Harburg was once an independent city south of the Elbe. Today the town hall and the train station bear witnesses of that time. The district has a very nice pedestrian area as center with many smaller shops as well as the usual chains and a big shopping mall – the Phönix Center. And since the S-Bahn runs into Hamburg city center just twenty minutes there is no shortage of shops or restaurants to suffer from. The population with migration background is relatively high and thus you will find many dedicated shops and numerous fruit and vegetable dealers. There are even some wooden-timber-framed ancient houses. Really nice is the harbor area, a modern mix of gastronomy and office places and nowadays also some residential parts.
The residential areas of Harburg are partly red brick apartment blocks from the 60ies of last century or the date back to the early 19th century with the typical high ceilings and ornamented fronts. However, they are less gorgeous here than in the popular Eimsbüttel or Eppendorf. One are still has a problematic reputation: the Phönix Quarter. Last century it had a high rate of criminality and the population mix was very unfortunate: poor, unemployed, uneducated people were the majority. A lot of money has been invested since then and so the quarter improved significantly. Still, we would not necessarily recommend to choose a home there unless you have walked the streets day and night and got a thorough understanding of the quarter’s atmosphere.
The once great rubber factory Phoenix AG has bene converted into largest mall in the center of Harburg. Moreover, their former warehouses are now used as exhibition spaces for contemporary art from renowned collections. There are numerous other cultural and leisure activities, including theater, cinema, concerts and sporting events. Residents also benefit of the recreational offers in the neighbor districts, the Aussenmuehlenteich and the surrounding park for example. Nightlife is a bit restricted and you would travel to the city center to visit pubs or clubs or fancy restaurants.
The Technical University of Hamburg is located in Harburg, one of the leading universities for technology. That is why many students have settled in Harburg. In general rents are affordable here.
Westbohnhoffkanaal_-_Klappbruech (c) flamenc CC-BY-SA 3.0, Area around Harburger Schloßstrasse (c) hh oldmann (CC BY SA 3.0), Walter-Koch Weg (c) Axel Schnell (CC-BY SA 3.0)
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Get an idea of rental price development in this district
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Backyard of old Phoenix Manufactury close to the shopping mall (c) Axel Schnell (CC-BY-SA 3.0), Center of Harburg (c) hh oldmann (CC BY 3.0), Harburger Ring (c) Axel Schnell (CC-BY-SA 3.0), Impressions (c) hh oldmann (CC BY 3.0), Modern design house in one of the side streets of Harburger Schloßstrasse (c) hh oldmann (CC BY 3.0), Old versus new (c) hh oldmann (CC BY 3.0), Thai restaurant in the center of Harburg (c) hh oldmann (CC BY 3.0), The ancient center of Harburg (c) hh oldmann (CC BY 3.0), The Harburger Ring (c) Axel Schnell (CC-BY-SA 3.0), The old center (c) hh oldmann (CC BY 3.0), The pedestrian area in Harburg (c) Axel Schnell (CC-BY-SA 3.0), The Phoenix Center in Harburg (c) Axel Schnell (CC-BY-SA 3.0), The St. Joseph church (c) Axel Schnell (CC-BY-SA 3.0), „Hh-binnenhafen-kran“ (c) Staro1 CC BY-SA 3.0, „TUHH, Hamburg, Germany, SBS95 Kurzseite und Audimax 1“ (c) TUHH CC BY-SA 3.0
