Hamburg & Neuengamme Concentration Camp

Drive through Hamburg on an enlightening panoramic tour of its architectural treasures and then visit a notorious concentration camp nearby where more than 100,000 people were imprisoned. After departing from the pier, you will soon begin touring Hamburg, a sprawling city that Charlemagne founded in 810 A.D. Even though much of the city was destroyed in the fire of 1842 and by Allied bombing during World War II, there are plenty of historical sites that remain. As an introduction to Hamburg’s charms, you will drive through the 100-year-old Gothic-style warehouse district near the harbor. Known as the Speicherstadt, it is the world’s largest complex of warehouses, most of which are made of beautiful red brick. Continuing on, you will see Germany’s oldest stock exchange and the ornate town hall. A neo-Renaissance masterpiece with 647 rooms, it is the symbolic heart of Hamburg. A more somber setting awaits you at nearby Neuengamme Concentration Camp, which operated for nearly seven years until Allied troops arrived in May 1945. The camp was designed to carry out extermination through labor. It is the hope of the local people that your visit here will continue to encourage enlightenment through the documentation of the events at this memorial museum. As Winston Churchill famously said, "The further backward you can look, the further forward you are likely to see." After a short guided introduction you have time to explore the memorial on your own before heading back to the ship.