Alster Lakes

This guide to the Alster Lakes in Hamburg follows Olaf Nieß, the city's Schwanenvater or swan father, an office that has existed since at least sixteen seventy-four and that Olaf inherited from his father Harald before formally taking over in nineteen ninety-six. You'll hear how he tracks and feeds roughly one hundred twenty swans and coaxes them each November into ice-free winter quarters across town, one very polite conversation at a time, and about the old Hamburg legend that ties the city's fortune to these birds. Watch for him working the shoreline as you walk the promenade.