Germany · Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg · Hamburg
Rissen, Hamburg — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Rissen is the westernmost Stadtteil of Hamburg apart from the island of Neuwerk, in the Altona borough and one of the Elbvororte.
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Where to stay in Rissen
One nearby area has its own guide — here's what it is best for.
HamburgGermanya base south-east of Rissen, on the S1 toward HamburgBlankenese
Blankenese borders Rissen to the south-east, on the same S-Bahn line.Blankenese →Hotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
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About Rissen
What are the main landmarks in Rissen?
Rissen's emblem is the Leuchtturm Wittenbergen, a lighthouse lit in 1899 on the right bank of the Elbe opposite the island of Neßsand. It is about 30 metres tall. The Johanneskirche in the Rissener Dorfstraße and the Mechelnbusch estate of the late 1940s are both listed.
The Wittenbergen reserve keeps heath and Elbe meadows.
What is the history of Rissen?
Rissen was first recorded on 29 April 1255 as Risne, a name that roughly means houses in the scrub. It belonged to the Schauenburg County of Holstein-Pinneberg, and from 1640 to the Duchy of Holstein, ruled by the Danish kings. By 1835 the Godeffroy merchant family had planted wide tracts.
Moor and heath turned into forest. Rissen became Prussian in 1866, joined Altona in 1927 and, with it, Hamburg in 1938.
Where is Rissen?
Rissen borders Wedel to the west, Appen, Schenefeld and Pinneberg to the north, Sülldorf to the east and Blankenese to the south-east, with the Elbe south.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Rissen?
Rissen: a base by the S1 station. Blankenese: a base south-east of Rissen, on the S1 toward Hamburg.
Good for
More areas in Hamburg
Updated October 2026