Colonial roots and current routes
Migration in the harbour city of Hamburg
Hamburg is one of the principle harbour cities in Europe and probably the most powerful in economic terms. Situated about 80 kilometres from the coast, the city was once part of the “Hanse”, or Hanseatic League – a powerful confederation of the shipping and trading cities within German territory. Hamburg developed from a free and independent, sovereign state into what is today: Germany’s second largest city. This article is based on a harbour tour held 15 September 2012 as part of Eurozine’s 24th European Meeting of Cultural Journals in Hamburg.