European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 19, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Truly International continual from Page 3 dramatic Art. One of Severn i theatres in Hamburg the Deutsche Schnut Spilhaus As it is called is the largest theater in Germany with 1,400 seats. The downtown shopping area claims More stores in its newer shopping malls than any other City in Europe according to local tour guides. But be careful some purchases amid this Glitz and Glamour come with a Steep Price tag. Quot it can be a very expensive place Quot said Westerman. She had walked through some of Hamburg s downtown malls out of necessity As the Cool wet october skies prepared to dump More rain on the City. Quot i searched Long and hard for an umbrella under $60,&Quot she said. In the heart of Hamburg s downtown area is the Renaissance styled architecture of Hamburg s Rathaus or town Hall building and its town Square companion the Borse or Stock Exchange. During the summer the Hamburg symphony the German theater Deutscher . Orchestra holds concerts inside the Rathaus. The original town Hall was destroyed by fire in 1842. Before the turn of the Century it was rebuilt. Across the town Square swans and ducks swim along a canal past a Fountain called the Hygeia. On both sides of this inner City waterway one of Many in this City of canals and lakes people Scurry past Small shops and restaurants. These canals flow into one of Hamburg s two downtown lakes a the Aussen Alster outer Alster and Binne Napster inner ate Ter a or into the Harbor area. On weekends it s not unusual to see a Fleet of cruise boats and miniature sailboats darting about the outer Alster. Surrounding the Large Lake Are a majority of the foreign consulates the Casino Hamburg and an islamic mosque one of two in the City. About six blocks to the West of the outer and inner alters is the Pride of the City s modern architecture the Congress centrum Hamburg. This convention Center boasts the latest in High tech facilities. Away from the Congress centrum there is Wallring Park and its botanical gardens and illuminated Fountain. Classical or pop music concerts Are played at night by the Fountain when it lights up from april to september. Within sight of the gardens is Hamburg s 276-meter 910.8-foot television Tower. Atop the Tower is a restaurant that rotates and within an hour tourists can see the City from All vantages. Of All its churches a there Are about eight in the downtown area alone a the most Well known in Hamburg is St. Michael is. The 206-year-old Church is said to be one of the two biggest protestant churches in Germany the other being the Frauen Kirche in Dresden. Don t worry about trying to find it. The baroque style architecture with its 132-meter 435.6-foot Tower is Only seven blocks from the Harbor in the St. Pauli District. The Church Tower is so unique that it has become Hamburg s most recognizable landmark. In Stark contrast to St. Michaelis the St. Pauli entertainment District comes to life when the Sun goes Down. The red Light District of sex shops shows and prostitution centers around a strip known As the Reeper Bahn. This is part of the 500 clubs that hamburgers say make the area a combination of Las vegas new Orleans and Amsterdam. St. Pauli s entertainment District flows All the Way to the Harbor Landing area where even More clubs can be found. Many who party there on saturday nights Don t sleep. Instead they stay awake eat breakfast and join the thousands of people who flock to the St. Pauli Landing area s fish Market from 6 to 10 . On sunday. Buying fish seems to be the last thing on their there. From the St. Pauli Landing area Harbor cruises carry tourists past the ancient and new sections of the Harbor under Bridges through Harbor channels and around the warehouse areas of Hamburg. The cruises pass foreign merchant ships tugboats and repair docks. The Ocean liner Queen Elizabeth ii was recently repaired at one of these dry docks in october. At the end of the cruise the boat swings past 800 years of Hamburg s shipping and Harbor history portrayed in a mural on a dry Dock Wall by artist Roland c. Stegemann. More history of this City can be seen in a Section of town called More than 800 trains come and go through the underground stations of the main train  Wim r. Minds. It s in Vogue just to be the Best Way to really know Hamburg is by getting to know a hamburger. But you can live in this City for 50 years and you la never meet  tour guide Harald Schr amp Der sailboats crowd the Aussen Alster. Pam Westerman a . Schoolteacher noted Hamburg in t cheap Quot i searched Long and hard for an umbrella under $60.&Quot 4 stripes Magazine november 19, 1992