Could you imagine thousands of people passing through here? This is the Ehemaliger Lagerbahnhof. It was once Hamburg’s central deportation point. The Ehemaliger Lagerbahnhof tells a dark chapter of Hamburg’s history.
Between 1940 and 1945, this site was the stage for unspeakable horror. The Ehemaliger Lagerbahnhof served as the central deportation hub. From here, Jews, Sinti, and Roma were sent to their deaths. The location was chosen carefully. Its distance from the city center was deliberate. The Nazis likely wanted to avoid public attention. However, these deportations were not secret. Hamburg residents knew about them.
Let’s step back in time. Picture the year 1872. The Venloer Bahnhof opens. It becomes the terminus for trains crossing the Elbe. In 1892, it is renamed Hannoverscher Bahnhof. Some people jokingly call it the Pariser Bahnhof. The building is grand. It rivals Berlin’s famous train stations.
The ground here was unstable. So the building was constructed on pile grates. The station had separate buildings for departures and arrivals. A large hall connected them. This hall spanned five tracks. A portico with five arches faced the city. This design made it a mix of a terminal and a through station.
Tracks led to a turntable. Others connected to the Hamburg-Altonaer railway. Trains moved slowly on the street. A railway worker with a bell and flag walked ahead. The station also included a post office and a railway depot. Goods facilities were built along the Elbe bridge route. These allowed direct transfer from water to rail.
In 1888, part of the site became the Hafenbahnhof Versmannkai. This was due to the creation of Hamburg’s free port. A fence marked the customs border between the two stations.
The Hannoversche Bahnhof closed to passenger traffic in 1907. This happened after the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof opened. It then served as a freight station. However, it occasionally handled passenger trains. This included excursion traffic and troop transports during World War I.
A viaduct known as the Pfeilerbahn was built. It crossed the Hannoversche Bahnhof without intersections. This was part of the approach to the Hauptbahnhof. Two suburban train stops opened on the Pfeilerbahn in 1908.
From 1907, the station largely remained unchanged. Several freight sheds were rebuilt. A loading area with 14 tracks was located north of the old passenger station. Another was used for coal handling. In the 1930s, most express freight trains for Hamburg were processed here. Trains traveling between Wilhelmsburg and Rothenburgsort had to change direction.
Between 1940 and 1945, the Ehemaliger Lagerbahnhof became a place of horror. On May 16, 1940, police arrested about 550 Sinti and Roma in Hamburg. They also arrested others from nearby areas. These people were held for four days in a fruit shed. On May 20, they were deported. Twenty transports left this station. They carried 7,692 Jews, Sinti, and Roma. These people were sent to ghettos and extermination camps. Most of them died.
After the war, air raids heavily damaged the freight station. The Oberhafen and Elbbrücke stops were never reopened. In 1955, the damaged portal of the station building was demolished. The side wings remained until 1981. In 1964, the station was renamed Hamburg Hauptgüterbahnhof.
The rail connection to the Großmarkt was part of the Hauptgüterbahnhof. Around 200 freight cars were unloaded at the Großmarkt daily. The station also handled piggyback traffic and trains for showmen.
In 1999, the rail tracks were largely removed. The area became known as Abzweigstelle Ericus. By 2004, tracks at the Großmarkt were also dismantled. In 2008, the Pfeilerbahn viaduct was torn down.
Today, the area west of the railway embankment is the Quartier Am Lohsepark. It features residential buildings and the Lohsepark.
In 2017, the denk.mal Hannoverscher Bahnhof memorial was inaugurated. It commemorates the deportations from 1940 to 1945. The memorial includes the remains of platform 2. There is also a “fuge” which marks the former track route. Twenty nameplates honor over 8,000 victims. A documentation center is planned to provide further historical context.
The Ehemaliger Lagerbahnhof stands as a reminder. It urges us to remember the past. It is a place of reflection and remembrance.