The shipwrecks of Blankenese make the Falkensteiner Ufer a very special place.
Especially at low tide you can see them well: The shipwrecks of Blankenese make the Falkensteiner Ufer a very special place. They rise mystically and bizarrely out of the water and remind us of days gone by in the Hanseatic city. Today the wrecks serve as breakwaters to protect the shore and for many Hamburgers belong to the Hanseatic city like the Michel and the Reeperbahn. You can see the shipwrecks of Blankenese particularly well when you walk along the beach path towards the Falkensteiner Ufer directly along the Elbe at low tide.
Die „Polstjernan“ – a wooden wreck over 90 years old
The oldest shipwreck on Falkensteiner Ufer is the Finnish schooner and later motor sailer "Polstjernan". The ship caught fire on 20 October 1926 on its way to England in today's Kiel Canal. The ship, loaded with wood, was ablaze in flames within a few moments and could no longer be extinguished. The "Polstjernan" was finally towed by tugs from a Blankeneser salvage company to the Falkensteiner Ufer, where the remains can still be seen between the groynes at low tide.
The barge "Uwe" - probably the most famous shipwreck on the Elbe river
The "Uwe" capsized in dense fog on 19 December 1975 in a particularly unfortunate way: The freighter "Wiedau" collided first with the Polish freighter "Mieczyslaw Kalinowski", was turned by the collision into the course of the "Uwe" and divided the inland vessel in the middle. Two crew members were killed. The captain of the "Uwe" and 16 members rescued themselves to the pier Wittenbergen. The ship was towed to the Falkensteiner shore, where the foredeck protrudes from the Elbe at low tide.
Caution required on the Elbe beach
Please note: As with all beaches along the Elbe in the Hamburg city area, sunbathing is permitted here, but swimming in the Elbe is extremely dangerous. There are invisible, steep drop-offs underwater. The current is also very strong and often cannot be seen below the surface of the water. Heavy shipping traffic causes dangerous suction currents and waves.
