Hamburg: Extremely exciting
When you say Hamburg, you mean the Elbe and the Alster. But the Hanseatic city is not only popular with native Hamburgians. Premium Residences met Philipp Niemann, who as Managing Director is responsible for all locations of the market leader Engel & Völkers in the port metropolis.
Premium Residences: From your point of view, what distinguishes Hamburg from Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt? What are the special characteristics?
Philipp Niemann: Now we have named many cities. Hamburg is a very old-established city, a trading city. It has a very conservative character because of its location on the Elbe, but it also has an international character because of its shipping industry. There are large corporations here like Beiersdorf or Airbus. But we are not the start-up hub that Berlin is, for example, so Hamburg doesn't have the internationality that Berlin has. But we feel quite comfortable with that because Hamburg is a very lively city that has a prospering economy and is developing positively. But it is fundamentally more conservative.
If you look at the small and medium-sized businesses, which are very strong in Hamburg, they are almost non-existent in Berlin, for example. In Berlin, there are many newcomer start-ups that are developing there, a bit like a melting pot. Hamburg is, let's say, a very down-to-earth German city that experiences a certain internationality through its large port. And that makes a big difference. The proximity to the water.
Munich and Hamburg like to compare themselves very much in Germany. Both have very high standards. Munich is also a very middle-class city and both cities believe they are always on the same level and don't want to compare themselves with the rest. Germany is very, very diverse compared to other countries because we have many metropolises and not just one or two.
Premium Residences: As a "non-native", you often have to overcome big hurdles when buying real estate Is that also the case in Hamburg or. Or is Hamburg simply a more open city due to its location by the sea?
Philipp Niemann: Yes, well, that also has to do with the size. We have over 1.8 million inhabitants. The city is very open. So anyone who comes here and wants to buy can do so without further ado. There are no barriers here - we are a very, very international city. And we have a lot of international clientele living and working here because of the companies that are located here.
Premium Residences: From your point of view, what distinguishes Hamburg from Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt? What are the special characteristics?
Philipp Niemann: Now we have named many cities. Hamburg is a very old-established city, a trading city. It has a very conservative character because of its location on the Elbe, but it also has an international character because of its shipping industry. There are large corporations here like Beiersdorf or Airbus. But we are not the start-up hub that Berlin is, for example, so Hamburg doesn't have the internationality that Berlin has. But we feel quite comfortable with that because Hamburg is a very lively city that has a prospering economy and is developing positively. But it is fundamentally more conservative.
If you look at the small and medium-sized businesses, which are very strong in Hamburg, they are almost non-existent in Berlin, for example. In Berlin, there are many newcomer start-ups that are developing there, a bit like a melting pot. Hamburg is, let's say, a very down-to-earth German city that experiences a certain internationality through its large port. And that makes a big difference. The proximity to the water.
Munich and Hamburg like to compare themselves very much in Germany. Both have very high standards. Munich is also a very middle-class city and both cities believe they are always on the same level and don't want to compare themselves with the rest. Germany is very, very diverse compared to other countries because we have many metropolises and not just one or two.
Premium Residences: As a "non-native", you often have to overcome big hurdles when buying real estate Is that also the case in Hamburg or. Or is Hamburg simply a more open city due to its location by the sea?
Philipp Niemann: Yes, well, that also has to do with the size. We have over 1.8 million inhabitants. The city is very open. So anyone who comes here and wants to buy can do so without further ado. There are no barriers here - we are a very, very international city. And we have a lot of international clientele living and working here because of the companies that are located here.
