New Hamburg, Ontario: Photos and Video (N.A.’s Largest Wooden Waterwheel)

new hamburg ontario canada

My apologies to the 8,000 or so residents of New Hamburg, Ontario, but you must know what I’m going to say is true. You would probably never visit this town unless you lived there.

Jammed between Kitchener, Ontario and Stratford along highway 8, you must leave the highway and go north in order to check out the downtown core of New Hamburg. It has a bit of a throwback feel, despite being so close to Kitchener, one of Canada’s fastest growing regions and to Stratford, a major tourist destination.

At the start of May, on our way to do some video and photography in Stratford,Ontario I made my first ever stop in this town. It was a bit dreary and the Nith River was making an assault on its banks. We had time to do a little walking around and came away with the following photos. A driving tour video with additional clips is at the end of the article.

New Hamburg, Ontario Image Gallery

The photos in the gallery below are mostly taken along the Nith River in the downtown area of New Hamburg. As mentioned, the river was quite swollen. But, it was nowhere near the levels that had people canoeing in the streets in years past.

Also featured is the 50 foot waterwheel. This ferris wheel looking structure, built in 1990, is the largest working wooden waterwheel in North America. Also featured is the historic Hartman Bridge. We cross that bridge going both directions in the video below.

High resolution versions of these images and other photos from the same day are available at Dreamstime. Want to earn cash from your own photos? Why not sign up for free with Dreamstime and start submitting now: Become a paid photographer!

About New Hamburg

New Hamburg is a town of around 8,000 residents, located within the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. This is the main centre in Wilmot Township. The town borders Perth County to the west.

Settled in 1832, it was incorporated as a village in 1857, a year after the Grand Trunk Railroad came through. In 1966, New Hamburg was incorporated as a town. Originally, it was named Cassel the Hamburgh before taking on its current moniker in 1840.

The Nith River curves through town. That river merges with the Grand River not too far south, in Paris, Ontario.

New Hamburg is just 20 kilometres west of Kitchener. Further to the west, Stratford is just 23 KM away, along highway 8.

New Hamburg Driving Tour Video

Short and sweet, the following video travels off Highway 8 and north on Peel Street to the downtown core. We cross the Hartman Bridge before turning back around. The driving tour portion of the video stops along the banks of the Nith River. Following that, we have some clips of the area around the river, waterwheel and Hartman Bridge.

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Video edited with Corel VideoStudio Ultimate 2018.

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