Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city, has a rich and chequered history being one of the former members of the highly influential and powerful Hanseatic League, a powerful economic and defensive alliance in that left a great cultural and architectural heritage in Northern Europe. Hamburg is a city of contrasts with its diverse neighborhoods and has constantly been reinventing itself over recent decades. It is renowned for its music, canals, architecture, harbor, theater and vibrant culture. Hamburg vies with Berlin for the top spot as the most hip city in Germany and is one of the most desirable places to live on the planet.