Media Release
Start of construction on the Hamburger Hof: A new chapter begins for Hamburg’s inner city
3 March 2025 marks the start of construction on the redevelopment of the Hamburger Hof, one of the most preeminent building complexes in Hamburg city. With this project, Munich Re and ERGO’s asset manager MEAG will be creating a unique urban quarter that combines modern architecture with historic charm and a widely diverse usage concept on around 21,000 square metres of real estate. It will not only enhance the Jungfernstieg boulevard, but also make a valuable contribution to the further development of Hamburg’s inner city as a whole. On 5 February 2025, Franz-Josef Höing, Chief Planning Director at the Office for Urban Development and Housing of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Roger Diener from the architectural firm Diener & Diener, and Dr. Stefan Haas, Managing Director at MEAG, presented the plan for the new Hamburger Hof to the public.
and Franz-Josef Höing, Chief Building Director of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
A lynchpin project for the future of the city
Der Hamburger Hof, famous for its distinctive red sandstone façades and highly visual location between the Jungfernstieg, Große Bleichen and Poststraße roads, will be given a complete overhaul. What was formerly a shopping passage will be replaced by a new usage concept boasting exclusive retail stores on the ground floor, and modern offices, medical practices, a conference centre and 28 apartments on the upper floors. A rooftop bar looking out over the Binnenalster lake promises to be a real highlight. Completion of the Hamburger Hof is planned for the end of 2029. Franz-Josef Höing, Chief Planning Director of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, says: “The Hamburger Hof is an important, major and wonderful project – and a clear commitment to the inner city. We welcome a usage mix that includes residential space, and the protection of the heritage-protected stone, and we are grateful for the project’s careful planning process. In its modernised form, the Hamburger Hof will make a valuable contribution to further upgrading Hamburg’s inner city as a retail venue.”
An icon in new splendour
“In our capacity as asset manager for Munich Re and ERGO, we have been investing for decades in the Hamburg metropolitan region, because we are absolutely convinced of its outstanding attractiveness and future. With the new Hamburger Hof project, we are creating a district with a diverse usage concept that will significantly enhance the experience of spending time on Jungfernstieg, and that will radiate far beyond the the inner city itself. An icon in new splendour, which will bring back old memories and create space for new ones,” says Dr. Stefan Haas, Managing Director at MEAG.
Special aspects of the refurbishment
A key component of the project is the retaining of the landmarked red sandstone façades. That is why mindfulness for the iconic building fronts, and a harmonious conjoining of the traditional with the modern were so important when deciding on which architectural firm to choose in the pitch. “The Hamburger Hof project isn’t about masking a major new construction with old façades, as is often the case nowadays. We wanted instead to retain the identity of the historical block, which comprises several individual buildings. That means: Each façade has a building with its own stairwell and roof,” says Roger Diener of the Swiss architectural firm Diener & Diener.
