Between Heaven and the Elbe

Hamburg, the city on the river Elbe, did not gain importance through princes or the clergy, it does not offer castles and palaces. Hamburg grew solely through trade and with its port as the gateway to the world for travellers and emigrants for half a millennium.

Earlier than other German cities, Hamburg became a melting pot of lifestyles and cultures. The Hanseatic city as we know it today was mainly created in the past one hundred and fifty years. Yet in many places we suddenly encounter the older past. Using the network of Hamburg's underground and suburban trains as a guide, Jan Bürger roams the streets and districts with us and tells us the story of its diverse culture and those who created it. A cultural and historical journey of discovery through one of the most exciting German cities from literature and theatre, from music and museums, from graves and scholars, to the street and the harbour, the Beatles and the Elbe Philharmonic Orchestra.