{'subtitle': 'Science ministers and representatives from partner countries start the first experiment. International guests welcome the first users of the new major research facility. ', 'active_start_dt_iso': '', 'active_end_dt_iso': '', 'active_start_dt': '', 'translationofid': 1323, 'keywords': [{'parent': 3, 'idkeyword': 250, 'value': 'inauguration'}, {'parent': 3, 'idkeyword': 270, 'value': 'milestone'}], 'langs': [u'eng', u'ger'], 'active_end_dt': '', 'title': 'Video: International X-ray laser European XFEL inaugurated', 'media': [{'href': u'media/4794/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-014.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4794, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-014.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4795/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-014_thumbnail.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4795, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-014_thumbnail.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4793/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-014_thumbnail_thumbnail.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4793, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-014_thumbnail_thumbnail.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4790/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-020.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4790, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-020.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4791/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-020_thumbnail.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4791, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-020_thumbnail.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4789/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-020_thumbnail.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4789, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-020_thumbnail.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4796/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-021_thumbnail_thumbnail.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4796, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-021_thumbnail_thumbnail.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4792/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-008_thumbnail.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4792, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-008_thumbnail.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4788/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-020_thumbnail_thumbnail.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4788, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-020_thumbnail_thumbnail.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4797/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-021.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4797, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-021.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4798/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-021_thumbnail.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4798, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-021_thumbnail.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4799/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-022_thumbnail_thumbnail.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4799, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-022_thumbnail_thumbnail.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4800/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-022.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4800, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-022.jpg'}, {'href': u'media/4801/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-022_thumbnail.jpg', 'content_type': u'image/jpeg', 'idmedia': 4801, 'filename': u'2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-022_thumbnail.jpg'}], 'active_toggle': 1, 'body': '<p><div class="news-image-container"><a class="fancybox" href="media/4791/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-020_thumbnail.jpg"><img class="news-image" src="media/4788/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-020_thumbnail_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" data-news-superes="" width="485" height="322"></a><div class="news-image-caption"><a class="news-superes" href="media/4790/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-020.jpg" target="_blank">Download [308KB, 2000 x 1331]</a><br>Speakers at the inaugruation of the European XFEL cut the ribbon in front of the hutches for the SPB/SFX and FXE instruments, officially opening the facility.</div></div>European XFEL, the largest and most powerful X-ray laser in the world, was officially inaugurated today in an international event with musical and enlightening highlights in front of 800 guests. Research ministers and other prominent guests from across Europe joined the European XFEL Managing Directors to officially start the research operation of the facility with the first two experiments. See video of the ceremony <a href="http://storage.contentflow.live/60/1504277661ZA8zF7rSAQdUnWFV7WTci1Riq78X656KRoxqFuNrDzETUxEBPe2lRtAeU5KV4B9M.mp4">here</a>.</p><p>Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka, German Minister for Education and Research, stressed the importance of the new international research facility: “The establishment of the European XFEL has created a unique cutting-edge research facility, which promises groundbreaking insights into the nanocosmos. The foundations for tomorrow’s innovations are laid by today’s basic research.”</p><p><div class="news-image-container"><img class="news-image" src="media/4792/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-008_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" width="485" height="323"><div class="news-image-caption">German Federal Minister of Education and Research Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka speaks during the inauguration.</div></div><br><br>European XFEL Managing Director Prof. Dr. Robert Feidenhans’l said: “We are proud to be opening the strongest X-ray laser in the world and start doing science together with our user community. The European XFEL is a unique facility that will open the door to new areas of science.”</p><p>Prof. Dr. Helmut Dosch, Chairman of the DESY Board of Directors, said: “What started as a vision and was set in motion at DESY more than 20 years ago has now become a reality: the world’s most powerful laser for X-ray light. Now scientists from around the world will conduct research at this most advanced high-speed camera for the nanocosmos in the world, and I wish them many exciting results – both fundamental and revolutionary.”</p><p>The European XFEL produces extremely bright and ultrashort light pulses. The facility will generate up to 27 000 pulses per second – 200 times more than other X-ray lasers. With the help of specialized instruments, these X-rays enable completely new insights into the atomic details and extremely fast processes of the nanoworld. Scientists will use these X-ray flashes to, for example, map the three-dimensional structure of biomolecules and other biological particles, and do so faster and with more detail than has ever been previously possible. Furthermore, single snapshots of particles produced with the X-ray laser can be sewn together to create “molecular movies” to study the progress of biochemical and chemical reactions – the basis for the development of new medicines and therapies or environmentally friendlier production methods and processes for extracting energy from sunlight. Other applications lie in the field of materials science with the development of new materials and substances, in the optimization of storage media for computers or the investigation of extreme matter conditions such as those found within exoplanets.</p><p>Prof. Dr. Andrei Fursenko, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation and former Research Minister, said: “This international research megaproject is our common intellectual contribution to the world of science. Many young people from different countries work on this project, which testifies that this project is designed for the future.”</p><p>The French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Prof. Dr. Frédérique Vidal, said: “The European XFEL is a great illustration of Europe’s leading role in the international competition and of the know-how of its industrial players in building top-level scientific instruments. France and its European partners are fully engaged in reinforcing and developing large-scale research infrastructure and making it a shared goal in the construction of the European Research Area.”</p><p>Mayor Scholz said: “With the European XFEL, scientists will forge ahead into unknown worlds and help to find answers to questions facing humanity that will make life on our planet better. The European XFEL is a joint scientific project in the spirit of the Enlightenment and of international cooperation, and a promising example of European integration in action and of the success of European research funding.”</p><p>Scientists from across the world will come to European XFEL to do their research by applying for access to the instruments via a selection process. The assignment of the so-called beamtime, of generally one or two weeks per group and experiment, is awarded according to the scientific excellence of the submitted proposals.</p><p>Together with Minister Johanna Wanka, Hamburg’s First Mayor Olaf Scholz, and Schleswig Holstein’s Minister of Education, Science and Cultural Affairs Karin Prien, European XFEL Managing Director Robert Feidenhans’l greeted the first external researchers of the new international research facility on stage. Scientists and their guests are currently busy preparing for the first user experiments at the facility, which will begin in mid-September.</p><p><div class="news-image-container"><a class="fancybox" href="media/4795/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-014_thumbnail.jpg"><img class="news-image" src="media/4793/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-014_thumbnail_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" data-news-superes="" width="485" height="322"></a><div class="news-image-caption"><a class="news-superes" href="media/4794/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-014.jpg" target="_blank">Download [570KB, 1772 x 1179]</a><br>Alexander Guda of the Southern Federal University in Russia celebrates his status as one of the first users of the European XFEL with a golden 'entry cards'.</div></div><br><br>Dr. Mauro Dell’Ambrogio, State Secretary for Education, Research, and Innovation of Switzerland, said: “Today, 11 countries showed that together they are able to build a very complicated, very expensive facility dedicated to science, and all of this in record time and within budget. European XFEL is a new landmark in the worldwide scientific landscape that opens up a brand-new spectrum of possible experiments.”</p><p>Prof. Dr. Łukasz Szumowski, Polish Deputy Minister of Science and Education, said: “The 3.4-kilometre-long underground X-ray laser is truly state-of-the-art. What is important is that it will contribute not only to basic science but also to practical applications, e.g. in materials science, biology and even medicine, which is close to my heart.”</p><p>Minister Prien said: “The inauguration of this worldwide unique X-ray laser is a great moment for the scientific community, the European XFEL Council and member countries, for Germany and, of course, for Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. The billion-euro project marks a new era in fundamental research and will also deliver enormous impulses for many applications – a major location for science of international standing has been created in Schenefeld.”</p><p>Europen XFEL scientists subsequently informed Minister Wanka and her guests about the experiments at the first two instruments in the underground experiment hall: the instrument FXE (Femtosecond X-Ray Experiments), which will enable the study of fast reactions and be able to record molecular movies, and the instrument SPB/SFX (Single Particles, Clusters, and Biomolecules and Serial Femtosecond Crystallography) developed for investigating the structure and transformation of biomolecules and other biological particles, such as viruses and cell components.</p><p><div class="news-image-container"><a class="fancybox" href="media/4798/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-021_thumbnail.jpg"><img class="news-image" src="media/4796/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-021_thumbnail_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" data-news-superes="" width="485" height="322"></a><div class="news-image-caption"><a class="news-superes" href="media/4797/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-021.jpg" target="_blank">Download [459KB, 1772 x 1179]</a><br>Prof. Dr. Christian Bressler describes the FXE instrument to the guests of the inauguration event, including Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz, Minister Wanka, and Schleswig-Holstein Science Minister Karin Prien.</div></div><br><br>At the FXE instrument, scientists explained the guests how the first European XFEL’s first snapshots of a chemical reaction will be done. The reaction will be triggered by an ultrashort pulse of visible light, while an X-ray flash, timed to reach the sample after the reaction is triggered, records the state of the molecule at that moment in time. During this first experiment, reacting molecules will be studied in a watery environment in order to learn more about the influence of water on the reaction itself.<div class="news-image-container"><a class="fancybox" href="media/4801/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-022_thumbnail.jpg"><img class="news-image" src="media/4799/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-022_thumbnail_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" data-news-superes="" width="485" height="322"></a><div class="news-image-caption"><a class="news-superes" href="media/4800/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-022.jpg" target="_blank">Download [486KB, 1772 x 1179]</a><br>Minister Wanka and other guests begin the first experiment at the European XFEL in the SPB/SFX hutch.</div></div>At the SPB/SFX instrument, the guests pressed the button to start the first ever experiment at European XFEL to determine the structure of a biomolecule. With this model experiment, the structure is already known, allowing the researchers to, for example, check whether the X-ray laser and the instruments are optimally coordinated. The first sample with unknown structure will come with users when they arrive for experiments at the facility in mid-September.</p><p>Already every evening from 28 August, laser light beams can be seen shining across Hamburg from the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg University, HAW Hamburg, the Hamburg Ministry of Science, Research and Equalities, and the Planetarium to European XFEL in Schenefeld as the City of Hamburg welcomes the international research facility to the metropolitan area. From 1 to 3 September, the laser installation will turn from green to blue as it merges with the Blue Port Hamburg installation.</p><p><strong>Photographic material</strong><strong>:</strong> <a href="https://desycloud.desy.de/index.php/s/OlDNGQzehbvtJLI">https://desycloud.desy.de/index.php/s/OlDNGQzehbvtJLI</a></p>', 'change_uid': u'piergros', 'active': 1, 'dt': '2017/09/01', 'change_dt': '17/09/11 16:47:55', 'topnews': 0, 'lang': 'eng', 'titleimage': u'media/4789/2017-09-01_XFEL_Start-020_thumbnail.jpg', 'idnews': 1323, 'idtitleimage': 4789, 'dtd': '2017/09/01'}

eng,ger

2017/09/01

Back

Video: International X-ray laser European XFEL inaugurated

Science ministers and representatives from partner countries start the first experiment. International guests welcome the first users of the new major research facility.</s>A series of laser beams crisscrossed the skies over Hamburg to mark the launch of the world’s biggest x-ray laser, co-financed by Russia. The device is able to photograph objects at an atomic level and is set to “transcend” current scientific boundaries.

Since Monday night, 10 green laser beams have lit up the sky from Hamburg to the nearby town of Schenefeld, while the words “Welcome European XFEL” projected onto a warehouse next to Hamburg’s new concert hall, the Elbphilharmonie.

The elaborate light display, which could be seen from 24 kilometers away, marked the underground path of the world’s biggest X-ray laser, the European XFEL, which became operational on Friday.

“With 27,000 X-ray laser flashes per second and a luminance a billion times higher than that of the best conventional X-ray sources, XFEL will open up entirely new research opportunities and help transcend the current boundaries of scientific research,” the XFEL team said in a press release.

“It will enable international scientists to decipher the molecular composition of viruses and cells, take three-dimensional images of the nanoworld, film chemical reactions and study processes occurring deep inside planets. XFEL will help develop e.g. new medication and new materials.”

A project between 11 European countries, developing the XFEL facility has cost €1.22 billion (US$1.45 billion), the bulk of which (58 percent) was funded by Germany, followed by Russia (27 percent). Present at the launch were German Research Minister Johanna Wanka, Olaf Scholz, the Mayor of Hamburg, Russian presidential aide Andrey Fursenko, and French Research Minister Frederique Vidal.

“Hamburg shines today and in the next few days particularly brightly for science – we are extremely proud that the European XFEL has found its home in the metropolitan area of Hamburg. This shows how well-versed we are in providing the basic framework for cutting-edge research,” Katharina Fegebank, Senator for Science, Research, and Equality, said in a statement on Tuesday.

“For the next years, the European XFEL will ensure that Hamburg is the world’s best location for research into the structure of matter and gives the Bahrenfeld Research Campus as a whole a big boost.”

Since X-rays have a wavelength of 0.8 nanometers, almost 500 times shorter than visible light, the laser can be used to make pictures and videos of objects at an atomic level.

The XFEL facility uses a 3.4-kilometer tunnel system extending to the nearby state of Schleswig-Holstein to accelerate electron particles to a near-light speed before passing through a set of magnets which concentrate them into a series of short, intense bursts of X-rays.

The laser display to commemorate XFEL’s launch will remain until Sunday.</s>The world’s most powerful X-ray laser opened Friday in Germany, promising to shed new light onto very small things by letting scientists penetrate the inner workings of atoms, viruses and chemical reactions.

 The mega-project generates extremely intense laser flashes, at a mind-boggling rate of 27,000 per second, inside a 3.4-kilometre tunnel below the northern city of Hamburg.

Hailed as one of Europe’s most cutting-edge research projects, the European XFEL, hidden 38 metres below corn fields and residential areas, was opened after eight years’ construction at a ribbon-cutting ceremony with science and technology ministers from the 11 countries involved.

At the heart of the 1.5-billion-euro facility is the ultrafast X-ray laser strobe light, which will allow researchers for the first time to look deep inside matter and take snapshots and “molecular movies”.

“We can look deep into the micro-world, the nano-world, the world of atoms and molecules, and study things we didn’t previously know, for example what molecules do in a chemical reaction,” said Johanna Wanka, Germany’s education and research minister.

Teams from around the world will be able to, for instance, map the atomic details of viruses, take 3-D images of the molecular make-up of cells or film chemical reactions as they happen.

The huge laser is “like a camera and a microscope that will make it possible to see more tiny details and processes in the nano-world than ever before,” XFEL managing director Robert Feidenhans’l told AFP.

He said that so far, scientists know many chemical and biological processes only by their outcomes — like a football fan reading the score of a match he missed.

“Now you can see the game and you can analyse it … so next time you can win,” Feidenhans’l said. “The game could be a chemical process, a biological process, it could be how you get energy from sunlight. The principle is the same: you want to see the game.”

The applications are sweeping — images of biomolecules may help understand and treat illnesses, while a peek inside a building material might explain why it tears or cracks.

The light beams can also be bundled to create extreme pressure and temperatures to study processes like those at the Earth’s core.

“There will be very concrete applications, for example to develop custom-made drugs against tumours and viruses … or to test the purity of materials,” said Wanka.

“We don’t yet know everything that will result from this, but it is unique and an opportunity for many researchers.”

The XFEL boasts a list of superlatives: the light’s brilliance is a billion times higher than that of the best conventional X-ray sources.

The silicon mirrors along which the light is bounced, produced in Japan, are so smooth that any bump on their surface measures no more than a millionth of a millimetre.

Some 800 guests were invited for the launch of the project, which stretches from inside Hamburg to Schenefeld in the adjoining state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Germany has coughed up 58 percent of the cost and Russia 27 percent, with scientific cooperation continuing despite geopolitical tensions.

The other partners, with stakes of one to three percent each, are Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Britain is in the process of joining.

XFEL — which stands for X-Ray Free-Electron Laser — is all about looking at things at the hard-to-fathom nano-level. (For a rough idea, a human hair is about 100,000 nanometres thick.)

It works by blasting a powerful laser into metal which sends bundles of electrons flying through a superconducting linear accelerator, the world’s longest at 1.7 kilometres.

As they hurtle through the tube, which is supercooled to minus 271 degrees centigrade, they are charged by microwaves in order to reach nearly the speed of light.

In the next section, thousands of alternating magnets send the electrons onto a tight “slalom” course.

The electrons gather into a multitude of ultrathin discs, allowing them to emit their light in sync and produce intense X-ray flashes of laser light.

When these hit a material, they create a strobe-like series of crisp pictures with an ultrashort “shutter speed” of a billionth of a second, which can be assembled to create 3-D images or films.</s>The European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) was inaugurated on Friday, September 1, 2017, in the city of Hamburg in Germany.

ALSO READ: NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft to turn 40: Interesting facts to know about the mission [VIDEO]

Here's all you need to know about XFEL:

1. The European XFEL is the largest X-ray laser in the world. It was built over a span of eight years, with around $1.7 billion (€1.5 billion) spent to devise this facility.

2. What makes XFEL unique is that it can emit 27,000 X-ray laser flashes per second, and its luminance is a billion times greater than any previously-used X-ray source.

 "They (conventional X-ray sources) can send 100 pulses out per second, we can send 27,000," said Robert Feidenhan'l, chairman of the European XFEL management board.

3. The device will be used to analyse fast-moving atoms and molecules as human eyes cannot see them. This technology would help scientists study the molecular structure of viruses and processes occurring deep inside planets, record chemical reactions and even capture 3D images of the nanoworld. This would aid in developing new medicines and other products.

4. The laser is "like a camera and a microscope that will make it possible to see more tiny details and processes in the nanoworld than ever before," said Robert Feidenhans, chairman of the project's management board.

5. A 3.4-km-long tunnel complex houses the facility where XFEL is, and it extends to the German federal states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.

 This international project involves 11 European countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Various researchers are preparing to carry out their first experiments by mid-September.</s>The European X-ray Free Electron Laser (European XFEL) project, involving 11 countries, including Russia, began operation on Friday. The €1.5 billion x-ray research laser facility will be used to study the structure of matter at the molecular level, and allow scientists to observe chemical reactions or biological processes as they unfold.

Scientists anticipate that the laser will lead to fundamental discoveries related to natural science, energy, medical treatments, the chemical industry, and the creation of new or improved materials. The massive, 3.5 km long laser has been likened to a giant microscope, accelerating electrons to incredible speeds and then producing very brief flashes in the x-ray range, illuminating matter and material processes down to the atomic level.

Professor Robert Feidenhans'l, the project's managing director, sat down with Radio Sputnik to discuss just how the new laser works, and its exciting applications.

"First of all, it's different in that it's an X-ray laser," the scientist explained.

"The way it works is: in order to make X-rays, you first need electrons. You start by making electrons, which is done at the DESY campus. You then put electrons into an injector, and accelerate them up to a very high energy to basically run at the speed of light. Then you put these electrons in a so-called undulator, where they go through a zig-zag path, and then your emit x-rays. You throw the electrons away and use the x-rays which come long."

Feidenhans'l stressed that put simply, "the important thing is that with our facility, it's very, very, very powerful; there's a lot of x-rays coming out, and they come fast. It only takes a very short time for this x-ray pulse to come along, and then you can take pictures of molecules, viruses, proteins, so you can see how they actually look on the atomic level."

Commenting on the tremendous length of the laser and the reason for this, the scientist admitted that "yes, it's actually very big. It's about 3.5 km in total. It starts at Bahrenfeld, a special part of the city here in Hamburg; then you have a 2 km accelerator, where you accelerate the electrons. Then you have another 1.5 km where the x-rays go along."

As far as European XFEL's uses are concerned, Feidenhans'l explained that among other things, "it will be used to look at the structures of biomolecules, to see how they are built, how they work. In particular, our laser can be used to look at biomolecules at room temperature in a normal environment. Normally, you have to cool the bio-samples down to where it's an unnatural environment for them."

"More importantly," he said, "one can make 'movies'; one can see how photosynthesis works –when a biomolecule absorbs light and converts it to energy. Then we can follow the individual steps in a kind of molecular movie."

"When you have understood how a molecule actually makes energy out of light, you could eventually design an artificial machine which does the same thing. But you need to see the 'movie' in order to do that," Feidenhans'l added.

European XFEL will also be used for medical research, Feidenhans'l said. "If you want to make new drugs, you want to see and understand how these drugs are working on a particular biomolecule, and that is also something we can actually measure and film, and then understand how the physical and chemical and biological processes actually run as a function of time."

Alongside their new x-ray laser, the professor noted that the team at European XFEL has also developed a high-powered optical laser, capable of heating material to extremely high temperatures and pressures, "similar to what you have in a star or an exoplanet." This will enable scientists to "see the material while it's at very high temperature, and high pressure. But it's not it's not the exabeam itself that heats it up; it's done by a powerful external optical laser."</s>Hamburg has been called “the gateway to the world” for ages and guarantees to provide you with all that comes with this label. You can experience the ritziest neighborhood with the most elegant architecture, but, not far away at all, dive into the wild, uncensored red light district and party until sunrise. As Germany’s greenest city, strolling through neighborhoods will entice you just as much as its maritime flair. All kinds of art lovers, foodies, culture enthusiasts, bikers, and pluviophiles mingle here. And whether you’re looking for the most stunning views of the city, beautiful strolls, the funnest nights, or the best shopping areas, this guide has got you covered! A detailed description of Hamburg’s most famous areas and what you can expect from them is also included.

How to get to Hamburg

 Hamburg can be reached via most major and budget airlines, easily via train because of its three large train stations or via car, of course.

 Tips: For train tickets, book as early as you can on reiseauskunft.bahn.de and you’ll get the deals.

 For car pooling, choose blablacar.com, a reliable websites which lets you offer rides, so you can pick up travelers and split the cost of your gas with them OR ride with someone else. Thanks to reviews, it’s a great, safe way to travel, save money, and the environment.

Public Transportation

 HVV.de is Hamburg’s website for all your public transportation needs. Busses, subways, and commuter railways run on weekdays every 5-10 minutes, as early as 4.30 a.m. until around 1 a.m., on weekends all night. Plenty of night buses are available for your convenience as well. To save you money, Hamburg offers multiple day or weekend tickets at any ticket machine.

Hotels to stay in 

 I’ve stayed at the following hotels in Hamburg and can recommend all of them – each for different reasons:

 For incredible design, art books, and delicious breakfast, check out the Gastwerk Hotel in Altona.

 To stay in the suburbs or go on old-timer (picnic) tours, check out Privathotel Lindtner.

 For the best views of Hamburg, check out the Westin inside the Elbphilharmonie.

BLANKESE

 S1 Blankenese

 ​

 Blankenese’s Treppenviertel makes you feel like you’re somewhere in the Mediterranean with its houses on a (for Hamburg pretty high) hill and its many staircases with great views over the Elbe. Its inhabitants are mostly from the baby boomer generation or older, retirees, and some younger, wealthy families from generation X. Go here for views, a sand beach, and for your Sunday afternoon stroll.

 ​

​

 CITY CENTER

 U1, U2 Jungfernstieg

 S1, S2, S3 Jungfernstieg

 U3 Mönckebergstraße

 U3 Rathausmarkt

 ​

 Hamburg’s city center offers plenty of shopping – no matter your budget. Whereas on Mönckebergstrasse, you’ll find stores such as Zara, Mango, and H&M, on Grosse Bleichen and Neuer Wall, you can shop at Louis Vitton, Dior, etc. But don’t only look at the shops, also admire the churches or the impressive town hall. Walk around the Alster or get yourself a coffee or ice cream from somewhere near and just join the locals for the nice view at Jungfernstieg (also if you want to be seen or check out some eye candy).

 ​

 ​

HARBOR AREA

 U3 Landungsbrücken

 ​

 The harbor area is notorious for the fish market on Sunday mornings, at 5 a.m. to 9.30 a.m., also easily reachable after a night out on the Reeperbahn to sober up. You can find fruit & veggies, fish or tropical flowers and more here. Walking through the Elbtunnel or enjoying the view from Steinwerder is also a must, and so are museum ships and a stroll along the Landungsbrücken until the Elbphilarmonie (where you can attend classical concerts) or a beach bar during summer. If you want to grab a bite, have one of Hamburg’s iconic Fischbrötchen (fish rolls).

 ​

SCHANZE

 U3 Sternschanze

 S21, S31 Sternschanze (Messe)

 ​

 Or Sternschanze – is Hamburg’s hip & trendy, but at the same time left and alternative district, including the Rote Flora – a house whose inhabitants would like to be autonomous. Students love it here because something’s always happening. If you like vintage & second hand shopping or independent designers and boutique stores during the day, Schanze’s got you covered. At night, there are plenty of restaurants, bars, and a few places to get your groove on. It’s the less touristy alternative (literally) to Reeperbahn/St.Pauli.

ST. PAULI

 U3 St. Pauli

 S1, S2, S3 Reeperbahn

 ​

 Known for Germany’s most sinful street, the Reeperbahn, there’s nothing you can’t do there. You can dine or have a drink at the rooftop bar at Tanzende Türme, attend a play in one of the theaters, shop at the night farmers market on Wednesdays, dance in a beer tent or enjoy rides at the Dom fair (happens during spring, summer & winter), go adult toy shopping, check out Herbertstrasse, see prostitutes come out towards the evening hours, chill with wax figures, witness a strip or transvestite show, peak into the notorious Molotow nightclub, or party until the morning hours at one of the many clubs – forgive me if I forgot to mention the other 1,000 things. To have seen this place to its fullest extent, go here during the day, party at night and stay until the morning hours to witness how fast it can be “clean” again.

 ​

 ​

 WINTERHUDE

 U3 Borgweg (Stadtpark)

 U3 Saarlandstraße

Not only can you have great food at one of the many restaurants here, you can also go to the Stadtpark (city park), Hamburg’s third largest green area. Here you can play chess or mini golf, beach volleyball or soccer, run or exercise otherwise, rent a canoe or stand-up paddle board, or just chill out with a book. During summer nights, people come here to barbecue and it’s easy to meet strangers. There’s an outdoor swimming pool right next to the park, and also Hamburg’s planetarium you can visit.

 ​

 ​

 SPEICHERSTADT

 U3 Baumwall

 U3 Meßberg

 U4 Überseequartier

 ​

 Walking around here will take you back in time! You’ll see where everything from Europe’s third biggest harbor gets stores – mostly oriental carpets, coffee and tea (Yes, Hamburg’s known for both of these beverages!). You can also visit one of the many museums here or the Miniaturwunderland. If you’re a history buff, this is your spot!

 ​

HAFENCITY

 U4 HafenCity Universität or Überseequartier

 ​

 Hamburg’s newest up and coming part for university students and millennials, close to the Elbe, boasts many shopping opportunities, Greenpeace’s headquarters and lots of startups. Great for young crowds and creatives.

 ​

 ​

 ST. GEORG

 All subways and commuter railways: Hauptbahnhof (main train station)

 ​

 Formerly known as a rather rough part of Hamburg, St. Georg is now an up and coming, extremely ethnically diverse part of the city with a plethora of restaurants, bars and shops from international owners. On weekend nights, Hansaplatz and its surrounding streets are bustling with all kinds of crowds.

 ​

 ​

 EIMSBUETTEL

 U2 Osterstrasse

 ​

 A district where you can find most locals enjoying life, full of youngsters, students, and young families, somewhat international, with a variety of restaurants and bars, mostly along Osterstrasse. Best for experiencing a lively Hamburg.

​

 PLANTEN UND BLOOMEN

 U1 Stephansplatz

 U2 Messehallen

 S11, S21, S31 Bahnhof Dammtor

 ​

 Ever seen the famous fountain shows at the Bellagio in Vegas or in Barcelona? Hamburg has its own version at Planten und Bloomen, a huge park also with a tropical greenhouse, botanical garden, minigolf, roller skating during summer, ice skating during winter, and lots of cultural events year-round. You’re guaranteed to see something – whenever you go.

EPPENDORF

 U1 Kellinghusenstraße, Hudtwalckerstraße, Lattenkamp

 U3 Eppendorfer Baum, Kellinghusenstraße, Sierichstraße

 This ritzy part of Hamburg is great for one of Germany’s most beautiful markets, the “Isemarkt” (Tuesdays and Fridays), for strolling through parks and admiring elegant house facades, but it’s best for exclusive dining and eating healthy with its many restaurants, brunch spots, and gelaterias.

 ​

 ​

 Where to stay in Hamburg

 Now that you have a feel for Hamburg’s various areas, decide for yourself where you want to stay. For hotels, get 15 Euros off using booking.com and if it’s your first time renting from Airbnb, use this link to get 20 Euros off your first booking!

​

 Tours to take besides the obvious
• A food tour with Eat the World – Hamburg will let you get not only a taste of Hamburg of its trendiest areas, but also of its history.
• If you like riding bikes, take your own or rent one to take a tour with HH Cycles around one of Hamburg’s many areas while listening to a guide sharing Hamburg’s history.
• Did you know Hamburg has hundreds of bunker relicts from both world wars? They were even maintained until 2007, in case a war would break out. If you love history, a tour through Hamburg’s underground with Hamburger Unterwelten e.V. will suit you well. Also available in French and Spanish.
• Stefanie Hempel’s tour has a unique take on Hamburg: The Beatles. The tour takes you through Hamburg’s red light district while telling you everything you want to know about the world’s most famous band.
• Ever wanted to ride on a bus which turns into a boat? Try the HafenCity Riverbus Cruise through HafenCity and a part of the harbor. These cruises are available in English soon.
• Do you love old-timer VW Bulli’s? Well, Hamburg’s Waterkant tours will take you around the city and outskirts (if you want) in one!

 You cannot leave Hamburg without having seen its most notorious, most sinful street – and take a tour while you’re there.
• Luciano, who calls himself the Godfather of Hamburg’s Kiez, can bring ladies into the Herberststrasse, which is normally only meant for men. But if you rather want to join Germany’s most famous transvestite on one of her tours – Olivia Jones – please do! These tours are only available in German.
• Up to three people fit into Hanseatic Helicopter Services‘ helicopters and can enjoy a 20- or 30-minute flight over Germany’s greenest city. Available for people speaking any language because you just have to enjoy the view!
• Up and down Blankenese’s Treppenviertel
• Planten & Bloomen park (enjoy the fountain show in the summer)
• For a beach walk, start at Hoppe’s Restaurant and take Övelgönne street

​
• Mönckebergstrasse (mostly H&M, Zara, and other known retailers, but also more exclusive ones)
• Altona (mostly H&M, Zara, and other known retailers)
• Grosse Freiheit (clubs and bars which play Top 40, house, electro & some hip hop, mostly tourists)

Check VirtualNights.com for events, but also the Facebook pages of Hamburg’s clubs.

Whether you want to check out an Escape Room, enjoy a play, concert or reading (all of these are possible on a ship as well!), see a musical, search for your desired activity on this website.

Where to go for the perfect view

For a view of the harbor from the other side, go to the old Elbtunnel (Alter Elbtunnel) and walk through it (you’ll walk 21 meters below the Elbe, which is pretty cool in itself) and stop at the viewing platform in Steinwerder. If you don’t like crowds, walk a bit further south on Hermann-Blohm-Strasse and take a left on Am Fährkanal. Then you’ll find yourself East of the Elbtunnel’s platform and West of where all the musicals take place. Here, you’ll have a bit more peace. Both places are great for sunsets or sunrises.

For a view of Hamburg from afar, you can go to the top of Wilhemsburg’s war bunker (Hamburg’s 2nd largest one after the one in St. Pauli), which has a 360 degree terrace with an amazing panorama.

For a view of the inner city, pay 4 Euros to go to the top of Hamburg’s Michel.

For a rooftop terrace view with cocktails and food, check out Tanzende Türme on Hamburg’s Repperbahn.

And one last tip: Whatever you do, don’t EVER forget your umbrella! All Hamburgers know…

​

 And if you’ve never been to Germany, here are 16 things you need to know before traveling here and how to budget for your Germany trip.

A big thanks to Eat the World Hamburg, Gastwerk Hotel, HafenCity Riverbus, Hamburger Unterwelten e.V., Hanseatic Helicopter Services, Luciano, Olivia Jones, Privathotel Lindtner, Stefanie Hempel’s Beatles Tour, The Westin, and Waterkant Touren for supporting me on my trip to Hamburg. As usual, all opinions are my own!</s>From today (1st September 2017), the European XFEL - the world's biggest X-ray laser - will be in regular operation.

The €1.22 billion research facility in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region involves eleven European countries.

With 27,000 X-ray laser flashes per second and a luminance a billion times higher than that of the best conventional X-ray sources, XFEL will open up entirely new research opportunities and help transcend the current boundaries of scientific research.

It will enable international scientists to decipher the molecular composition of viruses and cells, take three-dimensional images of the nanoworld, film chemical reactions and study processes occurring deep inside planets. XFEL will help develop, eg new medication and new materials.

Tthe facility was launched by Germany's Research Minister Johanna Wanka, Hamburg's First Mayor Olaf Scholz, Schleswig-Holstein's Science Minister Karin Prien, Russia's Presidential Advisor Andrei Fursenko, French Research Minister Frédérique Vidal and other high-ranking representatives. They will be joined by several external researchers, who are currently preparing for their first experiments in mid-September.

XFEL is a non-profit organisation that closely collaborates with DESY Hamburg and other international institutions. It employs about 300 people.

With a cost of €1.22 billion for construction and launch and a 3.4-kilometre tunnel system that extends to the state of Schleswig-Holstein, it is among Europe's biggest and most ambitious research projects.

Eleven countries are involved: Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland; the UK is in the process of joining.</s>HAMBURG, N.Y. (WIVB) — Police in the Town of Hamburg are looking for help identifying someone seen on video.

The person is wanted for questioning regarding a theft from Hobby Lobby.

Anyone who knows the person’s identity can call Det. Robert Paas at (716) 648-5118 ext. 2647, or the confidential tip line at (716) 648-5111 ext. 2847.

Here is video of the person, courtesy of Town of Hamburg police:
The European X-ray free-electron laser is inaugurated in Hamburg, Germany.