HAMBURG (ham'bOrg), a city of Germany, one of the three formerly in dependent Hansa towns, and the greatest commercial port on the continent of Eu rope; 80 miles from the North Sea, on the N. branch of the Elbe. The town of Altona adjoins it on the W. From the Elbe proceed canals which intersect the E. and lower part of the city in all directions, and it is also intersected by the Alster, which here forms two fine streams, the Binnenalster and Aussen alster. The quays and harbor accommo dation are very extensive. After the destructive fire of 1842 whole streets were rebuilt in a magnificent and expensive style. The most important public buildings are the church of St. Nicholas, a noble Gothic structure with a lofty tower and spire, built between 1845 and 1874; St. Peter's, another lofty Gothic edifice; St. Michael's, the largest of the churches; St. Catharine's, an ancient edifice; St. James', erected in 1359, but surmounted by a modern tower; an elegant Jewish temple; an exchange, a noble edifice, consisting chiefly of a magnificent hall, surrounded by a fine colonnade. There are also the Johanneum institution, containing an ancient college, museums, and the city library, with about 300,000 volumes; several well-endowed hospitals; zoolog ical and botanic gardens; the Kunst halle, a large collection of pictures and sculpture, theaters, etc. Hamburg was prior to the World War of most impor tance on account of its great shipping trade and the business of banking, ex change, marine assurance, etc., carried on in connection with that. It was the
first commercial city on the continent of Europe, and ranked only below London and New York in the value of its trade. Its manufactures, though large, are less important, including shipbuilding, tobac co and cigar making, iron-founding, brewing, etc. The city owes its founda tion to the emperor Charlemagne, who (808-811) built a citadel and a church on the heights between the Elbe and the E. bank of the Alster, as a bulwark against the neighboring pagans. It be came important as a commercial city in the 12th century, and in the 13th it combined with Liibeck in forming the Hanseatic League. In 1618 Hamburg was formally acknowledged a free city of the Empire. During the Thirty Years' War its population and prosperity con tinued to increase on account of the im munity of its position, and in the follow ing century it obtained a large share of the trade with North America. In 1810 it was formally incorporated in the French empire along with the N. W. part of Germany. In 1815 it joined the Germanic Confederation as a free city. In 1888 the city was included in the Zollverein or German Customs Union. In the World War (1914-1918) Ham burg, which lived by its shipping in terests, suffered heavily owing to the blockade. Vessels rotted in the docks and desolation marked the once flourishing port. Since the Peace of 1919 Hamburg is fast regaining her old supremacy among German ports.