ELBPHILHARMONIE

The Elbphilharmonie is the flagship building of the HafenCity urban project and is now the emblematic monument of modern Hamburg architecture. It dominates the river from all its height (110 meters) and sparkles like a glass vessel facing the port of Hamburg with its 1,100 windows. It is called "The Wave" or "The Lighthouse of Modernity" and brings a growing number of tourists - music and architecture lovers - to Hamburg. Its architecture, which subtly blends a trapezoidal red brick warehouse characteristic of the city with this undulating glass wave, is truly captivating. When the sun falls on this glass structure, giving it a slightly magical shimmering effect, it is even more beautiful. The entire Elbphilharmonie lights up. This superlative building not only houses three concert halls, but also several restaurants, a boutique, a hotel and 44 private apartments.

Plaza. When you enter the building for the first time, you feel a sense of exhilaration. Inside, "the tube", an 80 meter long escalator, slightly curved and decorated with glitter, catches the visitors and takes them to the Plaza, one of the most beautiful places in the city! The Plaza, 37 meters above the ground, offers a circular platform accessible to all free of charge, ideal for admiring Hamburg, the harbor with its countless cranes and the HafenCity. Every day, thousands of visitors flock here. The view is breathtaking, even more so at sunset when the sky turns pink and the windows reflect the last rays of light on the cranes of the harbor opposite. The immense port spreads out before our eyes, with its containers, its ships, its smoke..

Hamburg is at our feet, the Philharmonic shines above our heads and this view is perhaps the most beautiful to apprehend this city of contrasts. If you take a 360° tour of this Plaza, you can see both the modern harbor and the Sankt Pauli docks, the warehouse district, and all the spires of the old city. A sublime suspended walk from which it is difficult to tear oneself away. When you look down, you have the impression of being on the deck of a huge liner ready to set sail on the Elbe towards the sea and say goodbye to Hamburg. One must also contemplate the superb corrugated glass doors that allow access to the Plaza. You are both inside and outside, thanks to these slightly opaque windows that already allow you to see the port and its cranes. You can also enjoy a drink in front of the view or take a look at the store. The shop offers countless objects based on the characteristic shape of the building: the Elbphilharmonie in a snow globe, in a shortbread mold... But also splendid postcards!

History. Let's go back a bit to the history of the building, which opened in January 2017 after a long wait of seven years. The idea for the Philharmonie was proposed in 1999 by architect Alexander Gerard and art historian Jana Marko. The couple thought that it was impossible to build a single tower at the entrance to the futuristic HafenCity district and that something was needed for the public. This was a good thing, because Hamburg is a city of music, but it does not yet have a Philharmonic. The Swiss architectural firm of Herzog & de Meuron (Tate Modern in London, Allianz Arena in Munich, Olympic Stadium in Beijing) was commissioned to design the Philharmonic. Their first wave-shaped design was the right one. To complete the project, it was necessary to raise the place by 10 meters of bricks, build the 80-meter long curved "tube", stabilize the building with pillars, take the windows to Italy to curve them, and imagine dampers to keep the outside noise of the city out. A colossal project that finally cost 11 times more than expected: 866 million euros instead of the 77 million estimated.

Great hall. The pride of the German classical music world, the famous concert hall has 2,100 seats. It is the jewel in the crown of this building, which is accessed by oak staircases. The large hall is a sort of warm and soothing cocoon, dazzling with light and isolated from all extraneous noise. Its exceptional acoustics are due in part to a wall and ceiling structure called "Weisse Haut" (white skin) made of unique panels of gypsum fiber and recycled paper, which projects the sound to the very corners of the room. This marvel is the work of Japanese acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota. It is built on the Weinberg principle: the stage is placed in the center and the seats are arranged in terraces around it like a ring. Thanks to this process, no spectator is more than thirty meters from the conductor. It also houses an impressive organ with 4,765 pipes! The musical program is varied and eclectic, the Philharmonie being a "House for All". You can of course listen to classical music, but also to jazz, world music, pop or folk music and attend shows for children. The Elbphilharmonie has also created its own instrumental band.