Once a bustling gateway, the Steintor Sculpture stands as a silent reminder of Hamburg’s past. The Steintor, or Stone Gate, was once the main eastern gate of Hamburg’s fortifications. It stood near today’s Hauptbahnhof, the main train station.
Imagine Hamburg in the 13th century. The Steintor was part of the medieval city wall. It marked the eastern end of Steinstraße. The street got its name from this very gate. In the mid-16th century, the Steintor was moved slightly east. However, it remained aligned with Steinstraße.
Fast forward to 1617. As Hamburg expanded its defenses, the Steintor was closed due to a new bastion. A new gate was built about 200 meters north. Steinstraße ended abruptly at the city wall. Travelers had to detour through Schweinemarkt to reach Spitalerstraße. Only in 1910, with the construction of Mönckebergstraße, did a direct route to the city center become possible again.
By 1697, St. Georg was incorporated into the fortress with a new wall. The Steintor lost its military significance. It continued to serve as a border for tax purposes. The Lübeck and Berlin Gates became the main outer defenses.
In the late 18th century, cemeteries were built just outside the Steintor. These Steintorfriedhöfe eased the burden on overcrowded inner-city burial grounds. Sadly, these cemeteries had to make way for the construction of Hamburg’s main train station a century later.
After the French occupation ended in 1814, the walls were converted into green spaces. The narrow gates were replaced with new, pillar-lined passages. These gates were closed at night until 1860. Carl Ludwig Wimmel designed these new gates in a classical style. A former guardhouse from this era still exists. Today, it serves as a restaurant.
In 1860, the Torsperre, or gate closure, was abolished. St. Georg became part of the city in 1868. The Steintor finally lost its purpose and was demolished.
During the construction of the U-Bahn tunnel under the Hauptbahnhof in 1906, workers found the foundations of the old Steintor. They had to remove 2,000 cubic meters of brickwork. The foundations were so deep that they extended below the tunnel floor. Workers also found wooden bridge yokes and a yellow clinker pillar. These were part of the bridge that once crossed the city moat in front of the gate.
No contemporary images of the older Steintore exist. Later depictions by the Suhr brothers and Cipriano Gaedechens are from the 19th century. These images show the older Steintor with two thick towers. Another illustration by Peter Suhr shows the gate in 1700 as a slimmer structure without towers.
Today, the area in front of the Steintor is still a square. It is known as Steintorplatz. The Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, built in 1874, occupies much of the original space. Steintorplatz remains a vital hub in Hamburg’s street network.
Before the museum was built, the Waisengrün festival took place here. Since 1633, this folk festival raised money for the former orphanage. The Lämmermarkt, or lamb market, was also held here at Pentecost until it was moved to the Lübeck Gate in 1874.
The Steintordamm, now part of Mönckebergstraße, still serves as a main entrance to the city center. It is especially important for public transportation. The Steintorwall marks the former wall section adjacent to the Steintor. Underneath it runs the Wallringtunnel, built in 1966. The Tiefbunker Steintorwall, a World War II bunker, stands near the Hauptbahnhof. Even the Steintorweg in St. Georg serves as a reminder of the old city gate. The Steintor Sculpture is a reminder of a time when city gates controlled passage.