Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus, Maritime warehouse complex in Hamburg, Germany
Speicherstadt and the Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus form a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Hamburg-Mitte, made up of red brick warehouses, narrow canals, and iron bridges. The Chilehaus is a tall office building on the eastern edge of the district, with a curved facade that stands apart from the surrounding warehouse blocks.
Speicherstadt was built from 1885 onward, after existing neighborhoods were cleared to make way for a connected warehouse complex raised on timber piles above the water. The Chilehaus was commissioned in the 1920s by a Hamburg merchant who had made his fortune in the saltpeter trade with Chile.
The Chilehaus is an office building from the 1920s whose front corner tapers to a sharp point, much like the bow of a ship. Walking past it, visitors can see how the curved facade draws the eye along the entire length of the block.
The whole area is easy to walk through, since bridges and footpaths connect the warehouse buildings along the canals. Some of the old warehouses now hold museums, so it is worth checking what is open before arriving.
The Speicherstadt warehouses sat within a free port zone, meaning goods stored there were not subject to customs duties for as long as they remained inside. This arrangement lasted until 2013, when the area was formally integrated into the city of Hamburg.
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