Germany: The Speicherstadt in Hamburg

The Speicherstadt district in Hamburg is the largest on oak piles founded warehouse complex in the world and is a protected historical monument since 1991. The warehouse district, with around 25 hectares of land (including the fleets) is an island with a length of about 1,5 km in the river Elbe in the north-eastern part of the port of Hamburg. The building of the Speicherstadt started in 1883. In 1898 was the Speicherstadt was for to two-thirds completed. The other works in the eastern part were ended at the beginning of the First World War in 1914. The warehouses - in neogothic brick architecture - are each on one side connected to the water (the fleet) and on the other side to the road. Cargo (like coffee, tea and spices) was stored on five floors and each house has its own winch mounted on the wall. Today, the usable area of the Speicherstadt is approximately 630,000 square meters and is home to numerous carpet dealers, agencies and various museums, such as the Speicherstadt Museum, the Customs Museum or the Spice Museum.