and China Summit and the G20 Summit. Helmut Schmidt and Angela Merkel, two former German chancellors, were both born in the city of Hamburg. Olaf Scholz, a former mayor of Hamburg who has served as the current chancellor of Germany from December 2021, was elected to that position.
The city of Hamburg is a significant tourism attraction both domestically and internationally. UNESCO bestowed the title of World Heritage Site to the Speicherstadt and the Kontorhausviertel in the year 2015. Around 2,500 bridges span the rivers and canals that run through Hamburg, making it the city in Europe with the largest total number of bridges counted. The city is home to a number of noteworthy cultural sites in addition to its extensive architectural history, including the Elbphilharmonie and the Laeiszhalle performance halls. It was the impetus behind the formation of movements such as Hamburger Schule and bands such as the Beatles, among others. Hamburg is also well-known for its many theatres and the wide range of musical acts that it hosts. The Reeperbahn in St. Pauli is one of the most well-known entertainment zones in all of Europe.