Today we have a themed set of releases for one of Europe’s major trading centres, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The port sits at the end of the Elbe estuary, and is probably 50 or so kilometres from the North Sea. The river is a good kilometre or more wide until it reaches the city, making it an ideal sheltered anchorage.

Phil has created five buildings from the city in our 1/1000th Small Scale Scenery range of various types and sizes. First is the Kaispeicher B Warehouse, a huge Gothic building in the heart of the harbour area. Today it’s a museum with a shop and restaurant.

The tallest building in this set of releases is a huge water tower (Wasserturm) – nowadays it’s been converted into a rather unique hotel.

The largest building overall is a brewery grain elevator with distinctive half-hipped roof. It comes with a separate small office building.

Looking more like a government building, this dome is in fact the North entrance to the Old Elbe Tunnel (Alter Elbtunnel, or St. Pauli Elbe Tunnel) which opened in 1911. It handles not only pedestrian traffic but vehicles as well, using elevators to take them from street level down 24m to the tunnel. The South entrance building is similar but less impressive, lacking the domed roof (although whether it once had a dome which has since been removed we don’t know).

Finally, this is a Water Level Tower, used to show the current state of the tides.

SSS-8180 – Hamburg Kaispeicher B Warehouse – £3.50
SSS-8181 – Hamburg Water Tower – £2.50
SSS-8182 – Hamburg Grain Elevator Building – £5.00
SSS-8183 – Hamburg Elbe Tunnel Building – £1.50
SSS-8184 – Hamburg Water Level Tower – £1.50

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