Tour of HafenCity with a Greeter

HafenCity can be reached via the Baumwall and Meßberg subway stations on the one hand – in addition, a further public transport link was planned to open up HafenCity. The decision was made – after very intensive discussion – not to build an elevated railroad or to reintroduce a light rail/streetcar system. Instead, three subway stations were planned, which were connected via a new line (U4). Each station for itself is again worth a visit!
The station Überseequartier opens up the center of HafenCity. Remarkable is on the one hand the depth: The station is located 19.5 m below ground level, with increasing depth, the wall cladding becomes darker. Secondly, there are loudspeakers next to the escalators and next to each lamp: the sound of the sea and other maritime sounds come from them, so that you could think you were actually underwater!
At the HafenCity University station, a special lighting design awaits you: in the station, the twelve large illuminated containers on the ceiling immediately catch the eye; these are intended to be reminiscent of harbor elements. On weekends and holidays, light and music compositions are performed in the subway station between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on the hour: The illuminated containers change color to classical music (if you look outside these times of day, there is a slow transition between the illuminated colors).
The temporary terminus at Elbbrücken (an extension across the water to Kleiner Grasbrook/Moldauhafen is being considered) is above ground and entirely in glass. This offers at the same time a change to the S-Bahn line 3, the connection over the main street there over a so-called “Skywalk”. Construction of the Elbbrückenquartier has not yet begun; that of Baakenhafen is in full swing. Instead, the station offers a good view of the construction activities, the Elbe bridges and the Norderelbe!

Photo: Matthias Vollmer

Comparatively few recreational areas were created in HafenCity! Whether the background was that parking areas could not be sold to third parties or the planners thought that people prefer to sit by the water anyway: Lohsepark, which can be found directly at the HafenCity University subway station, is the great exception! It stretches in a tube shape from Baakenhafen in the south to Ericusgraben in the north. Formerly, the Hanover train station was located on this site.
A combined area of walking paths, sunbathing areas and play areas was created, which is available to the public around the clock. Characterized by curved and diagonal paths, benches and play areas. The bent trunks and branches of trees that had to be felled in Versmannstrasse (for the construction of HafenCity) found a new use here as climbing frames. Among the exotic and native woody plants planted, the existence of fruit trees is particularly noteworthy: Their fruits may be taken away!
Unfortunately, however, Lohsepark also has a dark chapter, which is commemorated by the memorial denk.mal Hannoverscher Bahnhof. From here, several thousand people – mostly Jews, Sinti and Roma – were deported to concentration and extermination camps between 1940 and 1945. The station’s location, close to the city center but at the same time secluded, was well suited for the purposes of the National Socialists. A relic of the now listed platform 2 can be found here – as well as a joint that leads from the former station forecourt along the historic track to the platform through the park. Of course one is pointed out locally by means of display boards and documentations again to the historical meaning of this place.

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Photo: Matthias Vollmer

In the mid-1990s, the city decided to abandon the port use of the areas on Großer Grasbrook and to redevelop them in terms of urban development. The central location offered the opportunity to expand the inner city by about 1/3 of the area! By 2030, residential units for about 14,000 people and workplaces for up to 45,000 people are to be built on the site, and 3,000 hotel rooms will also be created. In addition, up to 10,000 schoolchildren and students as well as around 50,000 customers and tourists per day are calculated.
The biggest special feature and challenge for the builders of the new district was and still is flood protection: they deliberately chose not to embank the site – instead, all the buildings were erected on pedestals built especially for them. Despite the modern – in some places untypical for Hamburg – architecture, care is also taken throughout not to forget the neighborhood’s past: for example, many of the pedestals and floors are designed in the style of oriental carpets that were once stored here. The lanterns are designed to resemble harbor cranes, the seating to resemble waves. Several harbor buildings have been rehabilitated and are experiencing a second life through new uses! The street squares were named after famous explorers/seafarers, the streets often after other port cities. HafenCity’s location in the former free port is also still recognizable: the control stations, placed at each bridge leading into the district, have been preserved.
But HafenCity’s greatest asset is its location on the water and its proximity to the harbor! Even if some corners still look provisional and others are still under heavy construction: The fears that an “office district” would emerge – i.e. a “dead” part of town after business hours – have not materialized! In addition to the strong demand for the apartments, the retail spaces are in great demand. In addition, there are an extraordinary number of recreational facilities, tourist attractions, as well as educational institutions and restaurants.
Photo: Matthias Vollmer