Gate lock (Hamburg)
In Hamburg, the gate lock was the evening and night opening of the city gates against payment of a fee . From 1798 it gradually replaced the gate closure, the complete closing of the gates at sunset. The gate lock was lifted at the end of 1860.
Introduction of the gate lock
At the end of the 18th century the population of the Hamburg fortifications increased . The result was a housing shortage and high rents. 1796 requested Oberaltenburg several times to replace the gate closure by a Torsperre. The council did not consent until 1798. From September 13, 1798, only the stone gate , the connection between the inner city and the eastern suburb of St. Georg , was opened.
Gates and blocking times:
- September 13, 1798: Only the stone gate is open until 11 p.m., the gate is still closed for all others.
- From 1800: The lock at the Steintor is extended by one hour until midnight.
- From 1808: Millerntor , Dammtor and the gates in the fortifications around St. Georg are included in the lock.
- From 1814: The Brooktor and the Deichtor are added.
- From 1825: The sand gate was the last to receive the gate lock.
- From 1841: The opening of most of the gates is extended to the entire night.
- After 1840: Several new gates, some of which can only be passed by pedestrians, are set up.
Lifting the gate lock
Initially, the gate lock was welcomed by the Hamburg population, as it meant an improvement in the quality of life compared to the previous gate closure. In 1804 it was decided to dismantle the fortification ring, which was also militarily obsolete, but this was initially prevented by the French occupiers who expanded the ramparts. Only between 1820 and 1837 did the conversion into parks begin. The old city gates were torn down and replaced by wider access routes with lattice gates, guard and excise buildings, because the gate remained in place. Due to the dwindling necessity of the nocturnal lock in the 19th century and the desire for greater personal freedom, the earlier consent turned into rejection and ridicule. In addition, the gate barrier hindered the growth of the city: the horse-drawn tram and the steam train could not develop under the gate barrier. In addition, more and more industrial companies settled outside of the inner city. Cumbersome exemptions had to be made for the workers in these factories.
On the other hand, the gate lock fee was a not inconsiderable source of income for the Hamburg state. In addition, the lock kept property prices and rents within the inner city at a high level. Therefore there was little interest on the part of the council and the landowners in lifting the gate lock. In order to counter the complaints from the population, relief was gradually introduced by lowering the fees and extending the opening times. In November 1860, the Senate and the citizenship finally agreed on the complete lifting of the gate lock on December 31, 1860.
The new customs border was now identical to the national border. After the construction of the necessary buildings and barriers was completed on November 21, 1865, the inner-city customs stations and barriers were dismantled. The fee for the use of the highways was also eliminated.
Others
On the first evening the gate was closed on September 13, 1798, an "uncountable crowd" marched through the open stone gate to enjoy the new acquisition. A similar spectacle was repeated on New Year's Eve 1860 when the gate was lifted.
In order to circumvent the gate lock fee, resourceful business people offered to transport people through the gate by horse and cart: On one side of the gate, pedestrians boarded the car for a small fee. When passing the gate, only the tariff for a loaded car was paid. The passengers left the car on the other side of the barrier.
See also
literature
. Parodistic poem about the citizens' displeasure with the gate lock.
- L. Behrends: The Hamburg gate lock . In: Neue Hamburger Zeitung of December 13, 1910.
- Ferdinand Bertram: My Hamburg. Second part: the inner city. Hamburg and Braunschweig 1921.
- Felix Braband: About the lifting of the gate lock fifty years ago . In: Hamburger Latest News from January 1, 1911.
- Fr. Clemens: Hamburg's memorial book, a chronicle of its fate and events from the origin of the city to the last conflagration and rebuilding . Hamburg, 1844.
- CF Gaedechens: Historical topography of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg . Hamburg 1880.
- Berend Goos: From the gate lock. In: Victor Dirksen (ed.): A century Hamburg 1800-1900. Munich, 1926. pp. 114-117.
- "The 50th anniversary of the lifting of the gate lock in Hamburg" . In: General-Anzeiger für Hamburg-Altona from December 31, 1910.
Web links
- About the gate lock and the citizen's military. In: Hamburgbuch
Individual evidence
- ^ Cipriano Francisco Gaedechens: Historical topography . Hamburg 1880, p. 268.