Strung like a pearl approximately 70 miles down the Elbe River from its mouth at the North Sea, the elegant city of Hamburg commands a prominent position. With haunting canals lined by former warehouses weaving through the harbor front and the serene Lake Alster carving out the city center, Hamburg’s aquatic topography has justly shaped its past and present. The international port city, once a major power player in the ancient Hanseatic League, rose to affluence as a shipping, finance and media ...