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Home Page > Travelogues > Germany > Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg

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Click on the colored areas of the map to access a travelogue.  The colors indicate different regions of Schleswig-Holstein -- scroll down for explanation and introduction for each location. (Original map comes from the CIA World Factbook, inset map comes from www.entry.de)

Introduction.  The state of Schleswig-Holstein was the isthmus between the North and East Seas that connected Germany to Scandinavia.  (In fact, it was part of Denmark until it was conquered by the Prussians during their early expansion across the North.)  Dominated by weather-worn red-brick architecture that testifies to the occasionally harsh weather conditions, it is definitely more of a summer location than a winter one.

Meanwhile, the city-state of Hamburg was the gateway city-state in Germany's north that openly touts its Hanseatic past (you'll see references to 'Hansestadt Hamburg' everywhere) and its maritime present.  Hamburg was significant in that it was my first-ever night train destination.  Taking the Night Train from Heidelberg, I arrived at seven in the morning at the Hamburg, toured around, and hopped the night train home the following night.  This would become a common method for me to go long-distances to major cities where I could only afford a single day.

My other trip to the region was to the famous port city of Lübeck, located at the mouth of the Lübeck Bay.  This place was a decent year-round place, as there's lots to do independent of the weather.  The architecture there is pretty incredible, too.

Since getting to this part of Germany was difficult for me, this website is really thin on the region, and I admit not being totally satisfied with my Hamburg travelogue.  I fully intend to return there to visit some of the other major Schleswig-Holstein attractions, which include two famous islands -- the red sandstone island of Helgoland well out into the North Sea and the island of Sylt in the far northwest.  The cities of Flensburg and Kiel are also my list.

Travelogues.  

Links.  The below links connect you to external sites in a new window.  All links are official sites sanctioned by the national, state, or local governments unless otherwise indicated.  These links will open to the German-language home page, which will offer an icon or link to an English-language section (normally limited content).  Most of these pages use a British or US flag icon as the link to English content, while others will use the word "English".  Otherwise, look for "tourismus" which should link you to English-language content.  Links updated 13 January 2006.