[Photo from hamburg-travel.com]

A day on Hamburg's Kunstmeile (art mile) has an amazing amount to offer. Close to the main railway station, in the centre of the city of Hamburg, stretching out between the Town Hall, Glockengiesserwall, Klosterwall and Steintorplatz, is Hamburg's Kunstmeile - an association of five renowned art institutions in the centre of Hamburg..

The Kunstmeile Hamburg is an institution for art lovers in the Hanseatic City. The BUCERIUS KUNST FORUM, the DEICHTORHALLEN HAMBURG with the exhibition hall for "Contemporary Art" and the "House of Photography", the HAMBURGER KUNSTHALLE, the KUNSTVEREIN HAMBURG and the MUSEUM FÜR KUNST UND GEWERBE HAMBURG are excellently located near the Alster and invite visitors to take a stroll of discovery. Together they present an up-to-date, vibrant selection of contemporary and historic art in all media: painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, applied arts and design. A visit can take you from antiquity into the future, and that is what lends it a special charm.

Modernity and antiquity, arts and crafts on the Kunstmeile (Art Street) Hamburg

Art and design from 4,000 years and a wide variety of cultures, from European antiquity to traditional Islamic art, these exhibits spread over 13,000 square metres are what makes the Kunstmeile so exciting. The Art Nouveau collection and the ceramics in particular are widely known, but all visitors will find something very special for themselves. It is particularly contemporary artists and movements that one finds in the Kunstverein, which has been dedicated to contemporary trends in art since 1817. Francis Bacon and Caspar David Friedrich had already been exhibited here before they were widely known, and today a number of young artists are finding a springboard here as well.

The Institutions of the Kunstmeile Hamburg

In the Bucerius Kunst Forum, which was opened in 2002, there are three to four exhibitions every year that are always dedicated to a very specific topic. The Hamburger Kunsthalle offers a fantastic opportunity to compare seven centuries of art history. Over 700 exhibits with a focus on the German Romantic period and modern art, as well as alternating themed exhibitions, make the Kunsthalle a very special experience. The lovely historic buildings of Deichtorhallen have been extended with modern steel-and-glass structures, creating the spectacular backdrop for current exhibitions of photography and art. Every art-minded visitor to the Hanseatic city should plan at least one day for Hamburg's Kunstmeile.

If you would like to visit all five institutions in the Kunstmeile you should obtain the Kunstmeile pass which saves you €15.00 compared to normal admission prices. The Kunstmeile pass is in credit card format and is valid for 12 months, allowing you to visit each of the five institutions once, including special exhibitions. From one building to the next, the Kunstmeile pass will be stamped with the corresponding institution silhouette. When visiting the individual institutions each holder of a Kunstmeile pass receives a pin as a souvenir. Using the ID number on the pin, Kunstmeile visitors using the joint website can document their route and add anecdotes and information around the subject of art.