[ARCHIVED: 24/11/22] From Ancient Hamburg to the Modern World

Name: [ARCHIVED: 24/11/22] From Ancient Hamburg to the Modern World
Brand: VoiceMap
SKU: 366
Price: 3.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.1 (20 reviews)
Author: Robin and the Tourguides

(20 reviews)

Hamburg audio tour: [ARCHIVED: 24/11/22] From Ancient Hamburg to the Modern World

This is a 0.6mi walking tour

It takes an average of 25 mins to complete.

Hamburg

Germany

$3.99

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About the Tour

Take a walk back in time along the stone streets of an old pilgrims' route, from the majestic town hall via the medieval churches and vanished castle of Hamburg. Experience the multi-layered historic tales that have persevered through 400 years of fire and war to make up modern Hamburg.

Tour Producer

Robin and the Tourguides Foster, Kusnir GbR

6 tours

Robin and the Tourguides is dedicated to creating exceptional, authentic experiences across northern Germany. Rated as the top tour company in Hamburg, we offer a variety of engaging and informative tours, blending fun with a deep respect for local history, culture, and community. Our guides have the freedom to shape their tours in ways that showcase their passion, knowledge, and creativity, ensuring every tour is unique, memorable, and led with genuine enthusiasm.

As a local company, we prioritize fair partnerships with local businesses and provide our employees and guides with supportive, fair working conditions. We work closely with small cafés, restaurants, breweries, and other community businesses, giving back to our local partners and fostering connections that enrich our guests’ experiences. Financially, we’re committed to sustainable practices, managing all transactions through GLS Bank, Germany's pioneer in social, environmental, and ecological banking.

Our commitment to the community extends to charitable work. We offer affordable guided tours for refugees in Hamburg and donate annually to impactful charities. Since 2015, our donations have supported causes such as Wikipedia, local cultural initiatives, Sprachbrücke-Hamburg, Westwind-Hamburg, and NABU Germany. More recently, we’ve focused on supporting Ukrainian refugees and have contributed to UNICEF and humanitarian aid.

Robin and the Tourguides offers more than just tours; we provide a heartfelt connection to Hamburg and northern Germany, one that values people, places, and the stories that bring them to life.

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Preview Location

Location 1

Rathaus / Town Hall

I would like to welcome you to our VoiceMap tour today. My name is Brent and I am originally from California but have been living in Hamburg for 17 years. So Hamburg has definitely become a second home for me. I love this city and showing others the amazing and beautiful sites... I would like to welcome you to our VoiceMap tour today. My name is Brent and I am originally from California but have been living in Hamburg for 17 years. So Hamburg has definitely become a second home for me. I love this city and showing others the amazing and beautiful sites that it has to offer.

This tour will explore the Medieval past of Hamburg's roots to the modern day hustle and bustle of the early 20th Century. We'll start with the impressive building right here: the town hall. Please find a place to stand in the middle of the town hall square, so you can see all the details of the town hall. I've got a lot to tell you about it, so get comfortable.

Hamburg has had a total of six town halls in its history, but there were two major ones: this one, which is the new town hall, and the old town hall. Now if there is any date that you should remember on this tour today, it is this date: 1842. This is when Hamburg had its "Great Fire". I know, I know. Every city has its own great fire but Hamburg's was in 1842. So during the tour, if we are in front of a building and I tell you it was once destroyed, you know why, right? Fast learner! The Great Fire of 1842!

The new town hall was completed in 1897. It took 55 years to rebuild. Building was repeatedly delayed by worker strikes, revolutions, epidemics, and material shortage from all the rebuilding that had to happen after the fire.

The building of the original town hall faced a major problem: soft and muddy ground. And as you can imagine, the hall is very heavy and massive. They didn't want it to sink into the ground once they built it. So they used 4,000 oak tree trunks and rammed them into the ground as foundation pillars, and that is what the town hall is standing on today.

Now, do you see the tower up there? We believe that the town hall has 647 rooms. I say "believe" because in 1971, in one of the rooms inside that tower, a file fell behind a filing cabinet. We Germans do love our paperwork, so they moved the filing cabinet to find the file. As they did, they found a door to a secret room that no one had ever known about before. So there may be a few secret rooms inside the town hall that haven't been discovered yet.

Look between the windows and you will see 20 copper statues. They're kind of green and blackish in colour. You might want to get up closer now, to see them properly. These are kings and Kaisers that Hamburg had trading relationships with. If you look above the windows, you can see stone statues of men holding some sort of tool in their hands. This is to represent the working guilds and workers here in the city. They are placed symbolically above the emperors because since 1189, Hamburg has been a free city state, not under the rule of a king or emperor. The working class was considered to be more important than the emperors themselves!

Somebody once asked me, " why aren't there any women on the town hall?"

A woman, of course. There actually are a few women on the town hall. Look in the centre of the building, just above the balcony doors and you will see a mosaic of a woman. This is Hammonia. Hammonia is the goddess of Hamburg. She is the one that looks after the welfare and well-being of the people of Hamburg. So you will see lots of depictions of her around the city, especially on the older buildings.

Above Hammonia, you will see 4 copper statues of women as well. These are to represent the four civil values of the city: harmony, wisdom, reverence and bravery.
Above those statues you will see an emblem of a castle with a red background. This is a picture of the Hammaburg, the oldest fortification of the city dating back to the 8th century. I'd like to take you there and explain more about it.

So let's get going. Facing the town hall, please turn left and walk along the front of the hall.

VoiceMap uses your GPS location to play commentary, so you can now put your phone in your pocket and enjoy the walk. If you get lost or stuck, you can quickly check the route map on your phone's screen. There might be some silence, but you can just keep walking straight unless I tell you otherwise. Read More

View locations and route

How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

The VoiceMap app uses GPS to play audio automatically, at the right time and place, so you can focus on your surroundings, not the screen.

Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a fixed starting point. That lets us give turn-by-turn directions and use context to tell a better story.

Resume playback to go at your own pace

If you'd like to stop for a drink or go into a museum, end your tour then use the Resume feature to pick up exactly where you left off.

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Major Landmarks

Hamburg Townhall
Hamburg's Church of Saint Peter
Hamburg's St. James' Church
Chilehaus

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Rathausmarkt 1, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
Total distance

1km
Final location
Fischertwiete 2A, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
Distance back to start location

748.61m

Directions to Starting Point

Rathaus Metro and bus stations are diagonally across from the town hall.

Show Directions

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

St Peter's Church, St James' Church, Chilehaus

Best time of day

Anytime from 8am to 8pm

Precautions

Check the opening hours of the stops before you go

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

Google Play Store

Questions and Reviews

4.1 / 5

20 Ratings

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[ARCHIVED: 24/11/22] From Ancient Hamburg to the Modern World

About the Tour

Tour Producer

Robin and the Tourguides Foster, Kusnir GbR

Save with Passes

Preview Location

Location 1

Rathaus / Town Hall

How VoiceMap Works

Major Landmarks

Hamburg Townhall

Hamburg's Church of Saint Peter

Hamburg's St. James' Church

Chilehaus

Getting There

Route Overview

Directions to Starting Point

Tips

Places to stop along the way

Best time of day

Precautions

Get The App

Questions and Reviews