Praise as Hamburg's old Elbe tunnel celebrates centenary

By Julia Ranniko Sep 7, 2011, 2:07 GMT

Hamburg - Hamburg's St Pauli Elbe tunnel, an iconic German landmark embodying both technology and nostalgia, turns 100 Wednesday.

Travelers say the trip underground is still a 'real adventure,' even if it lasts barely half a minute. Part of the charm lies in the way cars travel away from the hustle and din of Hamburg's port, down to the bottom of the river Elbe.

When it opened on September 7, 1911, the magnificent, unique structure was hailed as a first-class sensation and a technical marvel.

'Down there, as the heavy wooden door to the tunnel opened, it was like the curtain rising in the theatre,' wrote the Neue Hamburger Zeitung at the time.

Below, some 25 metres underground, one is immersed in a completely different world. Muffled sounds and pale light, bright and ornate relief tiles offer a sense of nostalgia.

The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) explains that, while it is proud of the old Elbe tunnel, the tunnel is 'a monument, rather than a museum. People are using it exactly as they were 100 years ago, as a transport connection.'

Indeed, the two narrow tunnels - one of which is being renovated and is therefore closed over the anniversary - are bustling with activity.

However, the tunnel is now considered a fossil in terms of traffic: too slow and labour intensive. Exactly as it was 100 years ago, each vehicle is directed in and out of the tunnel by uniformed guards.

Access ramps, which are a common feature in other underwater tunnels - for example in the new Elbe Tunnel which opened in 1975, where they are primarily known for causing blockages - do not exist here. Architect Otto Stockhausen describes the Elbe Tunnel, an iconic landmark in Hamburg for years, as 'one of the most distinctive buildings.'

The route to the other side of the Elbe starts in a magnificent building with a domed roof.

Inside is a huge, open vertical tunnel with four car and two passenger lifts that continually rumble into the depths. In the past year, according to HPA, 790,000 pedestrians, 105,000 cyclists and 320,000 cars passed through the tunnel.

By comparison, during the record year of 1923, 19 million pedestrians were counted, according to Sven Bardua's book The Old Elbe Tunnel in Hamburg.

When the plans for the Elbe tunnel were announced, the Hanseatic city was experiencing a phenomenal upswing. It was a time of huge expansion when Hamburg's airport and its elevated railway were built.

The city's port grew enormously and was therefore relocated to the southern side of the Elbe. Tens of thousands of people worked there, and so the idea of an underwater tunnel arose, in order to transport them quickly and safely to the other side.

Building started in 1907. It was considered a great risk, but went relatively smoothly, according to Bardua.

Working underwater required pressurized construction techniques. When the tunnel was opened four years later, some 60,000 people are said to have passed through it on the first day.

The 426.5-metre-long tunnels connect the piers with the Steinwerder peninsula. According to HPA, it is the shortest dry route 'between the port and the heart of the Hanseatic city.'

A tunnel originally designed for pedestrians and horse carts, it can now cope with the vehicles of the modern age.

Since 1995, the tunnel has been overhauled in stages, in order to improve it for current traffic demands. Furthermore, Bardua writes: 'The old Elbe tunnel is not only a monument to technology, but also a popular film location. As a construction for traffic it also has a future.'