“Galgenbucht.” Does this name evoke images of idyllic harbor life? It should not. We are standing in Galwik. This area in Flensburg has a past far removed from today’s peaceful scenery.
Galwik a district within Flensburg’s Nordstadt holds a chilling secret. Its name means “Galgenbucht” or Gallows Bay. It is a name derived from the execution site that once dominated this waterfront. Let’s delve into the dark history of this place.
Centuries ago this bay was anything but a haven for ships. The gallows stood prominently near the Bergmühle. It loomed over the landscape. Written records from the 16th century confirm this grim location. Here thieves and murderers met their end. Women accused of witchcraft also faced burning at the stake here. The belief in witches ran deep in Flensburg. The Blocksberg near Mürwik echoes this belief. Fourteen women were burned as witches at Galwik’s Galgenberg.
Around 1700 the gallows moved closer to the Wik or bay. The intent? To make it visible to incoming ships. This was a stark warning to newcomers deterring them from criminal acts. The gallows’ presence aimed to instill fear. It was a constant reminder of the consequences of lawbreaking. Hanging as a form of execution ended in the late 19th century. The gallows was then removed.
The last executions under Flensburg’s jurisdiction occurred in 1820. Five mutinous sailors and one robber met their fate. After this the higher courts handled capital punishment.
The area transformed with 19th-century industrialization. Companies began settling in Galwik during the Prussian era. Samuel Morton Peto an English railway entrepreneur founded the “Danish Gas Company” in Gasstraße in 1854. The Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft a shipbuilding company was established on July 3 1872. The Flensburger Actien-Brauerei-Gesellschaft a brewery was established a year later at Brauereiweg. This brewery predates the Flensburger Brauerei we know today.
A sea border slaughterhouse was built near Galwik’s waters in 1926. It intended to exploit a ban on live cattle imports. But lacking permits prevented this. During World War II air raids targeted Galwik’s industrial sites. The bunker towers on Trollseeweg built then still stand.
Over time original companies gave way to modern port-related industries. Flensburger Fahrzeugbau now occupies the “Old Werft.” Stadtwerke Flensburg operates its facilities further north. The “New” Flensburger Werft sits at Galwik’s upper edge. Vacant lots mark former business sites like the Seegrenzschlachthof.
Away from the harbor residential buildings prevail. Worker housing and villas sprung up along Apenrader Straße and Bau’er Landstraße due to industrialization. The St. Petri Church built in 1908/09 stands on the Förde slope’s southwest edge. Ansgar Kirke a Danish church built in 1966 lies in the district’s heart.
Today the Galwik-Park offers green space with lawns pergolas seating and a children’s play area. It aims to connect Neustadt and Nordstadt visually to the Förde. In 2008 a BMX and skate park opened near the park on former slaughterhouse grounds. The Flensburger Jugendring manages it now.
The small Galwik sailing harbor sits on the Förde shore. The “Galwik Pit” once part of a Flensburger Schiffbaugesellschaft floating dock lies there. Until 1950 this depression was part of it. It sat five meters below the harbor basin. Its waters remained calm during storms. Decaying plankton and plant matter gathered there. Over decades toxic deposits built up. The water lacked oxygen and was colder than the harbor’s. The pit was filled with sediments from elsewhere in the harbor in the 1990s. Today the Galwik bay hosts berths for the Wassersportverein Galwik e. V. and Niro-Petersen KG.