Posts Tagged ‘Hamburg’

Elphie – Hamburg’s Sydney Opera House Alternative

Monday, March 11th, 2019

Officially inaugurated on 11 January 2017, the Elphie (abbreviation of the German word Elb Philharmonie) is one of the largest and acoustically most advanced concert halls in the world. It is an architectural, cultural and civic masterpiece and dominates Hamburg’s harbor. Set on a small finger of land that protrudes into the River Elbe, this cultural and residential complex incorporates three superb concert venues. A 280-foot curved escalator transports visitors up six flights to a public observation deck with sweeping views of the city of Hamburg and its harbor. The ride takes two and a half minutes. While a parking garage occupies some of the lower levels, the upper floors accommodate 44 luxury condominiums, a conference center, restaurants, bars and a spa. In addition, the four-star Westin Hotel Hamburg with 250 rooms is located between the 9th and 20th floors.

Elphie (Elb Philharmonie) in Hamburg, Germany. Photo © Klaus Malonnek, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Elphie (Elb Philharmonie) in Hamburg, Germany. Photo © Klaus Malonnek, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

The smallest of the condominiums has 1,300 square feet; the largest 4,300 square feet. Sales prices begin at $1,580 per square foot. A stay at the Westin Hotel will run about $220.00 per night for its least desirable room to $3,000 per night for its top suite.

History of the Elphie

The Elphie crests the skeleton of a 1963 warehouse that replaced an earlier one built in the same spot in 1875. The new structure is topped with a 1000-panel undulating glass roof. Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron retained the original 1966 brick façade of the base building. They then designed a footprint-matching glassy superstructure with its own foundation on top of this base. The first eight floors of the building are within the brick façade, the remaining 18 floors extend above it. The curved glass windows give the Elphie the appearance of a hoisted sail.

Elphie concert halls

The Elphie has three concert venues.The Great Concert Hall accommodates 2,100 visitors. The audience surrounds the performers in a vineyard-style seating arrangement. Even the back seats are no more than 100 feet from the conductor. Acoustician, Yasuhisa Toyota, designed the Elphie’s acoustics. He installed about 10,000 acoustic panels that disperse the sound into every corner of the hall. The Great Concert Hall also is home to a pipe organ with 69 registers and 4,765 organ pipes, built by the German company, Klais Orgelbau.

 

Great Concert Hall, Elphie, Hamburg, Germany. Photo © Klaus Malonnek, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Great Concert Hall, Elphie, Hamburg, Germany. Photo © Klaus Malonnek, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

The smaller Recital Hall holds 550 patrons and is used for the performance of recitals, chamber music and jazz concerts. The third venue, the Kaistudio, seats 170 visitors and is mainly used for educational events.

The Elphie’s Construction Woes

The foundation for the Elphie was laid in April 2007 with a projected completion date in 2010. Cost was estimated at €241 million. Like many other major projects worldwide, completion of the complex ran over schedule. Construction work finally ended in October 2016 at a cost of €789 million. Although the project was severely criticized for its cost and schedule overruns, it was successfully completed unlike Berlin’s new airport. The opening of BER has been delayed eight times already, with no end in sight.

Elphie’s Successes

Two years into the Elphie’s existence, the complex is still extremely popular with locals and visitors alike. Since its opening in 2017, each of the almost 800 concerts in the Great Concert Hall was almost always fully booked. The smaller Recital Hall was sold out over 90% of the time, and it still is difficult to obtain a ticket to a performance at the Elphi.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

Neuwerk Worth a Staycation

Monday, August 7th, 2017

 

Neuwerk is a small, inhabited island in the North Sea, about 9 miles northwest of Cuxhaven and 75 miles northwest of Hamburg. It is only about 1.5 square miles in size. As of spring 2017, 33 residents plus 2 children and their teacher make their permanent home there. However, over the course of the summer more than 120,000 guests visit Neuwerk and up to 2,000 may do so on a given day. Still, peace and tranquility abound.

Politically, the island belongs to the city-state of Hamburg. In 1990, it became part of the Nationalpark Hamburgisches Wattenmeer, (Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park), and in 2011 the entire area was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Neuwerk is a captivating spot for nature lovers as well as those who relish off-the-beaten-path experiences.

How to get to Neuwerk

There are a number of ways to reach the island. A fun way is to cross the wetlands on foot (called wattwandern in German) or on horseback. In either case, the tide must be low. Departure points are Cuxhaven-Duhnen and Cuxhaven-Sahlenburg. A marked path guides the hiker through the Wadden Sea http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/allure-of-the-wadden-sea/ on this 3 to 3.5-hour trek one-way. Wetland hiking is best during the summer months because during other times of the year, icy winds and water can turn such outings into Kneipp expeditions, and those are best left to the extremely hardy. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/kneipp-cold-water-cure/.

 

Wattwandern (wetland hiking) along a marked route from Neuwerk to Cuxhaven-Duhnen. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2017. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Wattwandern (wetland hiking) along a marked route from Neuwerk to Cuxhaven-Duhnen. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2017. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

An alternative to wetland hiking is a Wattwagenfahrt (horse-drawn carriage ride). Also only available during low tide, the rides use same marked route through the Wadden Sea. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/wattwagenfahrt-endless-discovery/ A Wattwagenfahrt takes 1 to 1.25 hours each way and is probably the most scenic way of reaching the island.

The least cumbersome way to visit Neuwerk is by ferry. Between April and October, the MS Flipper transports passengers almost daily to and from the island. Unlike crossing the wetlands on foot, horseback or Wattwagen, a ferry ride requires high tide. Check the tidetable. Ferry boat excursions take 1.5 to 2 hours each way.

To allow for sufficient time to explore the island, visitors often decide to walk one way and return by ferry or Wattwagen.

Neuwerk is an important habitat for birds

Neuwerk and the surrounding wetlands are an important habitat for breeding and resting birds. For millions of migratory birds, the Wadden Sea provides the sustenance for the flight north in spring and for the flight south in fall. The island is an ideal nursery for many bird species. Starting in May, various species breed in the vegetated interior of the island and in the salt marches surrounding it. The nearby, uninhabited islands of Scharhoern and Nigehoern, are bird sanctuaries. While Scharhoern can be visited as part of a tour or by prior arrangement with the warden, Nigehoern is off limits to visitors.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.