Execution sites in Hamburg: These places shaped the dark history!

Execution sites in Hamburg: These places shaped the dark history!

In Hamburg there are historical places that are closely linked to the dark side of the city. People used to be executed here, and many of these execution sites can now only be found in history books. Among the most striking places, Grasbrook has a special significance, where numerous convicts lost their lives between the 14th and early 17th centuries. Historians estimate that several hundred executions took place there, but exact numbers are not known. An iconic example is the pirate Klaus Störtebeker, who was beheaded in this square on October 20, 1401. Since 1982, a two-ton bronze figure has commemorated him and the circumstances of his execution, which are often shrouded in legend. [t-online] reports that the gallows at Grasbrook was dismantled between 1600 and 1620.

The locations of the executions in Hamburg extended beyond the Grasbrook. People were also publicly punished in other places such as the Steindamm and the Millerntor, sometimes until the 17th and even partly into the early 18th century. The area in front of the Millerntor in particular enjoyed a terrible reputation. But as time went on and the city changed, things developed further: the gallows and the executioner's square on Hamburger Berg, now St. Pauli, were abandoned at that time and the dismantling was largely completed around 1700. [t-online] highlights that there was also an execution site at the Steintor, the eastern city gate, which was moved there in 1609, where the condemned were brought to the execution site via the “Armesünderdamm”, today's Steindamm.

Klaus Störtebeker and his legend

Klaus Störtebeker's monument in HafenCity is not only a tourist attraction, but also raises questions about the symbolism and whether the aim is to awe or deter. The inscription “Friend of God, enemy of the world” leads to different interpretations. Störtebeker, who was known as the leader of the feared Likedeeler, and his men were captured in 1401 after a sea battle off Helgoland. Despite a promise from the mayor that only Störtebeker would be a victim of execution, he ultimately had his entire team executed. [hamburg.de] explains that Störtebeker had a good reputation among the people of Hamburg because he stole from the rich and shared the loot with the poor.

His name itself, “Störtebeker”, is derived from the Low German command “Drop the cup”, which underlines his preference for alcohol. His legend lives on not only through the stories, but also in the Hamburg Museum, where Störtebeker's skull and a reproduction of his cog are on display. Near the monument there are other sights such as the Elbphilharmonie, the traditional ship harbor and the Speicherstadt.

Hamburg remains a place full of history and legends, where remembering difficult chapters of the past meets the lively culture of the present. Anyone who strolls through the city senses that there is still “something going on,” especially in places where it was once a matter of life and death.