List of bridges in Hamburg
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This list of bridges in Hamburg is incomplete, with an overview of their history and geography. In this article, the
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
s are listed by Hamburg's three major rivers (
Alster The Alster () is a right tributary of the Elbe river in Northern Germany. It has its source near Henstedt-Ulzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, flows somewhat southwards through much of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and joins the Elbe in central ...
, Bille and
Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
) and the respectively crossed
body of water A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as p ...
(river, creek, canal, fleet, harbor basin or else). The Elbe is by far the largest of the three. Unlike Alster and Bille, the Elbe is also within the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
's tidal influence, and Elbe bridges differ substantially from the ones on Alster and Bille. All three rivers are fed by a number of smaller rivers and also feature a number of branches or sidearms.
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
has more than 2,496 bridges, the most bridges of any city in Europe. Besides the Hanseatic city's mercantile and maritime history, the many rivers, canals and bridges lend to Hamburg's claim as the "
Venice of the North The following is an incomplete list of settlements nicknamed Venice of the North. The term ''Venice of the North'' refers to various cities in Northern Europe that contain canals, comparing them to Venice, Italy, which is renowned for its canals (s ...
". A 2004 report by the Department for Roads, Bridges and Waterways (LSBG) states a total number of 2,496 bridges in Hamburg,Landesbetrieb Straßen, Brücken und Gewässer (LSBG) Hamburg, 2004private bridges excluded (e.g. factory premises or Hagenbeck's Tierpark) many more than cities like
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
,
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
or
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. Given the city's waterborne geography and the
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
's heavy duty requirements, bridges in Hamburg also cover a great variety of architectural styles and innovative structural systems.Friedhelm Grundmann, Michael Zapf: ''Hamburg - Stadt der Brücken'', Schubert; Leipzig, 2003, Function-wise the total number of bridges break down to 1,172 road bridges, 987 railroad bridges (of which 407 Hochbahn bridges) and 470
footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...
s (of which 290 within public parks and green spaces). 383 bridges are under management of the
Hamburg Port Authority The Port of Hamburg (german: Hamburger Hafen, ) is a seaport on the river Elbe in Hamburg, Germany, from its mouth on the North Sea. Known as Germany's "Gateway to the World" (''Tor zur Welt''), it is the country's largest seaport by volume ...
. The most notable bridges in Hamburg include the historic
inner-city The term ''inner city'' has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Sociologists someti ...
bridges passing the
Lower Alster Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eig ...
(plus canals), the bridges across
Speicherstadt The Speicherstadt (, literally: 'City of Warehouses', meaning warehouse district) in Hamburg, Germany is the largest warehouse district in the world where the buildings stand on timber-pile foundations, oak logs, in this particular case. It is ...
canals, and the grand bridges spanning the Elbe's
Norderelbe The Norderelbe () (Northern Elbe) is one of the two big anabranches of the Unterelbe river in the area which is now the Port of Hamburg, Germany. The other anabranch is the Süderelbe. Together they form the island of Wilhelmsburg. See al ...
and
Süderelbe The Süderelbe () (Southern Elbe) is the biggest anabranch of the Unterelbe river in the area which is now the Port of Hamburg, Germany. Its natural flow path was redirected through the Köhlbrand. See also *List of bridges in Hamburg *List ...
anabranches, most commonly known as Elbbrücken.


Bridges in the Alster river system

For centuries, the only bridges in Hamburg were across the
Lower Alster Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eig ...
and its canals in the Altstadt (''old town''). Repeated redirecting of the Alster canals resulted in ever new bridges to go with them. Ultimately, most of the pre-17th century bridges were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1842; the oldest remaining bridges in Hamburg are Zollenbrücke (1633) and Ellerntorsbrücke (1668). Most of today's bridges in the inner city date from the 1840s reconstruction, during which over two dozen, mainly
Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
stone arch bridges An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ( ...
were erected under then building director (1809–1868). Maack's bridges tied into a general urban redevelopment of the inner city which was similarly seen in a number of European cities of the mid 19th century, and still characterizes many of the Neustadt's canals. Most of the bridges across the Upper Alster and adjoining canals were first built in conjunction with the area's extensive residential developments from the 1860s onwards. Some of them were gradually replaced during the 1920s, with Fritz Schumacher in particular establishing a brick-arch-prototype for many bridges.


Alster

Bridges across the
Alster The Alster () is a right tributary of the Elbe river in Northern Germany. It has its source near Henstedt-Ulzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, flows somewhat southwards through much of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and joins the Elbe in central ...
(''Alsterbrücken'') in Hamburg; some of the Alster's total of lie within Hamburg.


Upper Alster

A great number of the city's Alster bridges are located in the residential districts along the Upper Alster and its tributaries and accompanying side canals. * For bridges from the Außenalster downstream, see #Lower Alster The Alster is joined by the
Tarpenbek Tarpenbek is a stream running from Norderstedt (Schleswig-Holstein) through parts of Hamburg before joining the Alster in Eppendorf. See also *List of rivers of Schleswig-Holstein A list of rivers of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany: A * ...
at Eppendorfer Mühlenteich on its right side; a little further downstream, the Leinpfadkanal branches off the Alster's left side and creates a water link with a number of canals, including the Goldbekkanal, which in turn feeds into the Alster's system at
Außenalster Außenalster () or Outer Alster Lake is the larger one of two artificial lakes, which are formed by the Alster River and are both located within the city limits of Hamburg, Germany. The other „lake“ is the Binnenalster. The Außenalster and i ...
. Again on the right ride, the
Isebekkanal Isebekkanal is a canal in Hamburg, Germany. It has a length of about 3 km and is a remnant of the former stream of Isebek. The small ''Ottersbek'' stream flows into it. The Isebekkanal flows into the Alster. Location The canal is located in ...
joins the Alster's water shortly before reaching the Außenalster.


Lower Alster

Bridges across the Lower
Alster The Alster () is a right tributary of the Elbe river in Northern Germany. It has its source near Henstedt-Ulzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, flows somewhat southwards through much of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and joins the Elbe in central ...
(from the
Außenalster Außenalster () or Outer Alster Lake is the larger one of two artificial lakes, which are formed by the Alster River and are both located within the city limits of Hamburg, Germany. The other „lake“ is the Binnenalster. The Außenalster and i ...
downstream); this section lists most bridges in the inner city districts Altstadt and Neustadt. * For bridges across Binnenhafen, see #Oberhafen, Zollkanal and Binnenhafen * For bridges across Zollkanal, see #Oberhafen, Zollkanal and Binnenhafen


Osterbek

Bridges across
Osterbek Osterbek is a river of Hamburg, Germany. The Osterbek has its source at Farmsen-Berne in the Hamburg borough of Wandsbek. After crossing into the borough of Hamburg-Nord, the Osterbek becomes navigable as Osterbekkanal. It joins the Alster at Au ...
and Osterbekkanal * Bramfelder Brücke (1900) * U3 Osterbekkanal Hochbahn Viaduct (1912) * Hufnerstraßenbrücke * Käthnerortbrücke * Schleidenbrücke * Großheidesteg * Heinz-Gärtner-Brücke * Mühlenkampbrücke (1900) * Langenzugbrücke (1864, 1909) * For bridges from the Außenalster downstream, see


Uhlenhorster Kanal

Bridges across Hofwegkanal and Uhlenhorster Kanal * Grillparzerbrücke * Fährbrücke * Hofwegbrücke (1894) * Herbert-Weichmann-Brücke (1893) * Feenteichbrücke (1884) *For bridges from the Außenalster downstream, see #Lower Alster


Wandse

Bridges across
Wandse (in sections also called Eilbek) is a river flowing through Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, Germany. The Wandse rises west of the village of Siek in Kreis Stormarn in Schleswig-Holstein and ends in the center of Hamburg in the Alster. Along ...
, Eilbek, Eilbekkanal and Mundsburger Kanal * For bridges from the Außenalster downstream, see #Lower Alster


Bridges in the Bille river system


Bille

Bridges across the Bille in Hamburg; of the Bille's total of lie within Hamburg. * For bridges across Oberhafen, see #Oberhafen, Zollkanal and Binnenhafen


Hammerbrook canals

Bridges across
Hammerbrook Hammerbrook () is a quarter (''Stadtteil'') in the Hamburg-Mitte borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg in Germany. In 2020, the population was 5,069. Name ''Hamm'', as in the Hamm section of the city that borders it to the east, refer ...
and
Rothenburgsort Rothenburgsort () is a quarter (german: Stadtteil) in the Hamburg-Mitte borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg in northern Germany. In December 2020, the population was 9,043. History Geography The quarter is situated in the south-e ...
canals


Bridges in the Elbe river system

Up until the 19th century, the
Unterelbe The Unterelbe or, in English usually the Lower Elbe, refers to the lower reaches of the river Elbe in Germany influenced by the tides. It starts at kilometre 586, at the sluice of Geesthacht, where the Elbe forms the border between Lower Sa ...
had no
fixed crossing A fixed link or fixed crossing is a persistent, unbroken road or rail connection across water that uses some combination of bridges, tunnels, and causeways and does not involve intermittent connections such as drawbridges or ferries. A bridge–tu ...
. Travel time between Hamburg and Harburg took over two hours, and included two ferry trips across the Norder- and
Süderelbe The Süderelbe () (Southern Elbe) is the biggest anabranch of the Unterelbe river in the area which is now the Port of Hamburg, Germany. Its natural flow path was redirected through the Köhlbrand. See also *List of bridges in Hamburg *List ...
and a weary trip across the dikes of Wilhelmsburg. During Napoleon's brief annexion of Hamburg, a long pile bridge was built across the islands of Wilhelmsburg, however it also required cable ferries across the Elbe's two anabranches. In 1817 the poorly maintained structure was washed away. By the 1840s, with industrialization rapidly growing and trade through the Port of Hamburg skyrocketing, the need for a fixed crossing became apparent. At the time, the German states were a loose confederation of sovereign states, with the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg only controlling the northern Elbe shore, while the town of Harburg and the southern Elbe shore were part of the
Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Han ...
. Both sides built their railway lines: Hamburg–Bergedorf railway in 1842 ( extended to Berlin in 1846), and Celle–Harburg railway in 1847 (connected to
Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
since 1845) – but no link across the Elbe. One of the biggest obstacles was Hanover's rivalry to Hamburg and her attempts to promote overseas trade through the Port of Harburg. Twenty years on, the missing link became a void in the European rail network. Progress was finally possible after
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
's annexation of Hanover in 1866; within a few years the
Cologne-Minden Railway Company The Cologne-Minden Railway Company (German, old spelling: ''Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', ''CME'') was along with the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company and the Rhenish Railway Company one of the railway companies that in the mid-19th ...
(CME) completed the Venlo–Hamburg railway as North German section of a Paris–Hamburg railway line, and thereby linking Hamburg with the industrial centers of the
Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...
and the
Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
. The first railway bridges across Norder- and Süderelbe were built between 1869 and 1872, nowadays part of the Elbbrücken. Also starting in 1866, the port's infrastructure was substantially re-organized, in order to cope with the increased quantity of processed goods and to meet requirements of then commonly employed
steam-powered vessels Steam-powered vessels include steamboats and steamships. Smaller steamboats were developed first. They were replaced by larger steamships which were often ocean-going. Steamships required a change in propulsion technology from sail to paddlewheel ...
. This included an expansion of the port onto the islands of Steinwerder,
Veddel Veddel () is a quarter (''Stadtteil'') in the Hamburg-Mitte borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg on the homonymous island in the Elbe river, in northern Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a c ...
and Wilhelmsburg, and set-up of an extensive rail network for the newly established
Hamburg port railway (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
(''Hafenbahn''). In 1887, the Neue Elbbrücke with its three
lenticular truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...
es (each 102 meters long) became a Hamburg landmark and the first road bridge to cross the Norderelbe, serving many of the port's businesses. By 1899, the Alte Harburger Elbbrücke provided a road link across the Süderelbe. New bridges across the Elbe anabranches and the Elbe islands' canals were and are continued to be built to this day. Over the years, some of them have set new standards or records in engineering. With the Elbe bridges being perceived as a symbol of the many changes associated with the Industrial Age, they were continuously subject to artistic and intellectual reception, among others by artists of the Hamburg Secession (''Sezession'') during the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...
, or latest by the
Internationale Bauausstellung An Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) or International Architecture Exhibition is a German device for urban engineering and architecture, in order to show new concepts in terms of social, cultural and ecologic ideas. History * The first one d ...
during the 2000s. In 2015, the
Speicherstadt The Speicherstadt (, literally: 'City of Warehouses', meaning warehouse district) in Hamburg, Germany is the largest warehouse district in the world where the buildings stand on timber-pile foundations, oak logs, in this particular case. It is ...
was acknowledged as a
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.


Elbe

Bridges across the
Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
(''Elbbrücken'') in Hamburg; some of the Elbe's total of lie within Hamburg. Up-stream, the next bridge (outside the Hamburg state borders) is located at
Geesthacht Geesthacht () is the largest city in the District of the Duchy of Lauenburg (Herzogtum Lauenburg) in Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany, south-east of Hamburg on the right bank of the River Elbe. History A church was built in what is today ...
; down-stream there are no more bridges.


Norderelbe

Bridges across the
Norderelbe The Norderelbe () (Northern Elbe) is one of the two big anabranches of the Unterelbe river in the area which is now the Port of Hamburg, Germany. The other anabranch is the Süderelbe. Together they form the island of Wilhelmsburg. See al ...


Süderelbe

Bridges across the
Süderelbe The Süderelbe () (Southern Elbe) is the biggest anabranch of the Unterelbe river in the area which is now the Port of Hamburg, Germany. Its natural flow path was redirected through the Köhlbrand. See also *List of bridges in Hamburg *List ...


Este

Bridges across the Este in Hamburg; only of the Este's total of lie within the state borders of Hamburg. * Cranzer Rollbrücke * Estesperrwerkbrücke


Harburg canals

Bridges across harbor basins and canals in Harburg; the port of Harburg is indirectly fed through the
Seeve Seeve is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany, a tributary of the Elbe. It is approximately long. The municipality of Seevetal is named after this river. Course The Seeve source located is near Wehlen, south-east of Undeloh in the northern pa ...
.


Wilhelmsburg canals

Bridges across
Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
anabranches and canals on the island of Wilhelmsburg (including the islands of Steinwerder,
Kleiner Grasbrook is a quarter (''Stadtteil'') of Hamburg, Germany within the borough (''Bezirk'') of Hamburg-Mitte. It is situated on the eponymous island between the Northern and Southern branches of the Elbe river (''Norderelbe'' and ''Süderelbe''), together wi ...
and
Veddel Veddel () is a quarter (''Stadtteil'') in the Hamburg-Mitte borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg on the homonymous island in the Elbe river, in northern Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a c ...
)


Bridges elsewhere

Please note, this section only lists bridges and viaducts in Hamburg, not listed above (i.e. only bridges and viaducts not crossing a body of water).


Railway bridges and viaducts


Road bridges and viaducts

* Hochstraße Elbmarsch (1973, 4,258 m) * Kersten-Miles-Brücke (1897, 47 m) * Simon-von-Utrecht-Brücke


Foot bridges

* Cremonbrücke (1982) * Johan-van-Valckenburgh-Brücke


See also

* St. Pauli Landing Bridges (''Landungsbrücken'') *
List of rivers of Hamburg A list of rivers of Hamburg, Germany: A *Alster B *Berner Au * Bille *Bredenbek D * Deepenhorngraben * Dove Elbe * Dradenau *Düpenau E *Elbe * Este F * Flottbek G * Glinder Au *Gose Elbe K *Köhlbrand * Kollau L * Ladenbek *Lottbek *Lurupe ...
*
List of bridges The list of bridges is a link page for any bridges that are notable enough to have an article, or that are likely to have an article in the future, sorted alphabetically by country. Lists of bridges by country Afghanistan Albania Algeria ...


Literature

* Sven Bardua: ''Brückenmetropole Hamburg'', Dölling und Galitz, Hamburg, 2009 * Horst Beckershaus: ''Die Hamburger Brücken: ihre Namen, woher sie kommen und was sie bedeuten'', Convent, Hamburg, 2007, * Ralf Lange: ''Architekturführer Hamburg/Architectural Guide to Hamburg'', Edition Axel Menges, Fellbach, 1995,


References


External links


Landesbetrieb Straßen, Brücken und Gewässer
(LSBG) – Department for Roads, Bridges and Waterways
Bridges in Hamburg
at brueckenweb.de {{Hamburg !
Bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...
Bridges, Hamburg
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
Bridges, Hamburg