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[title]It’s official: Hamburg is heating up as the place to head to this winter, not just because of its historic port, the live music venues famously played by The Beatles when they were rising stars or its red-brick UNESCO World Heritage Site warehouse district, Speicherstadt. Now, the country’s second-largest city is increasingly a draw for visitors from around the world thanks to its rich tapestry of culture. Keen? We thought you might be…
Building bridges
At the centre of it all? The Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, one of the world’s most iconic concert halls designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, which this month begins 10th anniversary celebrations that continue into next year. Rising magnificently into the sky in the waterfront district of HafenCity with sweeping views of the River Elbe, it’s an architectural masterpiece in its own right with a wave-inspired glass ‘scraper built directly on top of an original brick warehouse to bridge the old and the new. A design aficionado’s dream, it’s even got its own ‘Tube’ – a curved escalator where surprises away at every swooping turn – that takes you from the main entrance to the sixth floor where an expansive public Plaza awaits (and with it, views for days).
It’s a numbers game
But awe-inspiring architecture and jaw-dropping interiors are just the tip of this shimmering, iceberg-like structure. Since throwing open its rather grand doors in 2017, annual attendance at classical concerts in the city have tripled, while it’s clocked more than 7.4 million visitors at around 6,400 concerts and events, of which were 130 world premieres, that ran the gamut from contemporary to jazz and electronic, amongst many other genres. The Plaza, meanwhile, has seen 29.5 million people flocking from around the world. To mark its successes – and a rather big birthday – the Elbphilharmonie is going all-out with a raft of starry performances that make the most of its spaces, including The Grand Hall and The Recital Hall, where the same phenomenal sound is heard by everyone no matter where you’re sitting. It’s all courtesy of notable ‘sound architect’ Yasuhisa Toyota enlisted during the design of the building – don’t worry, we didn’t realise that was a thing, either!
Let the celebrations begin
To kickstart proceedings this month, seven leading US orchestras including the New York Philharmonic returning for the first time since 2017 are playing a total of 13 concerts. The standing-ovation-worth season will continue with the five-day Reflektor festival by musician and composer Rhiannon Giddens that explores the global roots of American musical culture. Next up? A festival of contemporary orchestral music in the form of Elbphilharmonie Visions and an exhibition by Swiss artist Zimoun in The Recital Hall, which will act as a bridge to contemporary art. As if that wasn’t enough of a feast for the senses, there’ll be specific birthday celebrations for prolific composers – John Adams, Steve Reich and John Coltrane included – as well as an homage to Beethoven featuring complete cycles of his piano sonatas, concertos and string quartets, as well as performances from Dianne Reeves, the Punch Brothers, Youssou N’Dour and more.
The whole thing culminates with the Elbphilharmonie Anniversary Concert on January 11, 2027, though, when the NDR Elphilharmonie Orchestra will perform alongside American conductor Alan Gilbert and Hamburg-based band MEUTE.
A hub of culture in the historic harbour of Hamburg that fosters creativity and brings people together for the best in art, music, design and more, the Elbphilharmonie is an icon that straddles the divide between the rich city’s past and its bright future. The incredible anniversary season, from September onwards, is the perfect excuse for you to be in the thick of things.
For everything else to do while you’re there, from attractions and hotels to restaurants and bars, check out our ultimate guide to the city.
Discover more about Elbphilharmonie and its anniversary celebrations