Tourist Attraction in Hamburg:
Elbphilharmonie
Elbphilharmonie is a concert hall in the city of Hamburg, located in the HafenCity district. It is one of the largest and most acoustically advanced concert halls in the world. It is also known with the nickname Elphi. The glass construction resembles a hooped sail, a wave or a quartz crystal, and leans over an old warehouse (Kaispeicher A, built in 1963) near the historic Speicherstadt. Built on the design of the Herzog & de Meuron studio, it includes two concert halls, one for 2,000 seats and one for 550, a hotel and 44 apartments. It is the tallest building in Hamburg, with a final height of 108 meters. It was inaugurated on January 11, 2017, with a concert by NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester directed by Thomas Hengelbrock. On April 2, 2007, the first stone was placed in the Kaispeicher A warehouse, in the presence of the Hamburg ombudsman, Ole von Beust, the managing director of Hochtief Costruzioni AG Henner Mahlstedt, project coordinator of Hochtief Hartmut Wegener, Minister of Culture of Hamburg Karin von Welck and architect Pierre de Meuron. The first public concert was held on November 25, 2016. The official opening concert was held on January 11, 2017, with a performance by NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester directed by Thomas Hengelbrock. The first musical selection was "Pan" from Six Metamorphoses by Ovid by Benjamin Britten. The building is designed as a residential and cultural complex. At the base of the building was the original brick façade of the Kaispeicher A warehouse, which dates back to 1966. On top of this pre-existing structure stands the base of the Elbphilharmonie, with its independent foundations, the glass exterior and the odious line of the cover. About one thousand glass windows have a curved surface. The building has a total of 26 floors, the first 8 floors being part of the brick facade, and reaches the highest elevation, 108 meters high, on the west side. The base of the building is 120,000 m2. A curved escalator at the main entrance on the east side connects the ground floor with a panoramic view, the Plaza, located on the eighth floor, on top of the brick building. The Plaza is accessible to the public and offers views of the city of Hamburg and the River Elbe. From the Plaza you can reach the foyer of the concert hall. The Elbphilharmonie has three concert halls. The Great Concert Hall, which hosts up to 2,100 spectators arranged to surround the stage in vineyard style. The acoustics were designed by Yasuhisa Toyota, which installed about 10,000 microsagging plasterboard to disperse sound waves. The Great Concert Hall also houses a rod with 69 logs built by Klais Orgelbau. Recital Hall is dedicated to shows, chamber music and jazz concerts, hosting up to 550 spectators. While the third hall, called Kaistudio, houses up to 170 spectators and is designed for educational activities. Ducks Scéno has been a consultant for the Great Concert Hall scene. The east part of the building is rented by Westin and hosts the Westin Hamburg Hotel opened on November 4, 2016. The hotel offers 244 rooms between ninth and twentieth floor. The eighth floor lobby is accessible through the Plaza. The upper floor planes of the concert hall host 45 luxury apartments. The complex also includes conference rooms, restaurants, bars, and a spa and a garage with 433 parking spaces.