Hamburg's borders surround little more than the port it was initially based upon, and it's the reason Hamburg exists as its own province today - by far smaller than any other except for Bremen, ironically another port city. Originally Hamburg was a Saxon missionary colony, intended to convert the native Germans (then scattered tribes) to the faith. A castle was ordered by Emperor Charlemagne, and his son had it built along a well-known trade road. After being destroyed multiple times by raiding Vikings and Danes, Hamburg finally experienced a period of peace after the Romans conquered most of modern-day Germany. Frederick I, the Holy Roman Emperor, declared Hamburg a Free Imperial City, allowing it to be mostly autonomous from the rest of the Empire.
Around the 1200's Hamburg signed an agreement with Lübeck, another nearby city, and the first steps in the Hanseatic League came into existence. Hamburg is all about its port, and even more than that, it's all about Hanse. Traveling across the Fischmarkt, you can see plenty of naval-themed items and trinkets. But no matter how far we travelled, no matter where we were, if there was a gift shop, there were Hanse gifts. T-shirts, caps, medallions, you name it. Hanseatic seals can be seen throughout the city (almost as common as American attire - no I'm not kidding).
Since its inception, Hamburg has been a place of commerce - founded upon old trading roads and near the sea made it a most ideal hub for merchants and travelers journeying across Germanic lands.
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