Wild Hamburg
Off to the urban jungle
Hamburg is the pearl of the north, also for wildlife!
For many people Hamburg is synonymous with its harbour: ships, container terminals, Reeperbahn. The city with its modern office buildings and shopping malls is also famous. But the metropolis also has a green, wild side!
Who would have thought that the city on the Elbe and Alster offers more habitats for animal and plant species than any other major German city. More than fifty mammal species and about 160 different bird species live in Hamburg.
In “Wild Hamburg” we explore the wilderness of the Hanseatic city and show exciting and surprising insights into the life of the secret and prominent wild Hamburgerans.
The alster swans are both landmarks and lucky charms. Swan couples are not disturbed by the strolling walkers and breed on the banks of the Alster. They spend the cold season in the quarters of Schwanenvater Nieß.
Foxes raise their young in the harbour. And hardly anyone knows of the rare eagle owls that breed at the Ohlsdorf cemetery or of the sea birds that have chosen the roof of a shopping centre as a beach replacement.
Many other unusual animals populate the Hanseatic city: white-tailed eagles fish in the Elbe in front of the wealthy district Blankenese. Europe’s largest deer roar in the Duvenstedter Brook nature reserve on the outskirts of the metropolis. Hornets can be found in the titmouse box. Bees collect honey in their hives on houses. Polecats have their burrow in the shed of an Alstervilla. Peregrine falcons raise their young in a church tower high above Mönckebergstraße.
Hamburg is one of the most sparsely populated metropolises in the world with an area of 755 square kilometres and thus offers a wide variety of different habitats. Hamburg is indeed the pearl of the north, also for plants and animals!