Our City of Hamburg

Greetings from Hamburg, Germany’s 2nd largest city with nearly 1.8m inhabitants!

There are many good reasons for visiting Hamburg – and for staying here. Just recently, Hamburg made it onto Lonely Planet’s “Top 5 Cities to Visit in 2018” list. A 2017 study by Hostel World has ranked it as the best city in the world for a night out – with New York and London not even making top 20. Most importantly, however, The Economist’s 2017 ranking has put it – once again – in the top 10 of the world’s most livable cities.

To its citizens these rankings come to no surprise. Hamburg is green, nearly 15% of its area consists of parks and botanical gardens. At its center is the Alster Lake – a fine place for recreation. The Elbe river runs right through it and the North Seas coast is nearby, which ensures a distinct maritime flair.

Hamburg is famous for its open-mindedness and tolerance towards foreigners – symbolized by the gate in its crest that has earned it the title “Gateway to the World”.

Despite its size, Hamburg does not feel like a metropolis, but rather like a collection of cozy neighborhoods. As such it can still be easily explored on foot, by bike or via the outstanding public transportation system.

With its many historic buildings and locations such as the World Heritage Site “Speicherstadt” the city is beautiful in a traditional sense, but Hamburgians make sure to balance tradition and modernity, as represented by the stunning new landmark “Elbphilharmonie”.

With the second busiest port in Europe and more than 120.000 enterprises from around the world, Hamburg is a significant commercial center as well. For those planning to study brands and branding, Hamburg features the largest concentration of ventures from the creative industries in all of Germany. Chances are, the agency or brand managing company you are looking to work for will have at least a branch here.

Hamburg is a safe place and has a calm feel, supported by the mentality of the Norther Germans, which favors sobriety and realism over frills and flimsiness. And no worries if you cannot speak German: English is a mandatory subject in German schools and is therefore spoken nearly everywhere. Needless to say, you will also find English-language theatres, cinemas, and foreign clubs and communities.

You will find the Brand University of Applied Sciences campus at a privileged location overlooking the river Elbe in the district Ottensen – a very lively area with many restaurants, bars, street cafés and shops ranging from posh to alternative.

All in all there are many good reasons to join Brand University of Applied Sciences and choose Hamburg as your new home!