37c3 Old Elbe Tunnel

”Down under”—the Old Elbe Tunnel

The St. Pauli Elbtunnel connects the St. Pauli neighborhood with Steinwerder island. It was built between 1907 and 1911, and was one of the first road tunnels in the world. Today, it is a tourist attraction, but also an important cornerstone for mobility in the city. The appearance, the construction of the elevators to take whole horse carriages, the neo gothic design, simply everything about this award-winning building is testament to the progress of technology and infrastructure of its time. Technology nerds experience the Old Elbe Tunnel as a witness of engineering art and the pursuit of innovation of this time with all their senses.

The evelator building on the north bank ©Andreas Schmidt-Wiethoff

The tunnel ©Andreas Schmidt-Wiethoff

So far, so good

On this tour, Thomas Heidborn takes you to the cupola of the head building on the St. Pauli side and mentally back to the time where it all began. He has been tunnel supervisor for more than 39 years and knows the details and the stories like the back of his hand. He will take you through the tunnel and direct your attention to many of the hidden details. In the show room, the small museum on the southern side, not usually open, you can see artifacts, historic machinery and a large professional model of the entire facility—of course with moving elevators. The tour completes with a view of the Elbe river across from St. Pauli, the Landungsbrücken jetties, and the City of Hamburg, which we like to call the most beautiful in the world.

Details

Tours:
- Day 1 (27.12.) 14:40 hours
- Day 1 (27.12.) 16:40 hours
- Day 2 (28.12.) 13:40 hours
- Day 2 (28.12.) 15:40 hours
- Day 3 (29.12.) 14:40 hours
- Day 3 (29.12.) 16:40 hours
Duration: 1,5 Stunden
Language: German and limited English
Meet at Hackertours Desk: at time given above
- Alternatively, you can come to the location directly. In this case, please let us know by writing us at ticket@hackertours.hamburg.ccc.de. Please arrive at the location no later than one hour after the time given above. We will be meeting at the passenger elevators at the head building.
Cost: 18€
Location: St. Pauli Elbtunnel - https://www.hamburg.de/alter-elbtunnel/, directly at Hamburger Landungsbrücken (U+S Landungsbrücken)
Operator: prima events GmbH
Important: The cupola can only be reached by stairs and is not accessible. You can take part in all other parts of the tour. The entire tour encompasses walking about 1,500m. Tunnel and exhibition room are mostly accessible.