The St. Pauli Piers (german: St. Pauli Landungsbrücken, often only referred to as ''Landungsbrücken''; ), is the largest landing site in the
Port of Hamburg
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 ...
, Germany, and also one of
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
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, postal ...
's major tourist attractions. Other English language translations include St. Pauli Landing Stages or St. Pauli Landing Bridges.
The piers are located in the
St. Pauli
St. Pauli (Sankt Pauli; ) is a quarter of the city of Hamburg belonging to the centrally located Hamburg-Mitte borough. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the nearby Landungsbrücken is a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. ...
area of
Hamburg
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Hamburgian(s)
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, between the lower harbour and the ''Fischmarkt'' (Fish Market), on the banks of 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 ...
river. The ''Landungsbrücken'' today form a central
transportation hub
A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include railway stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stops, airports and ferry slips. F ...
, with
S-Bahn
The S-Bahn is the name of hybrid urban- suburban rail systems serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble co ...
,
U-Bahn
Rapid transit in Germany consists of four U-Bahn systems and fourteen S-Bahn systems. The U-Bahn commonly understood to stand for Untergrundbahn (''underground railway'') are conventional rapid transit systems that run mostly underground, while ...
and ferry stations, and are also a major tourist magnet with numerous restaurants and departure points for harbour pleasure boats. There is an entrance to the
Old Elbe tunnel
Old Elbe Tunnel or St. Pauli Elbe Tunnel (German: ''Alter Elbtunnel'' colloquially or ''St. Pauli Elbtunnel'' officially) which opened in 1911, is a pedestrian and vehicle tunnel in Hamburg. The 426 m (1,398 ft) long tunnel was a technical s ...
at the western end of the ''Landungsbrücken''. The eastern end of the building complex is marked by the ''Pegelturm'' (water level tower). Halfway up the tower, there is a water level indicator built into the wall, which indicates the current stage of the tides.
Shipping piers
The first pier here was built in 1839 at what was then the edge of the harbour. It served as a terminal for
steamships
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ca ...
, which could be relatively easily filled with coal here. The pier ensured a sufficient security distance from the city, since these ships were fueled by coal which presented a fire risk. The current piers built in 1907 consist of floating
pontoons, which are accessible from land by ten movable bridges.
The long landing place originally served the passenger steamers of the overseas lines. Among others, the great ''
Hapag-Lloyd
Hapag-Lloyd AG is a German international shipping and container transportation company. Hapag-Lloyd was formed in 1970 through a merger of Hamburg-American Line (HAPAG) and North German Lloyd.
History
The company was formed on September 1, 1 ...
'' liners landed here. Today only the ''
HADAG
The HADAG (full name HADAG Seetouristik und Fährdienst AG, literally "''HADAG Sea-tourism and Ferry service''") is a local public transport company in Hamburg, Germany. It owns and operates passengers ferries across the Elbe River, overseen by a ...
'' ferries, harbour tour ships and motor launches, passenger ships serving the lower Elbe, and catamarans to
Stade
Stade (), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (german: Hansestadt Stade, nds, Hansestadt Stood) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the district () which bears its name. It is l ...
and
Helgoland
Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...
still travel to the piers. Ships travel from here daily to the musical island of the concert, "
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...
".
The old piers were destroyed during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, so today's pontoons were rebuilt between 1953 and 1955. The last section destroyed in the War, between bridges 2 and 3, was not rebuilt until 1976. During the modernisation begun in 1999, the roofing and lighting were updated. Part of this modernisation is planned to include replacing bridge 7.
Cultural monument
The terminal building, built from volcanic
tuff
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...
, and the piers were constructed between 1907 and 1909 in the same location as the old ''Landungsbrücken''. It was designed as a representative shipping station by the architectural company of Raabe & Wöhlecke for the department of river and harbour construction of the construction deputation. With its length of 205 m, its numerous gateways to the ships' piers, its domes and towers, it sets a structural accent. The architectural sculptures were created by Arthur Bock.
The complex was classified as a historical monument on 15 September 2003.
Public transport interchange
A connection with the
S-Bahn
The S-Bahn is the name of hybrid urban- suburban rail systems serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble co ...
and
U-Bahn
Rapid transit in Germany consists of four U-Bahn systems and fourteen S-Bahn systems. The U-Bahn commonly understood to stand for Untergrundbahn (''underground railway'') are conventional rapid transit systems that run mostly underground, while ...
is provided through
Landungsbrücken station
Landungsbrücken is a railway station and transport hub, located in Hamburg's St. Pauli quarter at the Landungsbrücken. It is part of the City S-Bahn line and the Hamburg U-Bahn.
History
U-Bahn station
The first U-Bahn line in Hamburg was ...
.
Stammsiel
One of Hamburg's oldest and largest sewerage systems is near the ''Landungsbrücken''. It is part of the "''Stadtwasserkunst''" designed by
William Lindley
William Lindley (7 September 1808 in London – 22 May 1900 in Blackheath, London), was an English engineer who together with his sons designed water and sewerage systems for over 30 cities across Europe.
Life
As a young engineer he worked t ...
in 1842. The Geest-Stammsiel collects sewage from far parts of the city before it is transported under the Elbe to the main purification plant ''Köhlbrandhöft'' on the opposite side of the Elbe, by means of a pumping station about 100 m upstream of the old Elbe tunnel. The sluice can be travelled by boat. For the rowing trips of Kaiser
Willhelm II, a separate underground dock was constructed, viewable by appointment.
Notes
References
External links
Live Webcams at St. Pauli PiersPictures of the St. Pauli PiersSt. Pauli Landungsbrücken interest group
{{Authority control
Transport in Hamburg
Ferry terminals
*
Geography of Hamburg
1839 establishments in Germany
Tourist attractions in Hamburg
Buildings and structures in Hamburg-Mitte
1909 architecture
Transport infrastructure completed in 1909