Page 36 - Hafen Hamburg | Broschüre | Port of Hamburg Magazine 4.2020

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36 | Port of Hamburg Magazine | December 2020
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Probably the world’s most
beautiful tunnel
Personally, I really enjoy flying through the Old Elbe Tunnel. Apart from me, the only users allowed are pedestrians and cyclists; cars are banned just now. But the tunnel was actually designed originally for coaches. The St-Pauli-Elbe-Tunnel, its official name, opened over a century ago. Kaiser Wilhelm was there in person for the cere- mony, and would have liked to see the tunnel named after himself. But it turned out otherwise. For a long period, the tunnel was an important link for commuter traffic between St Pauli and Steinwerder, or between the city and the port. Today it is a mag- net for tourists and locals alike. Part of the reason is the lack of any ramps as access, but instead giant lifts large enough for cars – or stage coaches. Anybody taking a closer interest in this listed monument will again and again be astonished. Did you know, for example, that all the creatures on the reliefs in the tubes actually lived in the Elbe in earlier days? Did you know that from 1959 until 1992, the Old Elbe Tunnel housed escalators? Or that the Bornsteinplatz viewing platform on the south side was named after the doctor and his wife who helped improve the working conditions of the tunnel construction labourers, and researched into compressed air sickness? Such enthralling stories and many others surround this handsome structure. Com- prehensive renovation by the HPA aims to ensure that it survives for as long as pos- sible. Since April 2019 I have been flying there again, but only through the re-opened eastern tube that now gleams in restored glory. The western tube is just
now being restored and so is closed to visitors, even to
port seagulls.
HPA celebrates 15 years
In October the date came up, and Hamburg Port Authority was able to celebrate its 15th an- niversary. In 2005 the City of Hamburg brought dispersed units under one roof as a new ad- ministration for the port. Its range of tasks has grown larger since then. Apart from water- side infrastructure, HPA is now responsible for landside traffic in the port area. With around 300 kilometres of track and almost 800 sets of points, the Port Railway founded in 1866 formed part of the deal. HPA also conducts construction inspection in the port area. Prop- erty administration is an additional important branch of the business. Almost all sites in the
port belong to the HPA. Yet it is only allowed to rent out and lease these. Any sale is totally ruled out. In addition, HPA is in process of grooming the port for the future. First experiments with the new mobile phone 5G standard are already running. HPA fleet subsidiary ‘Die Flotte’ is also striving to be more en- vironment-friendly in operating its craft. Peter Pickhuben is happy to congratulate them and wishes them all success over
the next 15 years.