World War 2 Hamburg Private Guided Tour

5.0 (8 reviews) 5 hours Free cancellation Private tour

out of 5

8 reviews

5.0

The post war rebuilding of Hamburg — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Hamburgs surrender to the British Military 1945 - main Townhall square — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Hamburg's period under Nazi rule remains to this day one of the darkest periods of the city's history. Come discover the many events that would lead to the devastating bombing of 1943 and learn about how this topic is dealt with today.

This tour is ideal for those who want to know the ins and outs of Hamburg under the third reich. This dark but facinating period has shaped the city we see today and is a must see tour for those who wanting to know more about this topic.

This tour will cover the following topics:

From monarcy to dictatorship

The Arts under Hitler

1933 discriminatory laws

The Feldstraße tower bunker

Execution capital Hamburg

Architecture in Nazi Hamburg

Human Zoos

Concentration Camp Neuengamme

The Bombing of Hamburg

Deserters memorial

Nazi memorials to WW1

Hamburgs surrender

A culture of memory

Please note Neuengamme will be covered as a topic without visiting the camp itself due to time constraints. For customizations please contact us in advance.

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At a glance

Duration: 5 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–15
Guide: German, English
Operated by: Experience Hamburg Tours

What is included

Included

Included: Guiding services
Included: Public transit tickets if required

Itinerary

Laeiszhalle

20 min

At this location we will begin by looking at the interwar period by discovering the lesser known history of WW1, the hyperinflation of the 1920's, the rise of anisemitism and the treaty of Versaille.
Stop 2

15 min

Here we will dive into the downfall of Hamburgs judicial and political system in the 1930s while looking at the detrimental consequences this would have.
Stop 3

15 min

This location is marked to this day by one of the largest bunkers build during the second world war currently being repurposed as a skyline garden.
Planten un Blomen

30 min

Now one of the most scenic locations in the city of Hamburg this idyllic location has a much forgotten and much darker past as a central location for executions during WW2, a propaganda project, a human zoo and a displaced persons camp.
Kriegerdenkmal am Dammtordamm

25 min

5 different war memorial from different periods shape not only the physical landscape of this location but also the contempary culture of remembrance in Modern Hamburg.
Turmbar

5 min

What appears to be a water tower is one of the over 2,000 bunkers built in Hamburg during the second world war.
7
Stop 7

one hour
The Grindel district was once a district which hosted a vibrant jewish community. Here we look at how this area came to be, who lived there, what happened here during the war and what life looks like here today. Some topics of intrest include:
- The place of the deported jewish persons of Hamburg
- Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass) 1938
- Book burning 1933
- The Born Synagogue
- The Talmud Torah School
Jungfernstieg

10 min

Here Hamburg tried to build a decoy city centre to avoid bombings in the second world war.
9
Rathausmarkt

40 min
The Townhall was and remains the symbolic and literal seat of power in Hamburg. At this location we will learn how this location was used by the Nazi party during WW2.

The square is dotted with several memorials to:
- Political opposition the Nazi party
- The book burnings of 1933
- WW1 Prpaganda in Nazi Germany
Stop 10

15 min

A leftover from the German colonial period. This period of history although often forgotten is essential to understand racial segregation and genocide in WW2 Germany.
Stop 11

25 min Admission not included

This church serves a memorial to the victims of war and the rule of terror. The site itself is the remains of the former church bombed along with the rest of city in 1943. The church displays several memorials to the bombing of Hamburg, the victims of the concentration camp Neuengamme and the reconcilliation between post-war Germany and the Uk.

At this location there is also a museum and atower with a elevator for a spectaular view of the city.