Elbstrand

This guide to Elbstrand in Hamburg begins inside the old pilots' house on the thirteenth of January, 1745, when a room full of Elbe river pilots swore an oath to look after each other's families if the river ever took one of them. It follows the Lotsenbrüderschaft they formed, the timber-framed house that still stands as one of Hamburg's oldest taverns, and the yearly bonfire ritual fishermen once lit along this stretch of sand each spring. Stand close to the water and watch a container ship glide past.