Alster swans

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Alster swans

The Alster swans are a landmark of the city of Hamburg . An account from the years 1591/1592 shows that the mute swans on the Alster have been supplied with grain feed at public expense for more than 400 years . In 1664 the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg placed the birds under special protection: it is forbidden to insult them (including causing harm), to injure or to kill them.

Swan creatures

There has been a swan father since 1674. Since 1818, the municipal office of a district hunter has been set up to look after the animals. The so-called swan father is the only employee of the central office for swans , which is located in the Hamburg-Nord district office . In addition to the conservation and animal protection measures and the monitoring of the habitat, the tasks also include the emergency rescue of aquatic animals that have died in an accident, the rearing and care of orphaned young animals, advice and implementation of training events and the prosecution of crimes in the event of water pollution , animal cruelty and poaching .

Number of swans

The swans are monogamous. Every year there are 10 to 20 new breeding pairs. The number of swans always remains the same at 120. The swans can live up to 24 years. Animals die of old age, illness, fishhooks, flight accidents and dog attacks.

Winter quarters

In winter, the swans are fed on the Eppendorfer mill pond , which is kept ice-free by an underwater pump especially for them . The annual move to the winter quarters in November attracts a lot of public attention. A large number of the birds are first driven into the Kleine Alster , caught there, examined and then shipped by boat.

Depending on the weather, they return to the Alster, its canals and canals in March or April, accompanied by the swan father's boat, under the Krugkoppelbrücke . There they build their nests from the end of March.

  • Logo swan creature

  • On the Kleine Alster

  • In the winter quarter of Eppendorfer Mühlenteich

Traditions

It is also in the tradition of Hamburg to give swans as guest gifts to representatives of particularly connected cities or states during official visits. The animals should then be considered ambassadors for the Hanseatic city in their new home. At the annual festive banquet of the Matthiae meal in the Hamburg City Hall in February , the protective position of birds is taken into account. Since swans are not eaten in Hamburg, a gilded Alster swan adorns the table as a showcase .

Movies

literature

  • Harald Nieß: Hamburg's Alsterschwäne , Rasch and Röhring, Hamburg 1997, ISBN 3-89136-645-0

Web links

Commons : Cygnus olor in Hamburg  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sebastian Husen: Alster swans. In: Franklin Kopitzsch , Daniel Tilgner (Ed.): Hamburg Lexikon. 3rd, updated edition. Ellert & Richter, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-8319-0179-1 , p. 27.
  2. ^ Hamburger Schwanenwesen: Tasks , accessed on December 4, 2011
  3. ↑ Geneviève Wood: Never insult a swan! In: "Hamburger Abendblatt", April 11, 2018, p. 13.
  4. ↑ Hanseatic City and Alster Swans ( Memento from July 16, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on December 4, 2011
  5. ↑ 120 Alster swans are back on the Alster. In: Hamburger Abendblatt from March 16, 2016, p. 14.
  6. ^ Hamburger Schwanenwesen: Staatsgeschenke , accessed on December 4, 2011