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Elbe Tunnel (1911)

Old Elbe Tunnel or St. Pauli Elbe Tunnel (German: Alter Elbtunnel (coll.) or St. Pauli Elbtunnel (official name)) (opened 1911), is a pedestrian and vehicle tunnel in Hamburg, Germany. The 426 m (1,398 ft) long tunnel was a technical sensation; 24 m (80 ft) beneath the surface, two tubes with 6 m (20 ft) diameter connect central Hamburg with the docks and shipyards on the south side of the river Elbe. This meant a big improvement for tens of thousands of workers in one of the busiest harbours in the world.

Four huge lifts on either side of the tunnel carried pedestrians, carriages and motor vehicles to the bottom. They are still in operation, though due to the limited capacity by today's standards, other bridges and tunnels have been built and taken over most of the traffic.

History and events

On July 22 1907 the construction of the tunnel started to connect the quarters of St. Pauli near the Landungsbrücken and Steinwerder. Construction was done under pressure and, as during the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge towers, diver's disease was a big problem, killing three and causing 74 severe and more than 600 light cases among the 4,400 workers. Two other were caused by accidents.

The tunnel was opened on September 7 1911.

The old tunnel has turned into an impressive attraction for tourists and was featured in the films The Odessa File and The American Friend (Der Amerikanische Freund).

In the tunnel an art exhibition (ElbArt ) and a long-distance running event Elbtunnel-Marathon (website of the organiser ) are taking place.

Decoration

The tunnel walls are decorated with glazed terra cotta ornaments displaying items related to the Elbe river. While mostly fish or crabs, a few show different items like waste and rats, too.