| Consulate General of the United States in Hamburg | |
|---|---|
 The current U.S. Consulate General in Hamburg | |
  Shown within Hamburg Show map of Hamburg Consulate General of the United States, Hamburg (Germany) Show map of Germany | |
| General information | |
| Type | Diplomatic mission |
| Location | Kehrwieder 8 20257 Hamburg Germany |
| Coordinates | 53°32′38″N9°59′11″E / 53.54379°N 9.98646°E /53.54379; 9.98646 |
| Inaugurated | July 2022 |
| Owner | U.S. Government |
TheConsulate General of the United States of America in Hamburg is adiplomatic mission representing the United States of America to the city of Hamburg and the State of Schleswig Holstein in the Federal Republic ofGermany. TheGovernment of Hamburg counts the promotion of the then Vice-Consul John Parish to the rank of a consul in 1793 as the establishment of the first mission.[1] The consulate-general represents the interests of the United States government in theGerman states of Hamburg,Bremen,Lower Saxony,Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, andSchleswig-Holstein.[2]
I do hereby pray and request the Governors, Burgomasters andSenate of the Imperial free City Hamburgh, to permit the said John Parish fully and peaceably to enjoy and exercise the said Office (Vice Consul), without giving or suffering to be given unto him any Molestation or Trouble, but on the contrary to afford him all the proper Countenance and Assistance; I offering to do the same for all those who in like manner be recommended to me by the said Governors, Burgomasters and Senate of the Imperial free City Hamburgh.
— George Washington, on 17 June 1790[3]
The first American mission toHamburg was established in 1790 andJohn Parish was named Vice Consul. In 1793 Parish was promoted to the rank of a consul. In 1897,Hugh Pitcairn was appointed to the consulate, and in 1903 appointed to be Consul General by PresidentRoosevelt.[4]
During the participation of the US in theFirst andSecond World War all consulates in theGerman Empire were closed. On 1 March 1946 the U.S. government reopened the consulate in Hamburg, and in 1950 purchased the building atAlsterufer on the shore of LakeAußenalster.[3] The building had been the headquarters for theNazi Party in Hamburg from 1934 until the end of World War II.[5][6]
In 2024, the U.S. government sold the building to Deutsche Realbesitz Unternehmensgruppe (DERAG), which intends to turn the building into a hotel.[5] The new location of the Consulate General is at Kehrweider 8, 20257 Hamburg, in Amundsen Haus of the Hanseatic Trade Center building complex.[7]
In 2007, Ms.Karen E. Johnson succeededDuane C. Butcher as consul general in Hamburg.[8] As of 2009, 31 consuls and 22 consuls general had served in Hamburg.[3] The Consul General from 2019 to 2022 was Darion Akins, who began serving in July 2019.[9] Jason Chue assumed duty as Consul General in July 2022.[10]
In 1882, the larger one of the two houses was built, and in 1893 the smaller building was finished by architectMartin Haller, who also designed theHamburg Rathaus. From 1933 until 1945 theNazi Party used the houses as Hamburg headquarters.[3] After the war, the British forces confiscated the houses, and in 1950 the U.S. government bought them from the heirs of the original owners.[3] Eventually a structure was built between the two houses to create one single building.
After a renovation the consulate moved into the house in 1951.[3] The Consulate General was commonly calleddas Weiße Haus an der Alster (theWhite House on theAlster) in Hamburg.[11][12] Since threats against American embassies,9/11, and a direct threat against the consulate in Hamburg, the security of the U.S. Consulate General in Hamburg was often strengthened.[12][13][14] On 1 April 2009, theHamburger Morgenpost included the consulate in a satiricalApril Fools' Day news report, claiming that because of security reasons the consulate would move to a WW II shelter atHeiligengeistfeld.[11] In the late 1990s portions of what used to be a larger property belonging to and surrounding the Consulate were sold off to raise needed cash for the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. The Consulate was known for placing a large Christmas tree every year on the balcony over the entrance.
The artificial lakeAußenalster is in front of the former American consulate in theRotherbaum quarter. The railway stationDammtor is nearby to the South.
In 2024, the U.S. government sold the building to Deutsche Realbesitz Unternehmensgruppe (DERAG), which intends to turn the building into a hotel.[5]
In July 2022, the U.S. Consulate General moved its operations to leased office space in the Amundsen Hall building of the Hanseatic Trade Center, at Kehrwieder 8.[5]
Embassies are the main entries, whileconsulates-general are shown as sub-entries for each country. A full list can be found atList of diplomatic missions of the United States. | |||
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‡ Missions which are located in countries or cities that may be considered a part of more than one continent 1 Consulates-General which function as an embassy (ie. consul reports to State Department, not the respective country's ambassador) 2 The American Institute in Taiwan is ostensibly a public, non-profit organization to promote US-Taiwanese relations, but through State Department staffing & assistance, functions as an informal US diplomatic mission. | |||
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