The old Hanseatic town of Hamburg is one of Germany's most popular tourist attractions. However, only a few kilometers south-west of Hamburg lies a town that is pretty much unknown to most tourists, Stade. During the Middle Ages, as with Hamburg, it too was also a member of the Hanseatic League of trading cities. However, whereas Hamburg continued to grow and prosper over the centuries, Stade has remained pretty much a picturesque little community in the middle of farm country.
Despite its size, however, the town has a number of sights well worth seeing. The medieval architecture at the old harbor, as well as the Sweden Storehouse and the old arsenal ' both remnants of the Swedish garrison that was stationed in Stade during the Thirty Year's War are among the town's most popular tourist attractions.
During the spring, when fruit trees are in blossom, Stade is often the starting point for day excursions into an area known as "Alte Land", which is Europe's largest continuous fruit-growing region. To find out more about the techniques involved in growing fruit, we pay a visit to a farmer named Schiback, and take part in his everything-you-want-to-know-about-apples course. Finally, after a stroll through the blossoming countryside, we visit an open-air museum that was once a fruit farm dating back to the year 1733.
Stade Tourismus GmbH
Schiffertorstr. 6
21682 Stade
+49 (0) 4141-409170-75
+49 (0) 4141-409110