Hamburger Hafen und Logistik : 20 years of Speicherstadt illumination

This has been made possible by the Licht-Kunst-Speicherstadt association, which was established in 2001 by companies and private individuals as part of a joint initiative with the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA). The approximately 50 members as well as sponsors and partners created conditions to make the Speicherstadt an illuminated eye-catcher every evening. To enable this, the association has invested more than € 1 million in recent years in funding raised entirely from donations and sponsorship activities.

Dr. Carsten Brosda, Minister for Culture and Media in Hamburg: 'It should not be taken for granted that the Speicherstadt, a World Heritage Site, is lit up for us all. With the establishment of the Licht-Kunst-Speicherstadt association exactly 20 years ago, this exceptional place was finally brought into the spotlight. To no small extent, we owe this success to the outstanding involvement of citizens. Under the artistic stewardship of Michael Batz, our World Heritage Site will continue to be transformed into art through light, will be accessible to everyone and will even operate on a carbon-neutral basis. It is a treasured and charming symbol of Hamburg.'

Some 1,200 lights are installed today on the warehouse blocks and bridges between Oberhafen and Baumwall. From dusk until shortly after midnight, they transform much of the area into an illuminated work of art, designed by renowned Hamburg light artist Michael Batz: 'The Speicherstadt is exemplary in every way. Its artistic illumination represented the breakthrough of contemporary light design in public spaces in Hamburg. The town hall, the museum Hamburger Kunsthalle, the theatre Deutsches Schauspielhaus and many other projects have become directly involved with this language of light. It's a Hamburg success story that continues even after 20 years,' says Batz.

The illumination is particularly attractive during the dark months of the year, when the soft, indirect light brings out the historic character of the ensemble of buildings and provides an atmospheric setting for the neo-Gothic façades with an interplay between light and shadow. Guided twilight tours through the streets and inner courtyards of the Speicherstadt are popular, as are trips through the canals on barges at dusk.