Alster steamer
Alster steamers or Alster ships are scheduled, tour and excursion ships that operate on the Alster in Hamburg . The term “Alsterdampfer” has actually been obsolete since the 1930s - motor ships have been used since then - but is still common.
history
On June 15, 1859 , the first Alster steamship, the Alina , began operating on the Inner and Outer Alster as well as the adjacent canals. The regular service existed between the Mühlenkamper Fährhaus on the Uhlenhorst , the Winterhuder Fährhaus and the Jungfernstieg with several landing stages on the route. In 1890 a line was added over the Eilbek Canal to Barmbek . At the turn of the century, around 30 steamships operated on the Alster. In 1911, the number of passengers reached the 11 million mark, when the Alster steamers were an efficient and inexpensive means of local transport. There was a regular service every 10 or 20 minutes.
The time between the world wars
After the First World War (April 1, 1919) the Hamburger Hochbahn AG (HHA) took over the operation of the Alsterdampfschiffahrts-GmbH with 35 steamers and five barges. In the years 1924 to 1935, however, it transferred the technical operation to the Lütgens & Reimers Ewerführer . The number of passengers in the "Golden Twenties" only reached around 6 million per year, in the 1930s they were already below 4 million. Trams , bus lines and the subway became more attractive as a means of transport than the slow Alster steamers. Nevertheless, the HHA had ten motor ships built from 1935 to 1939 . Some of them have been rebuilt several times and are still part of the Alster fleet today.
At the end of the 1930s three lines were used with Alster ships:
| Yellow flag | Jungfernstieg - Auguststrasse (Uhlenhorst) - Fährhaus - Fernsicht - Leinpfad (Streekbrücke) - Goernestrasse - Winterhude |
| Blue flag | Jungfernstieg - Rabenstraße - Fährhaus - Mühlenkamp ( connection to Bachstraße with barges ) |
| Red flag | Jungfernstieg - Schwanenwik - Kuhmühlenteich - Richardstrasse - Von-Essen-Strasse |
There were also Alster ferries. At Von-Essen-Straße you could change to the tram to the Barmbek train station.
In the summer months of the 1920s and 30s there was a connecting line service with barges from Mühlenkamp or Winterhuder Fährhaus to the former town hall at Stadtparksee in Winterhude and via the then new Alster Canal to Ohlsdorf . There were also docks on Lattenkamp, Deelböge and Alsterdorfer Damm. Two series with five launches each were built for this purpose, so that the intervals between the two boats were close (20-minute intervals at peak times). These were initially given names such as Klaus (today's Aue), Lulu and Irmgard . In 1930, the last, eleventh launch, Clementine (later known as Kollau) followed, with a complete roof. In the mid-1930s, it served as a model for converting the other launch boats. At the same time, many Alster steamers were given new names: virtues such as determination , camaraderie , faith and truth were called for as ship names. The five older launches were sold. In 1941 the Emmy / Loyalty was sold . The passenger ships with internal combustion engines that were newly delivered from the mid-1930s were named after people from the Third Reich .
A few days before the outbreak of the Second World War , operations on the Alster lines had to be stopped due to a lack of fuel and staff. The ferry operated until 1944.
Scheduled services after the Second World War
After an interruption due to the war, operations were resumed at the end of 1946 as a regular means of transport for the HHA. Four of the barges were still available, they were given the new names Grevenau , Mühlenau (both sold in 1957), Collau (sold in 1992) and Aue and were u. a. used as Alster ferry. A regular service to the city park and to Ohlsdorf could not be resumed. In 1950 3.4 million passengers were counted.
The construction of new motor ships began again in 1951, the Goldbek and the Eilbek were put into operation with diesel-electric propulsion in 1951 and 1952 respectively. As the last Alster ship built in Germany for a long time, the Rodenbek went into operation with pure diesel propulsion in 1956 . From 1958 (Barkasse Eilenau , sold 1994), tour boats built in the Netherlands based on the Amsterdam model came to the Alster, and their construction there was cheaper for the HHA.
The sister ship of the Barkasse Aue , the Kollau , which was rebuilt in Holland in 1959 , was the first ship to receive electrical mooring magnets for one-man operation in 1961. In the 1970s, all Alster ships on scheduled routes were equipped with it. In order to save the mooring line and cashier, further modifications had to be made. The passenger doors were replaced by two-part swing doors (as in the Hamburg tram type V7) - electrically remote-controlled by the skipper. The entrance doors had to be relocated to the front of the skipper to introduce the flow of passengers , who also got a till with the TIM ticket printer, which was common at the HHA at the time .
In the post-war period, the HHA initially operated two, later three lines and a ferry. Until the 1960s, a 20-minute cycle was offered (Alster ferry 15 minutes), later there was a 30-minute cycle. For example, the Alster ships were the cheapest, if somewhat slow, connection to the city center or to Harvestehude for the Bachstrasse / Saarlandstrasse area ( Jarrestadt , Barmbek-Süd) , because until 1957 there were none except the underground ring and trams (at Mühlenkamp) other public transport lines. It was not until 1957 that a bus line was set up as an express bus (36) to the Jarrestadt. A few years passed until the current connection with the city bus routes 172/173.
With the establishment of the Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV) in 1965, the lines were integrated into the normal offer of the tariff community. In the following years, however, the number of passengers declined. The attractiveness suffered u. a. also due to the extensive underground and S-Bahn construction work on the main Jungfernstieg pier (1973 commissioning of the high-speed railway junction under the Inner Alster ). Between 1962 and 1968, 1.7 to 1.9 million passengers were counted annually, in 1969 it was only 1.5 million.
The ships were marked with different flags for the line designation. There were yellow , blue, and green flags. In connection with the change of the line names in the city bus network (two-digit bus lines now three-digit), additional numbers were introduced at the end of July 1968:
| 51 | Jungfernstieg - Atlantic - Rabenstrasse - Uhlenhorster Fährhaus - Krugkoppelbrücke - Streekbrücke - Winterhuder Fährhaus |
| 52 | Jungfernstieg - Atlantic - Rabenstrasse - Uhlenhorster Fährhaus - Mühlenkamp - Bachstrasse - Saarlandstrasse |
| 53 | Jungfernstieg - Mundsburg Bridge - Rabenstrasse |
| 55 | Alster ferry: Fährdamm - Uhlenhorster Fährhaus (connection to lines 51/52) |
About twelve ships (built in the years 1935–1939 and 1951–1959) and two smaller ferries ( Kollau and Aue ) were used in regular service . The green line was first set up in 1962 from Jungfernstieg directly to Rabenstrasse and up to Mundsburger Brücke. It soon received a changed route and was discontinued in December 1975 due to low passenger numbers. The other two lines and the ferry were operated within the HVV until the spring of 1984. From Jungfernstieg, the travel time to Winterhuder Fährhaus 33, Saarlandstrasse 35, Bachstrasse 26 and to Uhlenhorster Fährhaus was 16 minutes.
In 1978 17 ships carried 1.4 million passengers over 0.15 million ship kilometers at an average cruising speed of 10.4 km / h.
Revitalization of the regular service
Again and again there have been initiatives to revive a comprehensive regular service with tickets of the Hamburg Transport Association. This was always rejected by the Hamburg economic authorities with reference to the costs. For this reason, the CDU-Hamburg launched an initiative in 2016, which initially aims to provide inexpensive regular services only in the morning rush hour between the Mühlenkamp and Jungfernstieg stops. This initiative was rejected on November 30, 2016 by a majority in the Hamburg parliament with the votes of the SPD and the GREEN. On March 1, 2017, there was a hearing as to whether a regular scheduled service might not make sense.
Alster tourism and "cruise line"
In addition to the regular service, tourism became more and more important. In 1956 "coffee trips", 1964 "morning pint" and finally "canal trips" were offered for the first time. The newly built Eilenau was already specially designed for excursions and tours. The Alster shipping was then spun off from the HHA in April 1977 and transferred to the subsidiary Alster-Touristik GmbH (ATG) with a new focus on excursion, tour and tourism offers.
After the number of passengers in scheduled services had dropped to 690,000 in 1983 and the annual deficit had reached well over a million DM, the previous line operation within the HVV was given up. To this end, on February 7, 1984, a senate decision was made “to stop the deficit Alster regular service”.
Liner shipping was replaced in 1984 by a round trip route with a linear route tariff (DM 1 per investor with a maximum price for one direction or return trips, outside the HVV tariff). Time trial passes were no longer valid. Reductions have been introduced for senior citizens, because the Alster ships have been a popular and often used means of transport or excursion destination with senior season tickets, which is very cheap for this group of people. The previous 15-minute cycle between Jungfernstieg and Uhlenhorster Fährhaus has been replaced by the new Alster cruise line every hour . In 1987 ATG took over the ships and the facilities such as landing stages from the parent company HHA. The shipyard between Jarrestraße and Osterbekkanal remained with the HHA, was leased from the ATG and transferred to the shipyard v. Cölln sublet.
The Alster fleet has been adapted to the new tasks over the years. The motor ships built for regular service in the late 1930s and early 1950s were rebuilt several times (doors, rubber-framed window panes). The Goldbek was set up in 1987 as a saloon ship with a bar. Instead of 197 passengers as a liner, it is now intended for 32 guests at six tables.
ATG had won Volksfürsorge ( Generali since 2008 ), with which ATG is insured, as a sponsor .
New modern ships were added, with the Alster Sun , a solar ship with an electric drive is used. Another ship with an electric drive is the Alsterwasser , which receives its energy from two fuel cells . Because of the hot water that is generated, the name “Alsterdampfer” is not even wrong. This ship was planned and built as part of the Zemships (Zero Emission Ships) project and handed over to ATG on August 29, 2008.
A real steamship also returned to the Alster: the St. Georg as a museum ship , which, however, does not belong to the ATG, but to the Alsterdampfschiffahrt eV association .
Current offers from Alster shipping
Alster-Touristik GmbH (ATG)
Instead of the original shipping lines, the ATG is now offering "Alster-Kreuz-Cruises" from April to the beginning of October. You can get on and off at any point:
- Jungfernstieg - Atlantic - Rabenstraße - Uhlenhorster Fährhaus - Fährdamm - Mühlenkamp - Krugkoppelbrücke - Streekbrücke - Winterhunder Fährhaus and back.
Since 2008 a museum line has been running from Jungfernstieg, initially to the pier at the Museum der Arbeit in Barmbek , and later as a round trip back to Jungfernstieg without further stops. The Aue Museum Barge was used for this purpose from 1926 (from April to the beginning of October, four trips each Thursday and Sunday).
The general tourism offer from Jungfernstieg (April to the end of October) consists of:
- Alster tours
- Canal trips across the Outer Alster and its side canals
- Fleet rides through the canals of the Old and New Town and the Speicherstadt
- Vierlande trips through the Vierlande and Marschlande to Bergedorf (Wednesdays to Sundays from May to early October)
- Twilight trip (from May to the beginning of October daily from 8 p.m.)
From November and in the winter months, round trips are offered as "punch trips".
In 2013, the ATG carried almost 385,000 passengers.
Alsterdampfschiffahrt eV association
On a few days initially trips were made with the museum steamer St. Georg (built in 1876 as Falke , later Galatea (1911), St. Georg (1936), after the Second World War via detours on the Havel in West Berlin as MS Deutschland , later Planet in operation) from Jungfernstieg to Alsterdorf and back. Since the restoration and return to the Alster in 1994, the ATG has protested strongly against this offer, which is viewed as a competition, and has tried again and again to prevent the St. Georg from being used. Nevertheless, the museum steamer now makes daily tours on the Alster.
The Alster ships
Today's ATG fleet
The ATG now operates 18 Alster ships, which carried more than 400,000 passengers in 2012.
As technological innovation in addition to containing is fuel cell -powered Alsterwasser the Alstersonne to mention, since 2000 in use. This is a two-hull catamaran with photovoltaic elements. The 25.53 m long ship has 6 tonne gel accumulators that allow operation with electric motors at a speed of around 5 knots for 110 passengers. The 78 plastic solar modules generate electricity of up to 5 kW. The ship was built by the companies Kopf AG and Sunovation GmbH .
| Ship name | Type | Length (in m) | Construction year | (last) modification | annotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alster convertible I | Alster convertible | 21.93 | 1995 | open top ship | |
| Alster convertible II | Alster convertible | 21.93 | 1996 | open top ship | |
| Alsterschipper (2) | Flat ship | 25.60 | 1998 | ||
| Alster swan | Flat ship | 25.60 | 2006 | ||
| Alster sun | Solar catamaran | 25.53 | 2000 | Solar ship | |
| Alsterwasser | Zemships | 25.56 | 2008 | Hydrogen drive ( fuel cells ) | |
| Ammersbek | traditional Alster ship | 20.53 | 1939/40 | 1979 | |
| Aue | Launch | 15.95 | 1926 | 1999-2004 | Museum ship (monument protection) |
| Bredenbek | traditional Alster ship | 20.55 | 1938 | 1979 | 1946/47 for HADAG on the swing arm |
| Eilbek | traditional Alster ship | 22.22 | 1952 | 1961 and 1981 | |
| Fleetenkieker (2) | Flat ship | 25.60 | 2003 | ||
| Goldbek | Charter ship | 22.22 | 1951 | 1961, 1971, 1987 | formerly traditional Alster ship |
| Quartierslüüd | Flat ship | 25.80 | 1994 | ||
| Saselbek | traditional Alster ship | 20.62 | 1937 | 1980 and 1996 | 1946/47 for HADAG on the swing arm |
| Lock keeper SC | Flat ship | 24.72 | 1990 | ||
| Seebek | Amsterdam sightseeing boat | 21.85 | 1959 | 1964, 1969, 1981 | also used for state visits |
| Sielbek | traditional Alster ship | 20.52 | 1939/40 | 1978 | |
| Susebek | traditional Alster ship | 20.51 | 1937 | 1977 and 1995 | 1946/47 for HADAG on the swing arm |
Selection of former ships
| Ship name | Type | Length (in m) | Construction year | modification | annotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alster | traditional Alster ship | 1931 | 1951 conversion to a motor ship | last Alster steamer, retired in 1964, is moored as a restaurant ship on the Inner Alster | |
| Alsterschipper | Flat ship | 21.52 | 1977 | In operation as Uncle Albert von Prenzlau at the Uckerseen passenger shipping company until 2019 , then sales | |
| Eilenau | Tour launch | 19.81 | 1958 | 1964 and 1980 | Sold in 1994; After conversion with an additional upper deck, has been operating under the name Cospuden on Lake Cospuden near Leipzig since 2000 |
| Fleetenkieker | Flat ship | 21.52 | 1976 | first ship with toilet | |
| Isebek | 21.16 | 1934 | 1960/61 and 1986 | Formerly traditional Alster ship, reconstructed in 1961 | |
| Hamburg | 23.65 | 1872 | 1946 and 1954 | as Mocambo on the Oste momentum | |
| Kollau | Launch | 16.08 | 1930 | 1936, 1959 | in Holland with a new body |
| Osterbek | traditional Alster ship | 1936 | 1966 and 1973 | Scrapped in 2009 | |
| heron | 20.95 | 1879 | 1990 | as Scherri still on the Schermützelsee today | |
| Rodenbek | traditional Alster ship | 22.22 | 1956 | 1977, 1981, 1983 | Coffee trips, charter ship, scrapped in 2007 |
| Tarpenbek | traditional Alster ship | 20.50 | 1935 | 1979 | is (as of 2018/19) at the Th. Buschmann shipyard, Hamburg Reiherstieg |
literature
- Jürgen Blunck: History of the Alster Shipping . Husum Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft, Husum 1985, ISBN 3-88042-256-7
- Christian Müller: Alster shipping . Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-7822-0845-5
Web links
- ATG Alster-Touristik GmbH The operating company of the Alster ships
- ATG: Alsterschippern - Chronicle (PDF file; 1.08 MB)
- Alsterdampfschiffahrt eV non-profit association that keeps the tradition of the Alster fleet alive.
- private page with photos of Alster ships
- Rolf-Fredrik Matthaei: History, pictures and data of the Alster ships
Individual evidence
- ↑ tramways.wordpress.com: City Map Hamburg 1928, Map 10 ( Memento from December 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Hamburger Hochbahn AG: data and facts. In: Prospectus for IVA 1979
- ↑ Ferry connection: CDU wants to let commuters cruise across the Alster - WELT. In: THE WORLD. Retrieved November 5, 2016 .
- ↑ [1] ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. |
- ↑ Buergerforum-zur-resuscitation-of-the-Alsterfaehren - Hamburger Abendblatt. In: Hamburger Abendblatt. Retrieved February 27, 2017 .
- ^ Rolf-Fredrik Matthaei: Timetable local traffic in Hamburg
- ↑ Historical tour , Alster-Touristik, accessed on June 1, 2019
- ↑ Alster fleet starts season . In: Daily port report of April 4, 2014, p. 16
- ↑ Frank Binder: Today the start of the season for the Alster fleet . In: Daily port report of March 28, 2013, p. 16
