Elbe Tunnel

During our short visit to Hamburg, we visited the Elbe Tunnel. Our tour guide during our boat tour strongly suggested we check it out before leaving the city. With a little extra time we walked over from the boat dock to the tunnel. You walk in to a dome shaped building at normal ground level and inside are four massive elevators big enough to nearly fit 2 cars in each. The elevators lower cars and people 80 feet below the surface to where two 20 foot wide tunnels travel almost 1400 feet to the other side of the river Elbe. When we were there, we only saw one car come out of the tunnel and get lifted up and out.

The tunnel was originally constructed in 1911 to make it easier for workers in the shipyard and docks to get to the other side of the river. The river would get very crowded during rush hour with people and vehicle trying to get across by ferry. A traditional bridge couldn’t be placed in this location because large ships needed to continue to use the river. Since 1911, the elevators have obviously been updated and modernized, but the function of the tunnel remains the same. Newer more modern bridges and tunnels have been built to lessen the load on this tunnel, but it still handles a reported 300,000 vehicles, 63,000 bicycles, and 700,000 pedestrians in 2008.

For its time in 1911, the Elbe tunnel was an engineering marvel that made life a lot easier on many workers and travelers. Even today it is an impressive operation that continues to run.

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