The Port of Hamburg (Hamburger Hafen) is Germany’s seaside gateway to the world. It is located by the river Elbe, 110 kilometres from the mouth of Elbe and the North Sea. While ranking as the largest port in Germany, in terms of TEU throughput, the port of Hamburg is the third-busiest port in Europe and 15th-largest worldwide.

The harbour covers an area of 73.99 km², taking advantage of river Elbe’s branched riverbed, which is ideal for a complex port of this size. The port of Hamburg was founded by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1188. Discovered drawings from the 9th century show that even before his time, a wooden landing stage about 120 metres in length, has already been used for long distance trade. [Part II]