Hamburg is a creative hotbed for the advertising industry, so it’s no surprise that it’s also home to Germany’s first ad agency. The Centrale Announcen Büro William Wilkens was founded in 1876. Over the years, the small agency evolved into a powerhouse that’s now known as FCB.

Airbus is Hamburg’s largest employer. About 13,000 employees work at the company’s Hamburg location assembling short-haul and long-haul aircraft. The manufacturing hangars are enormous – several soccer fields in size. One is also where Heike Otto works, heading an A320 final assembly line.

The enormous ships that dock in Germany’s largest harbor are up to 400 meters long. But they don’t arrive under their own steam. They’re brought into harbor by bright-red Kotug tug boats. One is the ZP Bulldog, which tows enormous container ships and car-carriers into Hamburg’s harbor.

Compared to many other German federal states, Hamburg is booming economically. It’s home to many thriving companies and has attracted major investment. According to national surveys, Hamburg is also Germany’s happiest city. Thomas Straubhaar, an economist at the University of Hamburg, talks about the secret behind Hamburg’s success.