Blankenese
Hamburg
At the end of Hamburg's famous avenue the Elbchaussee there lies the picturesque Blankenese, a former fishing village, nestled in the hillside above the Elbe. Grand villas, country houses and parks surround the historic centre of one of the most scenic and exclusive suburbs of Hamburg. The Süllberg rises above Blankenese and from its top, which is 75 metres in altitude one has a fantastic view across the Elbe. The steep steps, winding roads and pretty miniature gardens of the houses built upon this hillside give Blankenese a somewhat southern charm. At the bottom, the promenade Strandweg becomes a road along the river bank.
Baurs Park's tree-lined lawns extend all the way down to the banks of the Elbe. A former garden of G.F. Baur, the park became public property in 1939. The French architect, Joseph Rammée, provided the drawings for the design of the park which was created between 1802 and 1815. The cast iron railings on the promenade with their stylized palm trees were created in 1834. There is a lighthouse on the near bank of the Kanonenberg.
“Wittenbergen” is one of the lovely sites along the shore of the river Elbe in the west of Hamburg. White sandy beaches under an overlooking lighthouse and wooded green hills, alternate along the banks of the Elbe, inviting to take long walks by the water.
The Botanical Garden was founded in 1821, west of the Esplanande. The best preserved parts of Hamburg´s fortification, including the moat, are in this area. The many mature trees are the outcome of the original plans to create the park. The garden and the area of the city´s fortification have been altered frequently as part of the International Horticultural Exhibition. The scientific institute of the Botanical Garden was transferred to the district of Groß Flottbek in 1979 where the grounds were landscaped.
The Jenisch house, built between the years 1831 and 1834, is a typical representative of late classicist architecture. Due to its almost square floor plan and its only graphically differentiated walls, the building appears sublimely plain. On the first floor, a balcony is supported by four Doric sandstone pillars. The filigree of the gold-plated cast iron balustrade decorates windows and balcony. After repairing the destructions of war, the house was re-opened in 1955 as museum of home decor. As the original furniture was not preserved, a compromise was created: The spacious representative rooms on the ground floor are decorated in Classical and Biedermeier-style, partly with artefacts from Jenisch's possession. The 14 rooms on the two other levels display furniture from the late Renaissance to Art Nouveau.
