Altona balcony

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Altona balcony
Park in Hamburg
Altona balcony
Basic data
place Hamburg
District Altona old town
Surrounding streets Palmaille , Große Elbstraße , Elbbergbrücke , Kaistraße
Buildings Haddock tunnel
Technical specifications
Parking area 4.8 hectares

The Altona balcony is located in the Hamburg district of Altona-Altstadt in the Altona district . The park is part of a series of Elbparks that sits high above the Elbe on the approximately 27-meter-high Geesthang are and which - starting at the Promenade With the recovery in the district of St. Pauli rows in the west as a chain to each other and part of the urban cultural landscape Hohes Elbe bank are.

Location and area

The Altona balcony runs parallel to the two streets Palmaille in the north and Großer Elbstraße in the south. It begins on Palmaille Street at no. 29 and ends in the west at the Elbbergbrücke and Kaistraße. To the east is the Olbersweg green area and to the west is the Heinepark with the Rainvilleterrasse . On an area of ​​around 4.8 hectares, several paths are distributed at different heights parallel to the Elbe. To the north and within sight is the Altona town hall . At the same height in the park there is a viewing platform with benches directly on the fenced-off Geest slope with a view of the Elbe, the Köhlbrand and the bridge of the same name . There you sit in the open air, similar to a huge balcony, which is why the name of the park is derived from it - officially and affectionately called that by most visitors. The balcony is only a small part of the park on the western side. Visiting the viewing platform and the playground on the corner of Palmaille and Kaistraße is flat and barrier-free .

Furnishing

Playground on the Altona balcony

The numerous benches on the balcony are popular, but there are also numerous seating areas and various walking paths in the eastern part, with a few benches at intervals. The paths are at different heights directly on the Geesthang , some without - but some with steps or stairs to compensate for the difference in height between Palmaille and Großer Elbstrasse. Therefore, many, but not all, paths are barrier-free. On the balcony there is a small children's playground, fenced in by a hedge, with various devices such as a horizontal bar, slide, balancing element, hammock, hanging device, carousel, climbing spider and swing - mostly in a sandy area. Some sandstone figures by an unknown artist from the animal kingdom serve as decorative elements. In the eastern part of the park there is a kiosk with a café and outdoor seating, which is open during the summer months. A large meadow opposite the town hall is often used by bridal couples after the wedding in the registry office as the end of the solemn ceremony and offers space for sports and games or a picnic. A dog meadow is not signposted.

Monuments and sculptures

In addition to the well-known sculpture “Fischer” by Gerhard Brandes from 1968 on the balcony on the large meadow, there are a few more along the paths. The Heligoland monument from 1864 is located south of the Palmaille in the eastern part of the park and commemorates the fallen soldiers of the Austrian Navy. A little to the west at the stairs between Kaistraße and Elbberg is the sculpture “The Emigrants” by the artist Ljubica Matulec. The monument was a gift from the Croatian cultural community for the 800th port birthday. It shows Croatian emigrants who mostly emigrated from Hamburg to America. It was originally made of wood, but in 2008 it was replaced with a weatherproof bronze finish. There is an ensemble of anchors and a ship's propeller on the footpath in the eastern part of the park near the Helgoland monument.

  • The sculpture "Fischer" by Gerhard Brandes

  • Helgoland monument from 1864

  • Sculpture “The Emigrants” by Ljubica Matulec

  • Ensemble of anchors in Park Altonaer Balkon

  • Propeller on the way

The haddock tunnel

The former railway tunnel of the Altona port railway, which has been closed for years, runs under the Altona balcony . Not much of this can be seen in the park today, only the southern gate on the Elbberg with the bars reveals that goods were once transported here. The new Elbberg Campus building is at this point and it looks a bit like a platform, because the new building was adapted to the tunnel and from the viewing platform on the office building you can take a look at the tunnel portal between the now dense vegetation the track runs under the park in the direction of Altonaer Bahnhof. On the day of the “Open Monument” there are sometimes guided tours. The tunnel is entered in the list of monuments for Hamburg-Altona-Altstadt under number 11753.

The grotto

A small staircase in the western part of the park towards Elbberg leads to a small grotto made of sand-lime brick . It dates from 1902 and was artificially created in order to save water from the fountains on what was then Kaiserplatz - today the Republic Square . The water from the wells, also from the Stuhlmannbrunnen , flowed unused into the Elbe, and since they didn't want to waste it, pipes were laid and caught. This is how an artificial waterfall was created down the slope of the Elbe. The grotto, also known as the "Störtebeker Cave", was overgrown for a long time until some people who slept there caught the attention of the district office. The undergrowth was removed and so the grotto was rediscovered and bars were installed to protect against litter.

Special views

  • Lovis Corinth : View of the Köhlbrand (1911), Hamburger Kunsthalle

  • View from the Altona balcony at night

  • Pedestrian bridge over Kaistraße at the western end

  • View into the haddock tunnel

  • Grotto under the Altona balcony

Planting actions

On Reformation Day 2014, an apple tree of the variety " Jewel from Kirchwerder " was planted in the Altona balcony by the Hamburg bishop Kirsten Fehrs and Luther ambassador Margot Käßmann . In April 2016, the NABU Altona suburban group began preparing and creating a butterfly meadow. A piece of meadow was prepared for this in the eastern part of the park south of the Palmaille. Colorful flowers such as poppies and cornflowers , wild herbs and flowers should give butterflies and insects a new home. In 2018, an insect hotel was built in-house and set up on the meadow. A display board provides information about the residents of the new hotel. A dry stone wall was added in February 2019. Plants were placed between the stones to stabilize them and to attract even more insects - but also lizards. Another project field is located on Kaistraße. In another planting campaign in March 2018 during the “Trillion Trees - Planting Trees for Climate Protection” campaign, the Buddhist dignitary Gyalwang Drukpa and NABU planted some elms in the park on the Elbhang .

Transport links

Altona train station: S1 and S3, a few minutes' walk

Bus route 111, stops at Behnstraße (Palmaille) or Elbberg, bus route 112, bus stop Elbberg, bus route 288 bus stop Behnstraße

Web links

Commons : Altonaer Balkon  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Video

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Joshua Fritz: Between Fischmarkt and Schulau: Hohes Elbe bank is to become a world cultural heritage . September 16, 2019 ( welt.de [accessed October 21, 2019]).
  2. ↑ Gisela Schütte: Elbberg Campus moored on the edge of the Altona harbor . June 30, 2003 ( welt.de [accessed October 22, 2019]).


Coordinates: 53 ° 32 '43.3 "  N , 9 ° 56' 7.6"  E