Alter Elbpark

This four-hectare large “green island” between Hamburg’s Neustadt towards the Reeperbahn or the Elbe should not be missed.

In 1869, the first international garden exhibition (IGA) in Hamburg was held here. The Bismarck monument in the park can be seen from a great distance away – it is the largest and most well-known statue of Bismarck in the world. The Casparus Bastion of the Hamburg ramparts once stood here; a simple refreshment booth was built in 1806 and expanded in 1816 to a permanent “Elbpavillon”.

The highest monument in Hamburg today was – like its location – not uncontroversial even then, and was dedicated on June 2, 1906 after three years of construction. Supporting himself on his sword, Bismarck looks towards the sea. Later, figures of Germanic tribes were added at his feet, meant to symbolise their unity. The granite blocks used for the monument are from Kappelrodeck in the Black Forest.

The park is an important garden monument; the maintenance and development concept is the basis for restoration of ecological qualities that have been lost.