Hamburg is one of the 16 states of Germany and is the second largest city in that country with a population of 1.7 million. It is by far and away the largest and busiest port in Germany even though it is on the Elbe River over 100 km inland from the North Sea. And before you ask, yes, hamburgers did indeed start inHamburg as the Hamburg steak but did not meet their awful peak of popularity until they got to the United States. So please do not hold Hamburg responsible for this culinary atrocity. Instead, think of Hamburg as a city full of museums, wonderful music and some magnificent restaurants.