Wilsede & Totengrund

The Lüneburg Heath is located in the northeast of Lower Saxony between the Elbe and Aller rivers, within easy reach of Hamburg, Bremen, and Hanover. Heidschnucken sheep graze the open areas, preventing trees from overgrowing the heath. The heath is in full bloom, especially in August and September.At its heart is the Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve, founded in 1921, surrounding the Wilseder Berg, which at 169.2 metres is the highest elevation in the heath. On the edge of the heath lies the Hanseatic city of Lüneburg, which grew rich from its salt and today boasts around 1300 listed brick houses.

The Hanseatic city of Lüneburg is located on the Ilmenau, about 50 kilometers southeast of Hamburg, and has around 80,000 inhabitants. For centuries, it was the sole supplier of salt for the North German region, making it wealthy; the saltworks only closed in 1980. Around 1300 listed brick houses tell of this heyday.Stroll across Am Sande square with its stepped and spiral gables, visit Northern Germany's largest medieval town hall, and settle down in the Wasserviertel by the Old Crane and Stintmarkt on the Ilmenau.

The HafenCity has been developing since its groundbreaking on April 9, 2001, on the former Großer Grasbrook, a port area of approximately 157 hectares, which was released from the Free Port on January 1, 2003, to allow for residential construction. Since March 1, 2008, it has been its own district. To its north lies the Speicherstadt, opened in 1888, for which the residential quarters Kehrwieder and Wandrahm were cleared starting in 1883.You'll walk across the Magellan and Marco Polo Terraces along the water, visit the International Maritime Museum in Kaispeicher B, and learn at the Speicherstadtmuseum how storekeepers stored coffee, tea, and rubber. The U4 stops at the stations Überseequartier, HafenCity Universität, and Elbbrücken.

St. Pauli, located directly on the Elbe between the city center and Altona, has been a Hamburg district since 1894. The former suburb of Hamburger Berg has borne this name since 1833. The Reeperbahn recalls the rope makers who settled here from 1633 and spun ship ropes. Today, the Kiez around Reeperbahn, Große Freiheit and Spielbudenplatz, FC St. Pauli with its Millerntor Stadium, and the harbor define the district, which is considered politically left-leaning, diverse, and tolerant.During the day, you can climb the Grüner Bunker on Feldstraße or visit Beatles-Platz, while evenings offer a choice between the theaters on Spielbudenplatz, live music clubs, and Kiez pubs. The U3 stops at Landungsbrücken, St. Pauli, and Feldstraße stations, and S-Bahn lines S1 and S3 stop at Reeperbahn station.

Altona originated around 1535 as a fishing settlement. On August 23, 1664, it received city rights from Danish King Frederick III and grew into the second-largest city in the Danish realm. It only became part of Hamburg in 1938. Neighboring Ottensen, first mentioned in 1310 as the village of Ottenhusen, developed into an industrial hub after 1866 and became part of Altona in 1889. Today, Ottensen, with some 35,000 residents across 2.9 square kilometers, is a popular district for shopping and going out.From Altona Balcony, you can see across the Elbe to the Köhlbrand Bridge; along the Palmaille stand grand bourgeois buildings from the early 19th century. In Ottensen, you'll find the Fabrik cultural center with its crane and the Zeise Kinos featuring a ship's propeller from the former propeller factory. The S-Bahn lines S1, S2, and S3 stop at Altona Station.