The most magical places in the hanseatic city
With the play Harry Potter and the cursed child, a little magic has moved to Hamburg. But with a little imagination, the Hanseatic city also looks like a backdrop from the Harry Potter films in one place or another. We have found 11 magical places for you to get that Harry Potter feeling.
1. Diagon Alley– Strolling alon the Deichstraße
Harry's magical journey begins in Diagon Alley. Completely fascinated by self-stirring cauldrons, noisy owls, handmade wands and, of course, the Nimbus 2000, he gets to know his new life at Hagrid's side. Hamburg's Deichstraße is similarly winding: cobblestones, crooked houses and wood-panelled shop fronts are reminiscent of Winkelgasse. If you look closely, you might discover magic wands and brooms in the shop windows here too?
2. Hogwarts – a visit to Bergedorf Castle
One thing is clear: Harry Potter fans have imagination. Bergedorf Castle, surrounded by moats and small bridges, with its playful towers and weathered figures in the ivy-covered courtyard, almost looks like the best school for witchcraft and wizardry in the world! If you take a little time, you might also find the whipping willow in the adjacent park.
3. The forbidden forest – Magical creatures in the Sachsenwald
The Forbidden Forest not far from Hogwarts is anything but a recreational area and not for the faint-hearted. In the Sachsenwald, instead of unicorns, you are more likely to encounter deer, but on foggy days, the thicket almost looks as if you could meet Hagrid and Fang at any moment.
4. Owlery – only a wing beat to Hagenbeck Zoo
The snowowl Hedwig is the first friend Harry makes in the wizarding world after Hagrid. She is clever and incredibly loyal and brings magic into Harry's colourful wizarding life right from the start. An equally beautiful specimen of a white-feathered owl can be marvelled at in Hagenbeck Zoo. However, only from a distance - without touching and tucking in a letter.
5. Astronomy Tower - stargazing in the Planetarium
High up in Hogwarts is the Astronomy Tower. Here Harry, Ron and Hermione learn everything about the positions of the stars and their meaning. We also discover a lot of interesting facts about constellations and the solar system in the planetarium. High up on the roof is a 360-degree view over the city park - especially beautiful at dusk. Almost like the epic view offered to the three friends at Hogwarts!
6. Hogwarts – Wandering around the Kunsthalle Hamburg
What would Hogwarts be without the talking pictures that line the walls of the school like timeless spectators. And the treacherous staircases that simply change direction in between. Wandering through the Hamburger Kunsthalle, you come across stately staircases and countless paintings from all artistic eras. I wonder what stories they have to tell? Who knows, maybe the portraits talk to each other at night and the staircases develop a life of their own. We can imagine that!
7. Herbology Greenhouse – green magic in the tropical greenhouse
Wer denkt in Sachen Kräuterkunde nicht an die schreienden Alraunen? Ohrenbetäubende Erinnerungen! Im Tropenhaus Hamburg geht es zwar etwas ruhiger zu, aber nicht weniger spannend. Hier finden sich fleischfressende Pflanzen und die Luft ist so feucht, dass man kurz auch an tödliche Schlingen und Wunderkräuter glaubt, die einen unter Wasser atmen lassen. Fehlt nur noch Mrs. Sprout mit ihrem spitzen Hut und ihrer resoluten Art!
8. Graveyard Little Hangleton – Walking and creeping on the Ohlsdorfer Friedhof
One of the creepiest moments in the Harry Potter saga: when the Triwizard Cup turns out to be a Portkey and Harry lands in the graveyard in little Hangleton with Cedric Diggory. Voldemort murders Cedric backstabbingly and, thanks to black magic, takes on his familiar human form again. Horror! Fortunately, the same thing that happened to Harry cannot happen to you at Ohlsdorf Cemetery, but the grounds still seem mystical. Waking angel statues, high hedges and hidden crypts provide the creepy factor on foggy days. You won't find Tom Riddle's grave in the world's largest park cemetery, but you can discover the graves of prominent people such as actor Hans Albers.
9. The head office – quiet please in the Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht
The world's greatest wizard has an impressive collection of unique artefacts in his headmaster's room. Just think of the Thinkarium or Fawkes the Phoenix! Shelves full of books, a spiral staircase and old clocks welcome us to the library of the Hanseatic High Court. I wonder if Dumbledore will peek around the corner and offer us some lemon drops?
10. The leaky cauldron – Cheers, Murphy's Irish Pub
Off through the leaky cauldron into Diagon Alley. In Murphy's Irish Pub, people drink, sway and play. Even behind the wooden façade (which is very reminiscent of the colour scheme of the Dripping Cauldron), litres of beer are tapped, Irish folk is danced to and perhaps the odd dragon's egg changes hands here.
11. The great hall – Look up in the St Michaelis church
Who hasn't wished to take a seat here? Oh, the great hall! Floating candles, a blanket with a starry sky and INCREDIBLE amounts of food so that the tables bend. And then there are the Christmas decorations! A piece of Hogwarts magic awaits in the main church of St Michael's. Ceilings almost as high as the sky, supported by old columns, the light shines dreamily through the stained glass windows. When the big Christmas tree is put up, Hogwarts doesn't seem far away. All that's missing are the floating candles and the owls circling around.
