The Elbbrücken (''Elbe bridges'') are several independent bridge structures crossing the river

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) 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 Republic), then Ge ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Within Hamburg, the Elbe divides into two main anabranches, 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, Hamburg, Wi ...

(''Northern Elbe'') and 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 Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between ...

(''Southern Elbe''), which, after the Alte Süderelbe (''Old Southern Elbe'') was sealed off, reunite with the Norderelbe via the Köhlbrand anabranch, bypassing the Elbe islands, of which Wilhelmsburg is the largest river island on the Elbe. In particular, the term refers to several parallel railroad and road bridges over River Elbe in central Hamburg, divided into Norderelbbrücken (''Northern Elbe bridges'') and Süderelbbrücken (''Southern Elbe bridges''). They emerged from the first crossings over River Elbe, and today, due to the low headroom, form a barrier east of the

Port of Hamburg The Port of Hamburg (, ) 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" (), it is the country's largest seaport by volume. In terms of TEU throughput, Hambur ...

which can't be passed by sea ships. Today, especially the Norderelbbrücken are considered a landmark of Hamburg. The Hamburg Elbbrücken, along with the Old Elbe Tunnel (1911, below Norderelbe) and the New Elbe Tunnel (1975, under re-united River Elbe), form the last fixed Elbe crossings before the mouth into the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

. The bridges constitute an important link within the city-state of Hamburg and connect the districts north of the Elbe, including the inner city of Hamburg with the Wilhelmsburg, the Veddel and the port area as well as with the borough of Harburg to the south of the Elbe and the region beyond. In addition, the Elbe bridges have a significant national function as a north-south link in European rail traffic and within the crossings of the federal motorways ( A 1, A 253) and federal highways ( B 4 / B 75). In the entire Hamburg city area, all road signs to ''Neue Elbbrücke'' (''New Elbe Bridge'') and ''Brücke des 17. Juni'' (''Bridge of 17th June''), which are both part of the Hamburg Elbbrücken are generally signposted only as ''Elbbrücken'', as the ''Freihafenelbbrücke'' (former

free economic zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re- exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subjec ...

) and the motorway bridges are excluded and journeys over the other bridges would be a detour.

History

The first fixed crossings over the

were established in 1872 as a railway bridge, in 1887 as a road bridge.Freihafen-Elbbrücke Hamburg
Bauwelt.de

Literature

*Sven Bardua: ''Brückenmetropole Hamburg'', Dölling und Galitz, Hamburg 2009, .

References

{{coord missing, Hamburg Bridges in Hamburg Bridges over the Elbe Buildings and structures in Hamburg-Mitte Buildings and structures in Harburg, Hamburg