A Breif History of things I Learned in this Class.

The etymology for German Autumn comes from a movie released in 1978 called Deutschland im Herbst. “Germany in Autumn”. The movie is a collection of short films with a format similar to that of a news report. It won a Special Recognition award in the 28^th Berlin International film Festival.

Ulrike Meinhof really pisses me off. I find her to be a coward and a waste of human space. She fought for a cause that should it have succeeded would have made worse for more people the very thing she was afraid was happening to Germany. She attacked her own citizens, and wrote for the continuation of attacks and class warfare. Then to further make her cause futile she killed herself rather than face the consequences for her actions.

Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt, or as I have referred to him in a previous blog, the man with a really fun name, who had many P words attached to him. IE Professor, Psychologist, Physician, Philosopher, Physiologist. Is credited as the first man to call himself a psychologist. He founded the first formal laboratory in Psychological research and helped legitimize Psychology as a field.

All Quiet on the Western Front was a book that scared the living shit out of me, and a great deal of other things too. With a vivid description of the front lines of war during World War I and an extremely unhappy unsatisfying ending where no one survives and is happy. It’s a book I feel should be read once. But for me, once was more than enough. I think I’ve had enough dealing with wars for a lifetime thank you. It’s fun to think that there is a sequel to the book as well. “The Road Back”, and then another loose sequel, “Three Comrades”. Though It doesn’t appear any of the same characters appear in that book.

Now on to Political Parties,

Germany has significantly more political parties than the United States represented in state and federal offices, with a total of 12 currently elected.

Of the states I learned about Hamburg was the one I found out the most about.

Hamburg was originally named Treva, the current population is about 1.8 million people.  That’s a little less than 2/5ths the population of Minnesota living in a town the size of Duluth. It has 7 Boroughs and 104 quarters. The city got it’s name from a castle built by the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne in 808 AD. (Holy Roman Empire should not be confused with the Roman Empire as the Byzantine Emperor at the time really didn’t care for them.) Funny story, the name of the castle was called Hammaburg. Although no one knows where the castle is currently located. Hamburg was made the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishopric in 834, and was a member of the Hanseatic Leage!

Oh and about the Hanseatic League (Middle Age History is one of my favorite topics)  That was a confederation of cities with a mutual defense and trade agreement of Merchant guilds and their market towns. Mostly in the Northern Coast of Europe. It was in existence from the 13^th to the 17^th centuries. It made Hamburg a very wealthy city. The cities of the Hansaetic League were free from local nobility, reporting directly to the Holy Roman Emperor. So I would imagine cheaper taxes, the leaguetrade routes placed them in direct competition with the Norseman (vikings) until a treaty was signed.  The end of the League came about through the rise of the Swedish Empire. Which had taken control of a majority of the Baltic Sea, there was also a shift in thought from mutual benefit to individual benefit. As the Holy Roman Emperor’s power dwindled, the power of the German Princes was able to grow which further limited the freedom of each city. That being said, ten German cities still call themselves Hanse cities.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_political_parties accessed 12-18-12

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Autumn accessed 12-18-12

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,915254,00.html accessed 12-18-12

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html accessed 12-19-12

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_League  accessed 12-19-12

http://www.ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/european-networks/economic-networks/margrit-schulte-beerbuehl-networks-of-the-hanseatic-league accessed 12-19-12

Onion Cake!

Zwiebelkuchen

 

ONION CAKE!!!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zwiebelkuchen_1.JPG accessed 12-12-12

 

Actually a pie, and made of steamed onions, diced bacon, cream and caraway seeds on a yeast or leavened dough.

 

Caraway seeds come from the caraway plant. Another name is the Persian Cumin

 

Popular in Rhenishe Hesse, Palatinate, Franconia, Baden and Swabia.

 

Traditionally eaten in Basen during the Carnival and Bern during Zibelmarit (onion market!!!!)

Blue Sheet Questions!

Blue Sheet!

 

1.       The opposition to the German Authorities, as developed and implemented by the first generation of Baader-Meinhof group members needs to be defined. How did they organize their protest? What actions did they execute?

The protests started off as rally’s and semi peaceful displays. However they quickly escalated to bombings of federal buildings, kidnappings, and the occasional murder of a cop.

 

2.       In what ways did your level of identification with the group change from the beginning of the movie to the end.

I never really identified. I always found them to be radical terrorists. They didn’t even begin to try to pursue a peaceful way of changing the way the government was set up. I don’t think that they accomplished anything other than killing a bunch of cops. Though I disagreed with the German governments absolute apathy towards its citizens in the Iranian attack, I felt that the counter attack made by the RAF was equally inappropriate. The government should protect its citizens.

3.       Did the determination and rudeness displayed by Andreas Baader have a key role in the group dynamics, and in what ways?

Absolutely, his crazy ass determined the culture of the group. He was the one pushing for more violent outbursts. Pushing from a protest to a downright terrorist organization. His idea of how to liberate the people may have actually given the government more power to control the populace. He was reckless, and needlessly endangering the lives of others.

4.       I want a brief debate in class about force and non-legal ways of protest. I will aks students to stand in the corner of those who oppose violence under any circumstance- the Pacifists- and opposite them students who would agree to employ violence as a means to change society and political systems. Those who cannot decide stay in the middle.

Now I want to hear reasons, arguments, and attempts from each side to convince the other. People from the middle can join either group at any time. Students can even change sides mid game.

I noticed that once people picked a side it was evident they weren’t going to swap. Despite how persuasive the argument. I also noticed there wasn’t a very good choice. Violence is necessary, or violence is never necessary. Where as I was of a somewhat different mindset. Aggression should only be used as an absolute last resort and only when there is no other choice. Violence should only be used in A kill or be killed scenario. Diplomacy should be used in every ounce of the fight even long after it’s clear that it’s failed. A change of heart no matter how unlikely is always a small possibility, and what do we have if not hope.

I Hate Terrorists and So Should You!

The Cause:

The cause of the rise of the RAF was the slow realization by the younger generation that though the Nazi’s were kicked out of power, there were a great deal of them still holding positions in government. The members in the beginning were heavily influenced by Che Guevara and Mao Zedong, and Meinhoff was even active within the communist party.

 

Generation One:

Baader, Ensslin, Meinhof, Holger Meins, and Jan-Carl Raspe were the heads, they borrowed some phrases from the Americans and crafted a careful image of the group. Being anti imperialist, and outlaws. They even had a flag designed. Eventually they were all arrested and Meinhoff killed herself. (Doesn’t help the me thinking she’s a coward thing) and Meins died of starvation.

 

Generation Two:

A bunch of sympathizers of the first generation, their great claim to fame was kidnapping a candidate for mayor of Berlin in an attempt to release the fellas already arrested. Luckily for all of us Generation one was sentenced to life in prison.

 

Generation Three:

With the fall of the Soviet Union the RAF took a huge hit. (Hooray!!!) In 1990 it was revealed that the East Germans had been providing funding to the RAF. The government in a huge mistake said they would release some of the RAF prisoners they had captured should violence deescalate.  

 

Comparison to Terrorism Today

I feel like terrorism today is a little more suicidal. The RAF still had the mentality for self preservation. Willing to die for the cause sure. But only as a last resort. Where as most of the terrorist attacks you hear about today end with suicide bombing. Today to die for the cause is preferable to living and fighting tomorrow.

Reaction: Meinhoff has Mental Issues

My first issue with the movie was the government’s failure. The government that fails to protect its citizens invites terrorist organizations like the RAF. The fact that the German police sat by while the Persian thugs beat the populace senseless was unacceptable and inappropriate. If anything the Shah of Iran should have been beaten and dragged to a court house by the rapid response of the police for causing a riot.

 

Now on to Meinhoff. Meinhoff was a coward. She may have felt what they were doing was right but it was apparent throughout the movie that she was torn as to what she felt was the right thing to do. She at any point had the power to end the escalating situation but decided to quietly support it. Though it appeared that she did so quite reluctantly. She even goes so far as to flee to the East (Jordan?) and join them in a more formal terrorist training regimen. Apparently part of the group now.

 

Meinhoff eventually managed to brainwash herself to the RAF cause. (very clearly the wrong choice) She even decides that giving her children over to the Palestinians, never to see them again, may be the right thing to do. (though they end up with their Dad) I nearly laughed at how absurd this woman is, creating a better world for her children by giving them away to a militant terrorist organization. That’s got to be better than the Germany she left behind (sarcasm).

 

I sympathized with the police, The war against “The Enemy of the People” had gotten personal for many of the police. The fact that so many of them were taken alive I think really speaks volumes of the discipline of the police force. I was half expecting a shoot to kill order to be given in regards to known members of the RAF being they seemed to be more willing to die than be captured.

Comparing Goodbye, Lenin & and The Edukators

Goodbye Lenin seemed very sympathetic of the East German switch in government. Putting the main character in a predicament where his mom, a loyal supporter of the GDR misses the eight months where the wall comes down and the boarders between the two nations all but disappear.  Alex then goes out of his way to protect his mom from the truth. That the Soviet Government installed has failed. The story really sympathizes with the East Germans that were party members and now are relegated to unemployment. Though the movie tries to keep an upbeat attitude towards the reunification it defiantly keeps a bittersweet nostalgia for East Germany. Alex even states that for his mother he gave “East Germany the exit it deserved.”

 

On that note I couldn’t believe he kept the charade up. His intentions may have been noble but I feel like keeping it  a secret as long as he did was putting unnecessary stress on his mother. 

 

Fun little tidbit, The Matrix came out in 1999, The movie takes place in 1989. Denis is wearing a Matrix T-shirt in the scene where they are drinking and looking at the 2001 a space odyssey shot that he had filmed.

 

The Edukators was more than nostalgic for the East German way of life and seemed to be glorifying it. The main characters for the movie seemed to whine about how the rich had too much and the children weren’t revolutionary enough. Leaving notes stating that “The days of plenty are over.” Even kidnapping a man who it seems pretty clearly is supposed to be the embodiment of Capitalism. The kids end up getting away with kidnapping, breaking and entering, cracking security systems.

I did have an issue with the ending. The guy gives her a note saying paid in full, then says don’t worry about the police then sicks the police on the kids? How did they know the police were coming? Also…. Aren’t they wanted now? So if they do return they will just be arrested.

Matthew's Review P2 of 2

Were Martin (Ickarus) one of my personal friends. As a favor to him I would have promptly broken his nose. It’s hard to snort any drugs with a broken nose. I would have also had his drug dealer disappear in as friendly a way possible. Probably an anonymous tip. I have no patience for scumbags of that caliber. From the opening of the movie I had no like of the character. I felt when he had his psychosis in the subway system that finally committing suicide may have been for his benefit. So far from rational thought was he that I felt his continued existence may only be a burden on the rest of us. His girlfriend//agent wasn’t of much more help. You are cheating on me so I will cheat on you.

Where I come from we have a saying. Fuck me once shame on you, fuck me twice shame on me, fuck me thrice shame on us. Shame on them both at least four hundred times over. I could not believe she put up with that crap. The only person that seemed to have the smallest amount of sense was the lesbian lover that the Martin’s agent leaves him for, and even she is blinded by her obvious lust for the Martins agent.

Some cultural differences that jumped out at me would include, the awkward orgy they had. The fact that they did drugs in broad daylight, graffiti being commonplace and actually being something that is respectable. Having unisex bathrooms where it isn’t shocking to find couples having sex.

Something I did find exceptionally unusual is the revolving door attitude of the psychiatric hospitals. Here in the states you can freely admit yourself, however once you are admitted you have waived your right to leave regardless of mental faculties. You have to prove to the doctor that you are well before they will allow you to leave. In the mental hospital depicted in the movie Martin was granted the ability to leave anytime he wanted, he was even allowed to bring his personal belongings into his room. Here in the states. You are allowed the clothes on your back and that’s all.

Found that odd. All in all, I felt Martin was a lazy bum in need of a good butt kicking who got off too easy.

Q & A Movie Time! Pt 1 of 2

The questions you need to answer while viewing:

1.    What do drugs mean to Ickarus?

Drugs to Ickarus in Ickarus’s words a way to relax, but it seems apparent he genuinely enjoys doing them as well.

 

2.    Why, when, and how are his fans taking drugs, and which drugs do they take?

Mdma was a popular drug taken, as was Ecstasy and Ketamine(The Horse tranquilizer) though surprisingly I didn’t hear anything about anyone smoking Marijuana. The drug use shown is always done in a private room, or while partying in a bathroom.

 

3.    While we can see that his drug habits get him ill and into a psychosis, and while we witness his relapse and inability to work successfully, why does the subculture Ickarus is in focus on drugs?

The focus on drugs is not made directly apparent however it can be inferred that a difficult job market (as seen by Ickarus’s brother) could be part of the root. Also, people tend to follow a few stronger leaders.

IE Everyone’s doing it!

 

4.    Compare the standards you know from your home society with the people you see depicted in this movie. Which are the stark differences and contrasts?

In the culture I grew up in Marijuana was the drug of choice. A great deal of kids got into some heavier stuff. But it was very clear, you either only did Marijuana, or you did everything that came into your possession. Meth was the hard drug of choice. Not Ketamine or MDMA.

The kids in my community that got into stuff harder than Marijuana were generally ostracized. Forced to hang out amongst themselves as they couldn’t be trusted if left alone.

 

5.    Germany is considered a strong industrial nation the world over. Do you think that the youth culture as depicted here could change that? How about work ethics of Ickarus and of Alice, the label director who fires and then re-signs him?

Yes. I think the youth culture in Germany if left as the movie depicts it will become disenfranchised welfare leeches. Their lethargy will leave a power vacuum when the current people in command eventually die out leaving a window open for a great deal of bullcrap.

 

Ickarus’s work ethic is questionable. On one hand he does produce for the society. But I think he does it because he enjoys it. As he gets older his tastes will change and he may quit producing for society. I think it would be interesting to see him in twenty years and see what he’s up to. Assuming he lives that long being he seems to live by the phrase, “A short but merry life”

 

Alice is lazy. Little doubt about that. She fires a man for being mentally unstable and then has a change of heart isn’t very business savvy. The man is clearly a liability and I doubt he’s the sole person keeping the record company afloat. Especially when it seems clear that artists like Ickarus are a dime a dozen. She didn’t even renegotiate his contract.

 

6.    Which similar "cult movies" of US origin have you seen, if any?

Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, Santa Claus vs. the Martians, Our Island Earth. I’m a big fan of cult movies actually. Friends and I get together on our quest to find the stupidest movie ever made. Low budget films are a great time.

 

A Few Small Expansions

A Small Expansion on the Roll of Women.

From what I found Women granted the ability to vote on November 12, 1918, however they did not get the ability to exercise their new found right until the election in January of 1919. So a main point of our discussion in class can finally be settled. Both groups were right about when women got the right to vote. The general school of thought as for what to do with women before was "Keep them barefoot and pregnant" Though probably worded a little different.

Women's primary purpose was for maintaining the house and breeding.

 
A Small Expansion on Healthcare

Disease was problematic in the 19th century, and up until the 18th century they still treated disease in the same way as the ancient greeks. Using the four humors. Over time however laws were passed which helped fix some of the health problems. Washing hands before surgery being a fun new rule. Death rates dropped and plagues became less common.



A Fun Famous Name!

Willhelm Maximillian Wundt

 

Physician

Psychologist

Physiologist

Philosopher

Professor

 

(I ran out of P words that applied to him)

 

Regarded as the Father of experimental Psychology. He is famous for having studied the nature of religious belief

 

The Wundt illusion was developed by Wundt. The two red lines appear curved however they are straight.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wundt_illusion

18th Century!!!!!!!!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1I565MgMODXoZ5BMcgcMt-YhcF4a2KTmJmxEbc7nEkI0/edit

Five Points and an afterthought.

1. War is not something to be glorified.
2. The war desensitized  the young men to a level that should not have occurred.
3. Those that survived may feel they would have been better off dead.
4. The book ends at the same moment Paul's life ends. It purposefully does not portray Paul as a martyr or show that Pauls contributions to the war made any difference whatsoever. Paul's whole participation in the war in the grand scheme of things meant nothing.
5.I feel the book was an important read and unusually relevant to the day and age we live in.


That being said, I am glad I read the book. But do not care to read it again. Though I am no veteran and cannot even pretend to be from a military standing, I felt the book got to real at points. It showed me that one can enter a conflict innocent and throughout the course of it become a new individual walking in between two worlds.  There was no glory in what he had to do, and his whole presence in the war had no effect on the eventual outcome of the war. Yet he was forced to endure and watch as the world he loved was made to fall. The war made him indifferent to it. Something I don't care to ever experience. Paul see's people dying that he had known his whole life and shows no sorrow that they have fallen. He doesn't seem to care that his friends have all died. "Such is the life of a soldier" he even says at one point.

In closing, this book scared the crap out of me, and removed a great deal of the romanticism I had previously held about being sent off to war. Also, appreciating the friends I've got in Afghanistan a little more.

Kat the Awesome

Kat is the oldest member of the group forty years of age at the start of the novel, he is also the most experienced member of the group.  A Cobbler in civilian life (Shoe maker), and the primary mentor of the group. He shows his charisma by persuading the cook to allow his small squad to eat the food that was rationed for the hundred some men when only forty had arrived to eat.  He has a sixth sense for finding food that the other boys very much appreciate him for. In one incident he finds four boxes of lobster and another time he finds some geese for the Men to cook and eat.

 Kat is the most positive member of the group, and the boys generally look up to him. He leads his men by example and gets angry with them when they have a negative outlook on their disposition. Kat is a survivor.

Kat is practical and humane, in one incident he finds a man who had his thighs blown off, he was in intense pain and Kat was the one that suggested that they do a mercy killing by putting the man out of his misery rather than sit in the hospital bed for three days dyeing from a slow grueling death.  He is forced to stop from the mercy killing by the return of the other soldiers from the front.

 His death is exceptionally traumatic to Paul as it is that point in the novel where Paul gives up on life. Shrapnel from a mortar explodes wrecking Kats shin. Paul realizing that Kat is hurt tries to carry him back to camp. On the way back to camp Kat makes a small moan to which Paul urges him to hang on only to discover upon his arrival back at camp that Kat had died on the way. A piece of shrapnel that had hit him in the head. Kat had been the last member of his original group to die. After this Paul is seen as the old man as many of the new recruits are under seventeen. 

Chapter 9 Summary!!!!

Paul has just returned from leave and is curious as to the fates of his entourage, especially Kat.  Being as no one is aware whether or not other men in his group have survived Paul heads to the orderlies to see the fate of his men.  Paul finds out his friends are still on the front and instead of joining them waits three days and they return.

Upon return from the front they are forced into doing heavy drills and are put through heavy inspection as the Kaiser is coming to the front to personally inspect the troops. Paul explains that these drills are more humiliating than being on the front and that the front is preferable to the drills. The Kaiser eventually comes and delivers a few medals before leaving. Upon the Kaisers departure the fancy uniforms are quickly confiscated back.

Paul and the troops are disappointed by the appearance of the Kaiser. They imagined him larger, more powerful and to have a thundering voice. 

Instead of going to Russia, Paul and his men are sent back to the front. There they see a totally decimated line. Men laying naked having been blown out of their clothes and body parts scattered.  The soldiers become aware of how strong their enemy is shortly before a long burst of machine gun fire, a bomb lands close to Paul but narrowly misses him. Paul jumps into a trench and starts navigating the trench but has forgotten the way back to camp.  Paul ends up in no mans land where he comes face to face with a French soldier. The two engage in hand to hand combat and Paul stabs him 3 times. The French soldier falls and starts gurgling, Paul realizing that he’s not dead starts trying to take care of him. Offering him water and patches up his wounds. He finds a photo of a woman and a little girl in the French Soldiers pocket book and offers to write to them and send money. He later says that everything he promised he would do for this man he suggests he probably would not do.

Paul waits until nightfall and crawls out of the hole to find Kat and Albert went out searching for him. The next morning Paul tells his comrades what he had done to the French soldier and was consoled.

Christian Democratic Union

Presentation

My work on the Christian Democratic Union!

The first class period where we were assigned to the groups we swapped emails, then after class part of the group assigned who would get what jobs. I was given the duty of finding out information on the party platform. The CDU is the largest party in Germany, being the catch for those aligned slightly right of center. They seem comparable to our American Republican Party.

Their relationship with the CSU is an interesting one, I find it very similar to the relationship the Democratic party has with the Democratic Farmer Labor party of Minnesota. Where the CSU operates nearly exclusively in Bavaria and the CSU binds to the CDU for national politics. Again, very much like the DFL and Democratic Party here in Minnesota.

Anyway, on to the party platform!

Officially the CDU is Christian, There isn’t a separation between church and the organization, The party emphasizes “Christian understanding of humans and their responsibility toward God.” People that belong to the party however do not need to belong to a specific religion and often don’t belong to any specific religion. As conservatives they believe in harsher punishments for criminals, as well as a need to be fiscally conservative. (Not spending so much money)

They are openly against the nation of Turkey joining the European Union. They claim that Turkey violates multiple basic human rights and also does not believe they should be admitted on the grounds that Turkey has yet to recognize the Republic of Cyprus as an independent nation. Every nation admitted into the European Union must recognize every other nation in the European Union. They instead favor what they call a “Privileged Partnership”

In regards to how I felt the group project worked. I was rather disappointed by how everything panned out. We did communicate via email. But we were unable to meet due to scheduling conflicts and no notice before meetings. The two times the group did meet it was announced same day. It’s actually my understanding that only three of the group members met face to face. We did all email our parts in but being as the first time we saw the power point was when we were giving the presentation I was incredibly annoyed by the feeling that I was completely winging the presentation. All in all, I think the group was just too big to keep things from being done efficient.



Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Democratic_Union_%28Germany%29 accessed 9/15/12
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4434812.stm     accessed 9-15-12
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/115109/Christian-Democratic-Union-CDU accessed 9-15-12
http://www.cdu.de/en/3440.htm   9-15-12

Hamburg Final Version

Monday, September 10, 2012

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Flag_of_Hamburg.svg/600px-Flag_of_Hamburg.svg.png

Hamburg

• Originally named Treva
• Home to 1.8 million people
• largest GDP in Germany, 50,000 Euros per ca pita
• Produces most of Countries Copper supply
• Port of Hamburg
• Broken into 6 districts, Bergedorf being the largest and least populated
• 1918 became a city state
• great fire in 1842
• Beatles became famous in Hamburg
• 2011 won most environmentally friendly and green capital of Europe
• most bridges in the world

                                                                                                        http://www.roadtogermany.com/info/hamburg.html

http://asdf.no/blog/2006_03_01_archive.html

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg
http://www.hafen-hamburg.de/node/2091

http://www.mapsofworld.com/cities/germany/hamburg/tradeindustry.html

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/253231/Hamburg/16041/The-economy

ge110fMatthewJB

1. Hamburg
1.1 Hamburg is a city state located in the northern section of Germany, it has around 1.8million people, it is about 292 square miles.
1.2  The city has the highest GDP in Germany at 50,000 euro per capita, and a higher employment rate. Hamburg is most important for it's banking.  It also has Germany's oldest bank.  The next big thing Hamburg is known for is the Port of Hamburg.
1.3 Hamburg has 6 districts, Bergedorf being the largest even though it has the fewest residents.
1.5 Hamburgs original name was not even Hamburg, it was Treva, the name Hamburg comes from Emperor Charlemagne who ordered the construction of the first permanent building. A castle on rocky terrain. In the mid 800's Hamburg had a decent amount of change with religion, then in 845 Hamburg was destroyed by a fleet of Vikings. In 1030 the city was burned down, in 1201 and 1214 it was then occupied by a king from Denmark.  The Black Death and a few other great fires have also affected the growth of Hamburg.  In 1189 the imperial Charter granted Hamburg as an imperial free city and tax free.  In 1892 Hamburg had the last Cholera outbreak in the Western Hemisphere, it killed about 8,600 people. Surviving up until WWII they still took a hard hit.  Hamburg took numerous bombings starting multiple fires and completely changing the demographic.  In 1949 Hamburg became a state of the federal republic
2.  Some interesting facts are that the Beatles became famous by playing in Clubs around Hamburg.  Also the port of Hamburg is the 9th largest in the world.  When visiting Hamburg some of the main sites to see are the City hall, the Church of St. Michaelis, and the port.
3.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg#Tourism
http://english.hamburg.de/1-tourism-and-culture-np/