Read & watch
Books &
films about Hamburg
Continue exploring the city through history, eyewitness accounts, novels and films recommended by our guides.
Books
Kleine Geschichte Hamburgs
Martin Krieger
A compact introduction to Hamburg’s history, from its medieval origins to the present.
Inferno: The Devastation of Hamburg, 1943
Keith Lowe
An account of Operation Gomorrah, drawing on research and personal testimony.
The End: Hamburg 1943
Hans Erich Nossack
A short eyewitness memoir of Hamburg’s destruction in 1943.
Hamburg 1940–45: The long war against Germany’s great port city
Richard Worrall
The wider Allied air campaign against Hamburg and the city’s wartime importance.
Daniel Half Human and the Good Nazi
David Chotjewitz
A young-adult novel about friendship, antisemitism and Nazism in Hamburg.
The German Hansa
Philippe Dollinger
A history of the Hanseatic League, its merchants and trading networks.
Elbleuchten
Miriam Georg
A historical romantic novel set in Hamburg in the late nineteenth century. German-language title.
Films & documentaries
Some titles contain mature themes or distressing depictions of war. Check age ratings before using them with a school group.
Hammerbrook Blues (2023)
A documentary essay connecting family history with the destruction and transformation of Hammerbrook.
Im Gedächtnis einer Stadt – Operation Gomorrha (2023)
A documentary remembering the 1943 bombing of Hamburg through personal testimony.
Soul Kitchen (2009)
Fatih Akin’s film set amid Hamburg’s lively urban culture.
Gegen die Wand / Head-On (2004)
Fatih Akin’s drama exploring relationships and immigrant life, partly set in Hamburg.
The Story of My Wife (2021)
Ildikó Enyedi’s drama, partly filmed in Hamburg’s historic waterfront settings.
A Most Wanted Man (2014)
Anton Corbijn’s spy thriller based on John le Carré’s novel, with Hamburg at its heart.
Explore the stories on foot
Connect what you read and watch with Hamburg’s streets and landmarks.